private The Tyranny of Princess Cadence

[Ano170 162]

@@Agent505,

 

(OOC: Please don't kill her off? *sniff* Heck, you should make the twins into full-blown OCs, they're that interesting! Then again, roleplaying with mutes might be tricky...).

 

Arrow's eyes widened in surprise as the mare removed her armour. What was she trying to say?

 

His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the words carved cruelly into her flesh. Rage boiled within Arrow, and he struggled not to shout as he opened his muzzle to speak.

 

'Who did this to you?' Was what he had planned to say, but instead Arrow shut his muzzle quietly. This was a trained warrior before him; not some damsel in distress who needed a stallion to fight her battles. Showing her kindness was one thing, but Arrow worried that if he expressed too much concern over the mare, she may take offence.

 

Instead, he followed her gaze to the palace, wondering what she was thinking. Could this mare have answers for him? Would she be willing to give them?

 

Arrow frowned slightly. He felt sympathy for the unicorn, but that didn't mean she could be trusted.

 

In the end, all he could bring himself to ask was, "Miss?"

Edited July 2, 2013 by Ano170

[Agent505 661]

@@Ano170

 

Stand down solider... ...the likes of you...stand down! Harmonic's words echoed around her mind as she stared numbly at the palace for a moment longer, before what seemed like an eternal silence was broken by Arrow's voice. She shook her head, expelling the thoughts and turning to look at him. It was as she remembered she wasn't talking to her commander, but instead one of the generals, she quickly snatched up her armour with her magic and buckled it up around herself, followed by her helmet. There was a stern nod of her head as she began a slow and somewhat hesitant, yet determined march towards the palace. 

[Ano170 162]

So much for that, Arrow thought to himself as he watched the still silent mare pull her armour back on. Seeing her in it reminded Arrow himself that he was a soldier now, with responsibilities and superiors to adhere to. He nodded back to the unicorn, watching the resilient expression on her face.

 

"To the palace, then?" Arrow asked with a slight sigh, reluctantly resuming his role as general.

[Agent505 661]

@@00Pony,@@Ano170,

 

"They're my soldiers. I need them to be able to fight, and if that means I need to leave them out of the fighting for a day or two, so be it. But this is different. Your...cooperation is appreciated, no matter what you may think of me." Harmonic's gaze turned to the distant sky, and as if summoned by the will of Luna herself, the sky darkened to an almost nightly state, and rain poured down from above in a sudden instance. "Now I...I think I need to do something, however." He sighed, closing his eyes and lowering his head momentarily, before encasing himself in his magic and teleporting into the streets outside of the palace. He began to wander, making a general direction for the tavern, that was where he had last seen Arrow.

_____

 

Her footsteps slowed as she walked, and as the rain came down, she simply sighed begrudgingly looking up into the rain. It had begun to pour incredibly quickly - not to mention heavily. There was a hustle of ponies scattering around in the distance, presumably to get out of the rain and into their homes - or at least what was left of them. Enid turned and looked back at Arrow, partially to make sure he was still following, but also...partially because she wanted him to follow, but not because he had to. Of course, she had no way of showing that directly. 

 

Suddenly, she saw the familiar figure of her commander in the distance, approaching them quickly, but unknowingly, thanks to the darkness - she knew he couldn't see too well in the darker places of the world, and used that to her advantage. Swiftly, she dodged back behind Arrow, darting to one side and pulling him into a narrow alley as she shrunk herself back into the shadows as much as she could, not unlike a cat readying itself to pounce for a meal. 

[Ano170 162]

@@Agent505,

 

Arrow had been following dutifully behind the unicorn, trying to ignore the rain soaking his coat, when she suddenly ran behind him. Arrow almost cried out when he felt her yank him sharply down another alley, but he resisted the urge - he had no idea what had startled the strange mare, but years of experience had taught him to stay silent until he knew the precise details of the situation.

 

Instead he turned to give the mare a questioning look, not that he was expecting much of a verbal explanation. 

[Agent505 661]

@@Ano170, 

 

Noticing the look Arrow was giving her, she looked thoughtful for a moment, before the look of an idea spread across her face. Lifting up her helmet again, she tapped it lightly with her hoof and then pointed outward, puffing out her chest as much as she could. It was the best she could think of to signify what she had seen. After letting her breath go and thus her chest shrinking down again, she narrowed her eyes momentarily as she peered into the street, hoping Harmonic wouldn't take the turn down the alleyway. 

_____

 

Of course, there was no such luck. He trotted into the alleyway, it was only a street away from the tavern, and he figured he would find Enid or Arrow somewhere near there, but was quickly beginning to give up on that thought. "I doubt it..." he muttered to himself "I wont find them in this darkness...especially not if she..." he shook his head and thumped the ground once more "Not a chance." 

He let out a deep snarl, a telltale sign of his anger rising, before he began making his way down the alleyway, half glancing in the doorways and other narrow streets on his way past. 

[Ano170 162]

@@Agent505,

 

Arrow stared blankly at the mare as she began making gestures with her helmet and puffing out her chest.

 

So now we're playing charades?

 

Arrow began to shake his head in an effort to convey his misunderstanding, but froze at the familiar sound of heavy, armoured, angry sounding hoofsteps.

 

"Harmonic?" he mouthed silently to the mare. Absently, he wondered why she was avoiding her commander, but Arrow had no intention of betraying their whereabouts if he could help it - after all, he did not have much of a liking for the younger stallion himself.

 

Arrow pressed himself into the shadows of an alcove set in the wall as the hoofsteps drew closer, reaching out a hoof to pull the mare in closer as well.

Edited July 2, 2013 by Ano170

[Agent505 661]

@@Ano170, 

 

Enid backed up, partly being pulled by Arrow, but also partly from her own intent. Harmonic had stopped again, just outside of the alleyway they where in, but only his rear half could be seen from the alley itself. 

 

He sniffed the air and raised his head, looking around the rooftops, before growling again in a progressively louder manner, before there was a grey flash and he vanished. 

 

Enid breathed a sigh of relief when Harmonic left, but shortly thereafter she started to quiver lightly. Turning to face Arrow again, she sat down and lowered her head in a manner that conveyed both disappointment and question. She looked up from under her brow, not lifting her head as she met Arrows eyes with her own, a sad look once again creeping into her eyes. 

[Ano170 162]

@@Agent505,

 

Arrow couldn't help letting out his own relieved sigh when Harmonic teleported away, although he could not help but suspect the commander would not give up that easily.

 

Instead, Arrow found his gaze drawn back once more to the mare, who was now sitting, her head bowed but her eyes still meeting his. She was still evidently upset, and Arrow backed up slightly, the confined space in the alcove beginning to make him feel uncomfortable now that the distraction of Harmonic was gone.

 

"Miss?" Arrow ventured eventually, careful to keep his voice at a whisper. "Could you explain what's wrong?" He hesitated a moment, hoping he was sounding friendly and genuine but not condescending. "Perhaps I could be of assistance somehow?" 

[Agent505 661]

@@Ano170,

 

Closing her eyes caused a few loose tears to trickle down her cheeks, but coupled with the amount of excess rainwater dripping from her helmet, it wouldn't be noticeable. She opened her mouth a little, again as if she was about to speak, but instead she closed it again. Hesitantly, she opened her mouth again, and after a few moments of fighting herself, she eventually managed to show what she didn't want to have to. Closing her eyes tightly, she lifted up her head and allowed her mouth to fall open, pointing into it with a shaky hoof. She didn't have a tongue. 

 

It felt like forever, but after she was sure Arrow had seen, she recoiled like a frightened hound would from an abusive masters boot, shaking in the corner as she attempted to maintain eye contact while she unclipped something from around her neck, shaking her head slightly as she made several vague gestures towards the palace, she showed a half-heart amulet, one that would be traditionally given to two lovers or relatives.

 

(Damn, this is harder than I expected. I'm trying not to resort to expressing her thoughts directly, because that's just cheap )

[Ano170 162]

@@Agent505,

 

(OOC: Actually, I find this manner of guessing Enid's thoughts, then trying to figure out how Arrow may interpret them without having the same background knowledge I do, to be very entertaining).

 

Arrow winced in sympathy at the sight of the mare's missing tongue - it brought back memories of almost having his own cut out by angry smugglers who he had ran into in Dragon Country - and fought the desire to kick himself, hoping the unicorn hadn't taken his recoil as a sign of revulsion.

 

"I'm sorry," he spoke with sincerity. "I should have known." 

 

He glanced at the pendant the mare had shown him, recognising it as a token of love - somehow, it made Arrow feel as if he were on firmer ground to see that such a heartfelt tradition had made it through to this time of war. Of course, realising the meaning behind it and the pony's gestures just made his heart sink back down in sorrow.

 

"Your sister?" he asked gently. Hesitantly, Arrow reached out to the mare again, this time to touch her foreleg. "Was she...lost, yesterday?"

[Agent505 661]

@@Ano170,

 

Her eyes widened in horror as the thought of her sister having passed away crossed her mind. Shaking her head violently, she clipped the pendant back around her neck and thought again for a second on how she could explain things to the clueless stallion. 

She stepped out of the alley, back into the rain and pointed at the palace once more. Making a cross symbol on her chest with her hoof, she lay prone - or at least as close to being prone as she would have liked, given the condition of the floor. 

 

Finally, she gave up, stamping her hooves on the ground in frustration, she simply hopped back over to Arrow and sat down beside him. Suddenly, her ears pricked up and she looked around for a second, before she returned to tilting her head and still looking rather upset.

Edited July 2, 2013 by Agent505

[Ano170 162]

@@Agent505,

 

(OOC: Clueless? Eh, well he is related to Feather Quill... Also, the image of a heavily armoured unicorn mare hopping is diabetes inducing).

 

 Arrow watched the mare's performance. 

 

Okay, so her sister is not dead, she's in the castle. Is she imprisoned? That could explain why this twin is hiding from Harmonic. Arrow frowned in confusion as the unicorn crossed her hooves over her chest. A cross? Are they going to crucify her sister?

 

It wasn't until the mare lay awkwardly on the ground that it occurred to Arrow that the cross might be medical. The castle has a sickbay, doesn't it? He wondered as the mare, seemingly losing patience, came to sit beside him again.

 

"In the sick bay, then?" Arrow ventured eventually.

[Agent505 661]

@@Ano170, 

 

"Indeed she is. and she's missing her sister rather dearly, I would imagine." Harmonic called from the roof of the building the two where sheltering under. Enid jumped and immediately tried to hide behind Arrow at the sound of Harmonic's voice - she was cowering behind him, looking at her now you'd think she'd just stolen her armour from the castle and had been hunted by the guards. 

[Ano170 162]

@@Agent505,

 

Arrow jumped slightly at the sound of Harmonic's voice, angry at himself for having been caught off guard. He was ready to play "good soldier buck" once more and apologise to Harmonic, when the mare jumped behind him, evidently terrified. 

 

Arrow's eyes narrowed.

 

He glared up at Harmonic, that little spark igniting once again deep down in his soul as he instinctively took a protective stance in front of the cowering mare, forgetting for the moment where and who he was and instead remembering who and what he had once been.

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

 

"Well, I pose no real threat here, do I? I mean, I couldn't even use basic telekinesis without faltering. As you said, I'm only a 'humble unicorn'."

 

The Captain considered this, then said, "Well, I could let you go, but on one condition. I'll wipe your mind of the location of the Hive. Can't say fairer than that, can you? I have lots to do, or else I wouldn't even consider it."

 

@@Agent505,

 

Chrysalis finished her sandwich. "Well, this was certainly a profitable meeting," she said. "For both of us, I think."

 

[Agent505 661]

(Alright, I think i'll wait before I post again and give others a chance to post or read what we've posted and catch up or whatever, reading posts between two people that has nothing to do with your characters is very often rather boring)

 

"Don't hide from me Enid, i've done nothing to you, I only asked that you find me Arrow" he flashed briefly and teleported behind the pair, lifting Enid's chin with his hoof "and you did", before teleporting infront of them again, this time on their level. "I hope she's not been much of a bother Arrow. She can get a little clingy at times, and with her sister being in the state she's in, she's only for the worse. You see, she didn't feel much like leaving her side to do as she was asked. She got all, defensive about it and tried threatening me, so I shouted and she overreacted, naturally." He let out a few subconscious growls as he took breaths in between talking, and his nose crumpled and twitched as he recalled the accounts of what had happened. "It's quite disheartening really, to see a highly trained mare such as herself reacting in such a way to measly family matters. You would think that being a part of an elite guard, she would be more...reserved."

 

Enid simply whimpered and tried to curl up into a ball - or, something along those lines, as she hid behind Arrow. Her eyes filled with tears again at the mere presence of her commander, and upon seeing how Arrow altered his stance to stand up to him, it only made her curl up to him more, softly grabbing hold of his back leg in an attempt to keep herself safe. Not that it would have done much good against Harmonic's magical abilities, should he change his mood - but at least she felt safer, for now.

_____

 

"I couldn't agree more, I don't think Celestia will see us coming...especially not if you play your talents" Cadence nodded in agreement. "So then, I trust we're...would you say, in business? If so, I will inform my second immediately and prepare my forces for a march on the closer cities. We still need to take out that blasted train though..."

Edited July 3, 2013 by Agent505

[Ano170 162]

@@Agent505,

 

(OOC: Gah, why are you making me care about the cute, frightened little pony?! I think this'll have to be my last post too - it's getting a little late.) 

 

Arrow listened with disgust to Harmonic's account of events. While he did not doubt that the commander was telling the truth, his callous nature and lack of compassion infuriated Arrow. In particular, the subtle reminder that Harmonic could teleport filled Arrow with alarm. If he truly did mean Enid harm, Arrow feared there was not much he could really do to stop the commander...

 

"With all due respect, sir." Arrow growled slightly himself on the last word. "Some ponies may say family is the most important thing in life."

 

Arrow regretted his insubordination at once - he had no desire to goad Harmonic any further, for fear he may hurt Enid - but the sarcastic bravado of his youth was a hard habit to break once faced with a smug slimeball like Harmonic. Feeling the mare cling to him, Arrow turned his head slightly to flash her a brief, reassuring smile.

 

"It's alright, Enid." he murmured softly, glad to know the mare's name at last. Then Arrow turned his attention back to Harmonic, watching warily.

[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 20]

@Justin_ZW

"Swordpoint may I come with you to see Zecora I have heard she makes many potions and I was wondering if she could make a potion of night vision because that would be something that we might need if we are going to be needing to travel and or sneak around in the night" Phylomon says

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

"I couldn't agree more, I don't think Celestia will see us coming...especially not if you play your talents" Cadence nodded in agreement. "So then, I trust we're...would you say, in business? If so, I will inform my second immediately and prepare my forces for a march on the closer cities. We still need to take out that blasted train though..."

Chrysalis smiled and said, "Yes, we most certainly are in business. I will, as I explained before, leave my second Cicada with you so that we can communicate."

 

She turned to Cicada. "Take a form more suited to the company you will be keeping."

 

Cicada nodded, and took the form of a grey unicorn mare with a blue mane and tail. The cutie mark was one of magic sparks.

[Concord Discord 35]

@@Pripyat Pony

 

((Very clever... although, how? Is it like in one of those films where they have a mind-wipe chamber? ))

 

Curse was unsure.

How can I trust them? What if I forget everything?

You can't trust a changeling. But right now, this guy's the only hope you've got. Better forgetting stuff than dead.

"Very well, I suppose I'm going to have to trust you."

[Agent505 661]

@@Pripyat Pony,@@Ano170,

 

"As you wish Chrysalis. As I said, i'll summon my soldiers immediately and we can get about discussing our tactics." She opened the doors to the throne room and waved over one of her guards who quickly made his way into the room. "I need you to show our guests out of the palace, common courtesy, you understand?" She smiled and nodded towards Chrysalis, then a sudden thoughtful look came across her face. "Oh! I almost forgot, you wouldn't be able to send a small contingent to derail a train or two would you? I think a 'civilian uprising' may shake Celestia's confidence." 

_____

 

Harmonic pulled his head back, standing tall from somewhat shock and also out of thought. "And what if family is dead Arrow? What then? What is there to fight for?" His eyes narrowed and he stared almost directly through Arrow. "One would be a fool to hinder his own guard, wouldn't you say? Enid, come. You have performed the task I asked of you and you may return to your sister's side once more." 

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

 

 

((Very clever... although, how? Is it like in one of those films where they have a mind-wipe chamber? ))

 

Curse was unsure.

How can I trust them? What if I forget everything?

You can't trust a changeling. But right now, this guy's the only hope you've got. Better forgetting stuff than dead.

"Very well, I suppose I'm going to have to trust you."

 

Ooc: Changelings have magic too, remember? XD

 

The Captain smiled. "Oh, you can trust me. Come with me now, and I'll perform the mindwipe. Then I'll have my guards take you to the outskirts of the Crystal Empire."

 

@@Agent505,

 

Chrysalis grinned evilly. "Of course, Cadance," she said. "I have a jerd outside at this very moment; I will tell them at once thru the Hive Mind to do just that, disguised as Manehatten citizens."

 

[Justin ZW 396]

@@Pripyat Pony,

"We should depart at once," Swordpoint said firmly. "Our time is short, and I fear that this conflict will be very bloody."

 

"Swordpoint!" a familiar voice called. Swordpoint turned to see Rainbow Dash flying at him. She landed beside him gently.

 

"Rainbow... I am sorry that you have been brought into this," Swordpoint said regretfully. "I do not wish to endanger you."

 

Rainbow Dash scoffed. "Come on! Equestria is about to go to war with the Crystal Empire and you're worried about me?! What about you?! Princess Celestia told me that she doesn't want us to fight! So what about you?!" She huffed angrily.

 

"Rainbow, I do not wish to--"

 

"To what?! To tell me the same thing you do every time?! To sit around and wait while you go and risk your life?! I'm telling you that I've had enough! Either I fight with you or you don't go! End of story!"

 

Swordpoint growled. "Enough of this foolishness! Do you truly wish to see a battlefield?! You have taken one life out of mercy! Flayer was already decaying when you slit his throat! My memories of battle still haunt me, and you wish this upon yourself?!" He stamped his hoof. "Blood, limbs, and screaming populate any battlefield. You are not meant for this! It will haunt you until the day you die! And I will not have that weigh upon my conscience."

 

Rainbow hung her head. "... You didn't have to yell... I'm just worried, okay? I don't like it when you go out and fight. You aren't even a part of the military, so why are you fighting? Let the soldiers defend the kingdom and stay at home, where I know you'll be safe."

 

Swordpoint regretted his outburst immediately. "I am sorry, Rainbow, but I will not explain my reasoning again. You already understand why. I know that you dislike it, but I have my duty."

 

Rainbow wrapped her hooves around him. "... I know. Just please come back safe, okay?"

 

Swordpoint returned her embrace calmly. "I will. I cannot die here."

 

"Oh, uh... hi, there," Rainbow said awkwardly to Sanura as she released Swordpoint. "Um... sorry you had to see that."

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Justin ZW,

 

Sanura looked a little sad as she watched the scene in front of her. Sanura had never had a special somepony; her work always came first and there weren't many stallions who were willing to wait for a mare who spent a good deal of her time off in another country or working on some top secret mission. She replied to Rainbow, "It's alright. It's natural for you to be concerned about each other."

 

Turning to Swordpoint, Sanura said, "You're right. We ought to set off right away. It would be a lot quicker to get to Zecora's hut if you could do that wing spell on me again. Also, even if just temporary, I enjoy flying. I wish sometimes that I wasn't just a mere earth pony."