[Attack!] The Spire Burns (Open)

[RarityDash]

At the word from Rose, Maud leapt back. She watched as the unicorn used her magic and the structural integrity of the crystalline floor began to change. What a curious magic. Maud supposed she now knew the sort of work Rose did. Demolition. That must be why she felt obliged to bring slabs of stone to construction crews as she had mentioned before. "Impressive..." she said to Rose, as she observed. Now she just needed to see that he went crashing through that floor.

Her earlier stated aim was to preserve the structure as much as possible, but Maud realized then that that was impossible. Rose's ability and the Jarl himself would both see it reduced quickly to crystalline rubble. Maud took comfort in that she had in her notes a comprehensive detail of the makeup of the palace, which gems had been where. She could, perhaps, help them when all of this was through rebuild the structure basically as it was before.

But that sort of thought was for later. For now, she had to focus on the enemy. Rose kicked a rock at the caribou's face as he leapt at them, Maud decided to jump at him right behind the rock, shatter it unexpectedly with a fierce blow and then grab him in the air as he defended the shards. She brought him down and slammed him into the floor right as it gave way due to Rose's magic. Together the two of them went plummeting down all they way to the next floor of the spire where Maud pinned him and saw him crash into the floor. Unshaken, she raised her hoof.

"This is for the gems..." she said in a low voice as she aimed a punch squarely at the caribou's jaw. There would be no holding anything back now.

​

[IceStorm]

Ice Storm paused briefly as she continued down the hallway, listening to the other Ice mare who thought that her being in the middle of the group was going to be an issue because she wouldn't be able to protect the ones on the front. The wall of ice that Ice Storm had conjured seemed to have put Frostlace at ease at the moment thought. Ice Storm herself was in pure defense mode, and second when she did fight, it was ranged fighting. She let her ice do the fighting for her. The reason she wore her ice so thing was to stop projectiles coming towards her, which with the diamond tipped spears, was going to be difficult to do regardless. This guard though did not have that and as soon as he hit the wall, Ice Storm took off down the hallway. She didn't see him kareem over the wall and slide, nor did she see that another mare had jumped on to him, or that Frostlace had intercepted him as well until she turned around to look to make sure everypony that was coming had made it out. Namely, Pressy and Java.

When she saw Frost though, she could see the blood beginning to ooze out of the wound that she had on her Flank, and grimaced slightly. It was in partially in response to seeing the wound on her new friend, and partially from her armor beginning to melt slightly on the inside, letting the water brush on her own wound causing it to sting a bit. As she looked back up, she saw Java making round trying to get everypony rounded up after the latest explosion in the ballroom. He looked like he had been thrown around like a rag-doll but still seemed to have enough prep in his step to be able to grab Pressy and the others. Of course it was probably all adrenaline at the moment. Everypony that survived this catastrophic nightmare was going to be feeling the after-effects of this for at least a week or so afterwards.

Once everypony was out, she moved forward. She kept herself more towards the middle as she had planned, sealing off any of the doors that connected to the hallway that they were in with her ice as they passed them so that if there were combatants in them waiting to ambush, they would be in for a surprise when they tried to open the door. She did this for every single doorway they passed that was not in front of them, and when she got the group to the doorway, she opened it with her magic and she saw that there was a staircase. A spiral staircase, she thought to herself before Java made his way next to her and told her, and everypony else that about six stories down the spiral staircase, there was an airship that they could use to get everypony out on. Perfect!

"Alright, here's the plan. I'm going to make a ramp of ice, sloping down at the angle of the steps so that we can slide down the stairs faster than any Caribou can possibly follow us. Java, I wand you on my left, I want you to buck the snot out of any caribou that might be waiting for us on the stairwell between here and the Airship level. Pressy, I want you on the right of me using your wind magic to create a back-draft in the hallway so that we don't start moving too fast. Once we reach the hallways, you'll need to reverse the back-draft to like wise, push is faster than the caribou can run if there are any waiting for us there until we get onto the airship. Frostlace, when you get done with him, take point in the back and pick off any stragglers or any of the caribou that break through any of those doors. Whatever you do, don't run down onto the steps!" she said as she shot a beam of frozen arcane energy to make the descending ramp of Ice with a watery sheen on the top of it to eliminate any sort of friction or resistance. They would have to relay solely on Pressy's wind magic to slow them down. "Let's Go!," she yelled keeping her magic charged in front of her angling down, making sure Twilight was still secure on her back as she started to slide down the stairwell.

[Bellosh]

Flash Sentry had an abysmal situation on his hooves. As if colliding with ice wasn’t enough, the brainwashed guard found himself sliding right past his objective thanks to clever ice magic from a Stallian unicorn. While the icy path ironically caused somepony to fumble a tackle on Flash, that gave little comfort to him as the stallion’s slide led him dangerously close to the Stallian. As his trashed body finally, Flash saw the mare up above him waiting to strike him down with a magic ice hammer.

The Stallian was now close enough to Flash Sentry that she could easily identify something creepily wrong about his features. Namely, the extreme dilation of the guard’s eye pupils. An expert on the dark arts would have easily identified this sign as a possible symptom of magic-assisted brainwashing, although to most layponies, it just made the afflicted look madly insane. The female Stallian would have been rightfully forgiven for making that assumption. Too weakened to mount any effective defense, Flash spat in the mare’s face and snarled in a last act of defiance; “Ha! Your princess is doooooomed! HAIL SOMBRA!!!”

[PyroBlaze]

Well, that hadn't exactly gone to plan. Thanks to one of the icy mares, Sunrise found herself with a face full of floor instead of the stallion she's been expecting to run into. She grumbled into the floor for a moment before picking herself up and running after the group again, taking her things with her and leaving the other icy mare to do what she would to the stallion.

She kept up with the group after she reached them. She definetly didn't want to get left behind if this place was coming down on them like that coffee-colored stallion had said. She really didn't want to be in here when that happened. She ran along with the group, prepared to provide assistance should it be needed. Hopefully it wouldn't be needed, as that would mean things weren't going as smoothly as she would like.

Then again, nothing about this was going smoothly. She came to a halt with the rest of them at the staircase as the mare carrying the princess began delegating tasks to some of the ponies, presumably ones she knew already. Sunrise waited until she had finished before nodding her agreement. She waited until the non-combatants had followed the icy mare down the slide before jumping on herself, taking one last look back at the other icy mare. Those two really seemed to know what they were doing as far as the battling was concerned.

[Elderflower]

“Nyet, lovely Blue! I will stay behind, stop vikings from following in first place!” Frostlace called out to her ner icy friend as she readied herself to strike her winged foe once more. She couldn’t help wince when she saw an escaping pony accidentally slip over her ice and called out an apology before addressing her icy comrade once more. “Take care, my friend, and spare your magics. These ponies, the Princess, they need you - do not spend yourself before fight is done!”

Now, to deal with the guard. The suggestion of one of her allies from earlier that the guards were likely bewitched combined with the mad look in this pegasus’ eyes confirmed any suspicions she had by looking at him: his actions were not his own, his mind was not his own - she could not kill him. Though that didn’t stop her from rolling her eyes when he screamed like an accursed fool.

“Durak,” the mare said with a sigh, and swung her icy hammer down on his head just so. It was not enough force to kill or cause lasting damage, just enough to send him to sleep a little...

So now what? Frostlace placed her icy hammer on the ground and tucked her two knives back into the strap that was tied around her back leg - the one that wasn't injured. She suspected she caught the madness leave the guardpony’s eyes before he slumped down, but she could not be certain, and it was always better to err on the side of caution...still...could she leave the victim of mind control unconscious, vulnerable, and alone to die? No, no. Frostlace would not hesitate to kill any foe who meant to kill her while they stood as equals on the field of battle, but to leave an innocent to perish simply would not do. Besides, he could be a very useful source of information if left alive, so there was that.

She knelt a little to pick him up, using magic to assist her as her flank throbbed painfully and sent hot gobs of blood rolling down her flank to stain her white coat and the tattered remains of her pink chiffon skirt. Curses!

As she promised Blue she woudl, Frost moved to the top of the ice slide and stood guard after gently setting the stallion down behind her. She would fight better without him on her back. While she had a moment of respite as well, and after she was sure the ice ramp had carried the ponies down and down and down to safety (hopefully), she stretched her magic out over the cold, smooth structure and snapped the ice apart, shuffling it safely to the side as far as her magic would reach. Doing this kept any bou who might get through from zipping down after the Princess and meant anypony who needed to escape wouldn’t step unwittingly onto the slide right away. Hopefully the ice piled to the side would give them a clue as to what awaited them further down, and if not... Frostlace hoped she was still alive to warn them as she lifted her hammer with her magic once more.

Bellybutton gave me permission to have Frost knock Flash out and whisk him away. :3c

[SteelEagle]

No. No it was not. She turned and saw a pony playing with a horn. It was not her final resting call. But as she turned to face the new target slower than she'd like with a line of blood dripping from her lips, it may as well have been...for the pony.

“De gamle måter!” she seethed through her bloodied teeth, wobbling spear more than ready to obey the commands of a lifetime if not the ability of the present.

–

The Jarl had been tackled fiercely by the stoic mare through the shifting floor, the impact of which took all his breath away. Talk about a good strategy. Ha! The swift action of the two mares had done well to knock him for a loop. He liked his mares strong when he had them. There was no joy in weakness, whether that was in combatants or lovers and at the very least these mares were strong. Maude even had him pinned for the most part. Good show. If she had kept all hooves on him then maybe she could have kept him pinned. But one hoof off, just that much less strength- he was a caribou and an exceptionally strong one at that. She raised her hoof to strike and he pulled his legs up and under her shoulders, kicking up against ther underside of her shoulders. With space he started to combat her. She may be fast and strong but so was he, and he was experienced and trained. He fought to his feet and when able turned around and bucked her directly through the door...and through the next, so powerful was it.

The Jarl hurt everywhere- but adrenaline was a wonderful thing. So was sleeping next to a running lava flow as a child, the intense heat causing burns on a nearly weekly basis as a matter of function. In any case, he had a fight to win even as the building started to collapse slowly and then quicker. He spotted a piece of rope. Good. Good. Rope would work. He set himself up like a cat for a jump, staring up at the hole in the ground he had made with Maude's aid. He leapt up at it, firing out of the hole with intense speed. He hung above for a few seconds, spotting Rose and lassoing her effectively, As he fell he gave a most powerful tug, sending the mare towards him at great speed. She flew directly into the partition between the two floors, cracking against it with a sick sound. She fell down a floor, almost exactly where the Jarl had fallen the first time. The Jarl fell but caught himself with one foreleg, smashing the floor for attention. Most of the guards were now dead and the few caribou that remained were finishing them off or joining those whom the Jarl had ordered to retreat, but one Caribou saw the Jarl pounding for attention. “Yes?!” “Sword! Spear! Thrust or stab!” immediately the caribou kicked over one of the guards' swords, the Jarl catching it as it clattered into the hole.

The Jarl then released towards Rose and fell, sword positioned in a downward trust to finish her for good!

[Dio]

Just as he’d hoped, the caribou cow turned to face him, spear at the ready. The slow turn and slight limp showed him that she favored her left side, surely the result of having taken on the entire contingent of Crystal Guard in their last scuffle. Good. He could use this. The cow growled at him in foreign tongue and lashed forward with her spear.

"Thanks for the offer, love, but dancing isn't quite my thing."

With expert timing, the griffon slipped past the spear thrust, his sidestep placing him near the sprawled out form of an incapacitated viking. His free hand grabbed the crumpled caribou’s axe and in one fluid, whirling motion launched it right toward Bryti’s head.

Not content to defend, Alistair pressed his attack, rapidly closing to brawling range forward arm up in guard and weapon arm bearing the first axe ready to strike in melee!

[Lux]

Zecora moved back with the other ponies as they prepared to make their escape. The plan was simple to get out as quickly as possible and take care of any caribou that crossed their path. She was sad to leave the others fighting behind, hoping that they could escape before the tower collapsed. But protecting the Empire was top on the Zebra's mind so she stepped on the frozen stairwell and made her slide to the bottom. It would have been fun if the dire situation around her wasn't happening. As she descended she grabbed another potion, ready for whatever the group may find.

[Blueblood]

Ah. So the caribou were leaving via the sinking ship, were they? In other words, the Prince's words and actions, once again, had no sort of influence over events whatsoever. It wasn't that Blueblood didn't know, in his heart of hearts, that his royal position brought no actual power with it; but never before had it been brought home to him with such force and vividness. Trial by battle strips away all the little illusions and delusions that hide away a true realization of oneself, and the alabster stallion now had to confront himself.

He didn't like it. He was tired of being the useless burden, cowering in some corner cocoon, like the last Nightmare Night. He was even more tired of striving with all his effort to not be that useless burden, but failing, with ponies still thinking him a stupid coward. The only bit of respect he ever got as a leader was the evanescent stuff he got from a few caribou, and that was probably gone by now.

As far as his mind went, therefore, he was perfectly willing to just stay still as Bulk Biceps smashed down on the floor in front of him, breaking up this part of it at last. His body, on the other hand, maintained a healthy sense of self-preservation, and was not about to let three pounds of useless cranial matter hurl it to inevitable death! Therefore, instinctually, his hooves braced against a large chunk of crystal, and threw his weight so that he'd stay on top of it as it fell. This led Blueblood to fall outwards, right onto the deck of the sinking ship.

"Wha-YAAARRGH!"

The sudden rush kick-started his brain, as the Prince now found himself riding a makeshift toboggan down the suicide slope of a longship, sparks flying behind him as he sled to the ground below...

Exit his Royal Highness from this thread. He'll turn up... somewhere else.

[Pretzelparty]

“Oh for bucks sake! I've been flung around this room four times already! Give me a chance to stand up first,"He whirled around the mare, noticing her focus, but what she was doing, he had no idea. He gave her a few shakes, before his hoof met her cheek in a hard slap. “What ever you are doing, it's over! We got to get...” he trailed off as he noticed a shadow loom over him.

“OUT OUT OUT OUT!”

“ICE! STALLIONGRAD! Everypony! C'mon yall! Six stories down spiral stairs, straight down the hallway right outside of the stairs! GET TO THE AIRSHIP! NOW! IT'S ONLY WAY OUT! Place is fixin'tah go down like a buckin tree in ah forest fire!”

As soon as Java’s hoofs began the shaking, the wind magic faded and the Caribou warrior fell over unconscious. The Combatant’s helmet rattling loose from his head yet still held in place by those gigantic horns. Pressy was panting a fair bit as she stared at her fallen opponent before she felt the sharp stinging pain of a hoof to her cheek. Wincing in pain and sucking air through her teeth she looked back at Java and was about to give him a piece of her mind before a shadow fell over the both of them and then…

KABOOM!

A massive explosion had sent her and the bruised, battered, and bleeding java reeling. Presteza was expending a fair bit of energy trying to pick herself back up, but before she could she was quickly scooped up from below and found herself on the coffee scented engineer’s back; under a pile of ponies. Adjusting herself on top of the stallion’s back she jumped off, holding her own pony pile on her back before bucking them off her back and back on to the engineers, “I can walk fine Java!” The mare brushed some dust off her coat and coughed a bit before tapping her friend’s shoulder, “Oh, and one more thing.” Once the stallion turned, The young painter planted a strong smack of her hoof that was probably going to leave a bit of swellling, “That’s for the slap before.”

"Alright, here's the plan. I'm going to make a ramp of ice, sloping down at the angle of the steps so that we can slide down the stairs faster than any Caribou can possibly follow us. Java, I wand you on my left, I want you to buck the snot out of any caribou that might be waiting for us on the stairwell between here and the Airship level. Pressy, I want you on the right of me using your wind magic to create a back-draft in the hallway so that we don't start moving too fast. Once we reach the hallways, you'll need to reverse the back-draft to like wise, push is faster than the caribou can run if there are any waiting for us there until we get onto the airship. Frostlace, when you get done with him, take point in the back and pick off any stragglers or any of the caribou that break through any of those doors. Whatever you do, don't run down onto the steps!" she said as she shot a beam of frozen arcane energy to make the descending ramp of Ice with a watery sheen on the top of it to eliminate any sort of friction or resistance. They would have to relay solely on Pressy's wind magic to slow them down. "Let's Go!," she yelled keeping her magic charged in front of her angling down, making sure Twilight was still secure on her back as she started to slide down the stairwell.

“O-Oh! Sure!” The Painter jumped on to the slide, “Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!~” She shouted in excitement. Slides, they’ll always bring out the filly in her. Just as her friend asked, Presteza took a deep breath and aimed her brush carefully in front of them. She calmed her mind and imagined the world like a canvas and thought of the simplest shape one could associate with wind: Swirls. Her brush began to move and swirl about almost as if conducting the wind. Suddenly a powerful sustained gust of wind blast hit the slide’s occupant’s slowing their decent to a moderate degree.

At the word from Rose, Maud leapt back. She watched as the unicorn used her magic and the structural integrity of the crystalline floor began to change. What a curious magic. Maud supposed she now knew the sort of work Rose did. Demolition. That must be why she felt obliged to bring slabs of stone to construction crews as she had mentioned before. "Impressive..." she said to Rose, as she observed. Now she just needed to see that he went crashing through that floor.

Her earlier stated aim was to preserve the structure as much as possible, but Maud realized then that that was impossible. Rose's ability and the Jarl himself would both see it reduced quickly to crystalline rubble. Maud took comfort in that she had in her notes a comprehensive detail of the makeup of the palace, which gems had been where. She could, perhaps, help them when all of this was through rebuild the structure basically as it was before.

But that sort of thought was for later. For now, she had to focus on the enemy. Rose kicked a rock at the caribou's face as he leapt at them, Maud decided to jump at him right behind the rock, shatter it unexpectedly with a fierce blow and then grab him in the air as he defended the shards. She brought him down and slammed him into the floor right as it gave way due to Rose's magic. Together the two of them went plummeting down all they way to the next floor of the spire where Maud pinned him and saw him crash into the floor. Unshaken, she raised her hoof.

"This is for the gems..." she said in a low voice as she aimed a punch squarely at the caribou's jaw. There would be no holding anything back now.

​

The Jarl hurt everywhere- but adrenaline was a wonderful thing. So was sleeping next to a running lava flow as a child, the intense heat causing burns on a nearly weekly basis as a matter of function. In any case, he had a fight to win even as the building started to collapse slowly and then quicker. He spotted a piece of rope. Good. Good. Rope would work. He set himself up like a cat for a jump, staring up at the hole in the ground he had made with Maude's aid. He leapt up at it, firing out of the hole with intense speed. He hung above for a few seconds, spotting Rose and lassoing her effectively, As he fell he gave a most powerful tug, sending the mare towards him at great speed. She flew directly into the partition between the two floors, cracking against it with a sick sound. She fell down a floor, almost exactly where the Jarl had fallen the first time. The Jarl fell but caught himself with one foreleg, smashing the floor for attention. Most of the guards were now dead and the few caribou that remained were finishing them off or joining those whom the Jarl had ordered to retreat, but one Caribou saw the Jarl pounding for attention. “Yes?!” “Sword! Spear! Thrust or stab!” immediately the caribou kicked over one of the guards' swords, the Jarl catching it as it clattered into the hole.

The Jarl then released towards Rose and fell, sword positioned in a downward trust to finish her for good!

Thankfully Maud had taken Rose’s advice and leapt aside Just as the jarl landed, His swift movements momentarily sparing him from the fall. Her attack on the caribou with the large stone slab was intercepted by maud who busted it to bits and then used the confusion to pin the jarl! If the action had stuck for a bit longer than Rose would have offered her new ally a bit of applause. This wasn’t the case however as after the floor finally gave way and the two were sent to the next floor, the super strong geologist lifted a hoof for a strike, the Red Jarl freed himself and kicked her clear into another room. The khaki demolition pony snorted and prepared to charge the warrior for harming her friend but she was taken by surprise as she was lassoed and pulled down to the floor, the Jarl having returned to the upper level to claim a weapon.

Rose had just gotten back up from the impact of her hitting the floor to see the jarl’s newly chosen blade coming down to meet her aquaintance. She wasted no time, her horn flared up with magic and it was like a giant ice cream scooper had taken a scoop out of crystal.She slid her weight back and the crystal swiveled upwards making a temporay shield. Beforeit was shattered the normal way though, Rose placed her hooves on the crystal scoops top and shattered it and whatever might have lodged itself in it; reducing it to a powder similar to a smoke bomb that would last only a few seconds.

Taking advantage of the surprise Roselowered herself downward and atempted to thrust both her hindleg’s hooves into the Jarl’s stomach and then throw him to the other end of the room.

[RarityDash]

Maud's opponent was even stronger than she might have anticipated. He truly did seem to be a rare other who could match her in terms of raw power. An incredible thing, but it just meant Maud could feel safe in pulling out all her stops. She had little need to worry about breaking this caribou like she might another. He was, to use an expression she was quite fond of, solid as a rock.

He kicked himself up from under her, fought with her a while, and then delivered a kick so powerful that is sent her flying through two crystal walls. Maud's body was quite durable, harder to damage than most rocks, but the impacts did have her careening from the pain. She was bruised and battered, a few bleeding cuts could be seen through her torn frock from where crystal shards had torn into her coat. She was still standing strong though, her face completely stoic.

She noticed as the Jarl went after Rose with a sword and ran ahead to intercept him, but it was not entirely needed. Rose's magic was powerful and with it she reduced the weapon to dust quickly. Rose then kicked at his stomach, which was perfect for Maud to time her next strike. Quickly calculating the angle of Rose's kick in her head, Maud rushed to where a huge chunk of purple gemstone lay on the ground and bucked it with all her might, sending it fly and collide with the Jarl from the exact other direction of Rose's strike.

​

[Bellosh]

The world was a pained blur for Flash Sentry, guard of the Crystal Empire. His head felt like it had suffered from the hugest hangover of all time, except for the screaming and the stench of burning nearly everywhere. It all felt too reminiscent of that one Nightmare Night where he and a bunch of other civilians fell for a changeling trick, and found themselves locked in a cage. Flash’s attempts to keep that situation under control didn’t end well; all the stallion got in return was a day’s stay in a treatment facility, and the humiliation of knowing that his fellow captives rescued themselves without the soldier’s help.

Despite his throbbing head, Flash Sentry used all his willpower to figure out what was happening. The young stallion could tell he was lying on a floor somewhere in the Crystal Spire, and that a white unicorn stood nearby, who appeared to be on very high alert. Aside from that, he had practically no way of figuring things out, as his brain was not operating under optimal conditions. “Eeerrrrrugh,” Flash moaned; “Wha-what’s happening? Is this a surprise drill?” At least the guard's pupils were back to normal, indicating he was no longer under mind control.

[RedCedar]

Nothing was going right for Bulk Biceps today.

Having tried, variously and unsuccessfully, to blast out the invading caribou, cause them to fall to the next floor in order to preserve the lives of the few ponies left, and save a helpless Prince who apparently had been so offended earlier as to prefer sliding out an open window on the listing deck of a caribou airship to the ground below to Bulk's presence, this was rapidly turning out to be a day he'd rather forget.

But, nonetheless, as ponies started to slide to safety down the spiral staircase and a few remaining ponies were doing a good job of battering the Jarl around, he felt he at least had to make the attempt to cover the tracks of those fleeing. He at least had the advantage of being able to save himself through flying, which was more than could be said for most of the others. He kicked the discarded spear back up into his hoof and scowled at the rest of the ballroom, ready to use it to keep his distance from a caribou until and unless he needed to run one through, which with his strength was entirely possible. Whatever the outcome, at this point, taking a caribou head on had to be better than what he had done before. "Who wants some!?" he bellowed.

"You want a fight? I'll give it to you... in Bulk!"

[moonshineTheleocat]

Java blinked as he felt a massive amount of weight being lifted off of his back. He was panting now, practically near the point of his last leg with all the damage and blood loss he had endured. Which all came to a very gentle reminder to how it sucked to be an earth pony sometimes. Sure! You were supposed to be the strongest and the most resilient of the three types! Well... that apparently wasn't the case as he himself had been completely out-classed in sheer brute power by a demolition unicorn. So... one hurt ego, one loss pride had been added to his blood loss for the day.

The stallion's head slowly turned to where Pressy had jumped off. His hoof moving to quickly grasp the nearly destroyed goggles, and tear them completely from his head. The band gave a resounding snap in the motion, and the pair of once protective lenses had been tossed to the ground like a piece of trash.

“Right... so I buck the living sh-” the stallion's rude statement was quickly cut off by a hard slap that had completely turned the already weakened buck's head about. He remained in this position for a few seconds. His head wavering a little with the impact, and his eyes going hazy for a moment.

“Right... I probably deserved that one,” The stallion grumbled with a blush. A hoof moved up to his cheek in a feeble attempt to rub the pain away. “Think ya could ov hold back a bit on that? I'm already suffering from blood lost and possibly cracked ribs here.

His eyes then glanced back to the pile of ponies on his back. One guard... and one... Caribou?! The stallion blinked as he looked over the dear with a bit of sweat dripping down his brow. Well buggers, how the heck is he going to explain THAT to any pony?

He quickly shrugged the thought away and hopped into the air. The ponies on his back flying off of him, and landing on the slide just as he did. His body was twisting around as he swirled down the spirals. A mad giggle leaving his lips as his rear ran up the nearest wall, causing him to suddenly gain some air and flop over onto his back, landing next to Ice Storm.

“Given that we're in a bad way at the moment, I'm not afraid to say you found a brilliantly fun way to get the buck out of here,” The stallion laughed to the mare as his body spun around. Sure... he wasn't paying attention to what was ahead of him... but not like he had too... the corrupted gaurds were struggling to stay on their hooves as he past them. And any of them that had managed to stand straight up, were met with a 'heavier than he appears' stallion plowing right through them, and sending them high into the air over the fleeing group.

The stallion was still giggling madly by the time the reached the foyer. Only this time he was a little more coherent to what was happening around him. He twisted his body about, until he was now sliding on his stomach. Just as they neared the proper ship. And really the only ship current in this dock, the stallion pushed his body into the air, sending him soaring ahead of the group.

His hooves touched down on the solid wood deck of the ship. His body collapsed with the motion and ended up in a roll up the deck towards the helm. Eventually his tumble stopped with him sliding on his hooves with his head dipped down.

The stallion's eyes glanced around for a moment, as he grinned. Nothing was on fire. Nothing was burning! His ship was in perfect condition and ready for flight!

“EXCELLENT,” The stallion rang in a sing song manner as he spun around. An amazing amount of energy serge into his body as he danced his way across the deck to a nearby box. He stoped abruptly, and gave the box a slight tap with his hoof. The force applied easily allowed the door to swing open, revealing a small communication system. The stallion popped the bell into the air with a quick buck and caught in his hoof.

“Sine Wave deary, you there,” The stallion asked as he quickly opened up a nearby closet revealing a fresh set of clothing. As he spoke over the built in intercom, the stallion quickly worked his body out of his coat. And then his vest. Both were hung up quite lazily in the small wardrobe. Once they were securely in place, the stallion pulled out his usual black vest, and slipped into it. A fresh pair of goggles joining them. Only this time, the lens had a little more substance to them. Not only were they heavily tented. But they also had a rotary spy glass attached to each lens that could be raised in a moment's notice. Then finally, resting on top of his head, is a black tricorner hat.

It took a few seconds before there was a response. A very peculiar response in fact. A very... deep rumbling “Yaar” could be heard. But this 'Yar' was from no pony, nor deer. It sounded very much like a feline.

“Excellent! Glad to see you are in good health! Terrible day I tell you! We have company coming in! Make some space below decks for me, and come above deck! I have a feeling I might need your help, kitty!”

There was another response. The same response from before but this time made in a completely different tone. Then came the sounds of clattering.

The eccentric, and now energetic stallion hurriedly made his way to the helm. Every so often, he made a heavier step that echoed in the air. After the third, the stallion's voice raised up in a commanding tone. “BREEZE ON!”

And like magic, rather by literal magic, the ships engines kicked on. The sound of high winds filled the air as powerful gusts of winds spilled out of the sides of all six visible engines.

“Welcome to the Dhoruba Moja! Please, if you are a scared citizen of either the province of equestria, OR the crystal kingdom, head below decks! It's much safer down there... than up here! Oh and do tie yourself down... as this ship does not perform like many others! If you are other wise, feel free to help out above decks! And do try to avoid jumping... unless you are confident of your acrobatic abilities! I am Voronoi Fractal, also known as JavaSun, and I will be your pilot this evening! Thank you for your Patronage!”

Ship Description: A ship of much smaller size than your typical consumer airship. The ship is large enough to hold plenty of passengers, though it will be fairly cramped below decks. While it is a large size, it looks like it can easily be managed by a crew of four skilled hooves.

It's design is also completely foreign. The ship's gondolier is a mixture between a sloop and a frigate. Walkways line the outer midsection of the ship, and even slipping beneath the area where the helm is located. The Helm is located at the very front, with a rounded steel cage surrounding the sides and front of the wheel. There is a cabin in the middle of the gondolier towards the back.

Protecting the sides of the gondolier are large metal plates that are slightly extended from the ship. From their design, they are a little taller than the ship and can easily act as a ground based landing mechanism.

Six visible engines can be seen. Their designs are also abnormal. There are no pipes leading to the engines. And the engines appear to be open from the sides where a powerful current of wind was pouring out of them at all times.

There are three balloons. The large main one is armored and is floating above the ship. It's made of three large spherical balloons with the armor plates lined in a scale pattern to create a elongated pyramid. Acting as the main method of altitude gain and loss. Then there are two much smaller ones towards the side. These are in oblong shapes and have minimal armor.

The ships design speaks of speed and maneuverability.

(For our local Zebra... Dhoruba Moja translates to "The Lonely Tempest")

[IceStorm]

The only thing that was on Ice Storm's mind right now was making sure that they got out of the hallway and onto the ship safely. She kept watch along the stairwell trying to acknowledge the one that they needed to take before they passed the door by. Using this method, if she missed the door that they were supposed to take, then they would have no choice but to take the stairwell all the way down. She didn't really think that they actually had the time to make it down the entire stairwell before this building came down. She couldn't take her focus off of what she was doing, but she heard a lout thwap and Pressy mention that the slap was for earlier. While Ice agreed with the sentiment, she also agreed with Java. They can beat each other up later once there wasn't any actual danger of dieing on the line.

At the very least, Pressy and Java seemed to enjoy the slide going down, Java slipping somewhere along the way because now he was on hi back next to her flailing wildly keeping the caribou at bay. He told her that even though the situation couldn't really but much worse, she certainly had found a rather fun way to get everypony out of here. She couldn't help but let out a little smirk. It was true, and under any other circumstances, it would probably be a blast. She'd have to come here and try this again without everypony's life on the line to see how fast she can actually get going. Java continued to knock guards all around before pulling out something that she recognized as some sort of communication device and spoke into it. Of course, that was how she could tell it was a communication device, but still.

When she got just in front of the doorway that they needed to go through, she created an embankment that would naturally push the ponies to go through the doors and down the hallway. the ship was now visible, and it was a good thing too, Ice could already feel her energy starting to fade. The Ship itself was... smaller than she expected, but still big enough to hold everypony, and as her slight got closer she could see metal plates protecting it. Good, I doubt that diamond can penetrate through Iron with any ease, she thought to herself. She was sure it still had good penetration, because Diamond was denser than iron, but iron had give that crystal and ice didn't, so it wasn't brittle either. She extended the slide onto the ship and watched as everypony got slide in. She stood holding her ground watching as Pressy, and the rest of them found their way on.

She listened to Java as he explained the ship, and that if they were a sacred citizen of either Equestria or the Crystal Empire then they needed to get below decks. Ice Storm stayed above and ushered the other ponies and fillies down stairs with what energy she had left and knew that she needed to be down there as well or rather she at least needed to take Twilight to the lower deck. As soon as she turned though, the wound inside of her pulled against the armor that it had partially frozen itself to and she let out a very audible yelp as her legs buckled from the pain, dropping her to all four of her knees, whimpering a bit trying to regain control of herself, the side of her armor that covered her injury showing a dark red tint under it along where the wound was located. As soon as she though she had recovered enough, she tried to move again but the same thing happened again. Without a second though, she used what magic she had left to disperse her armor, revealing an injury that looked far more gruesome than it actually was after being mixed with the water inside her icy armor.

This, however, proved to make things worse than better as now the stinging was constant and she wasn't in a position to move hardly at all and she still had the princess on her back. With every ounce of determination and will power she had left, she pushed herself back up, blood still oozing and running down the side of her coat from the wound as she turned around. "Pressy, Take Twilight and get her safely below deck. I am..." she winced a bit as a breeze from the engines blew across her wound. "I am needed up here. I need to use what magic I have... to," she said trying to recreate a fresh set of Ice armor around herself, but only succeeding in being able to make a very thin almost film-like layer of ice around her. She was panting heavily, and it was very apparent to any pony who knew her, and who saw her, that she was very quickly running out of energy to do much anything. She was purely running on determination alone at the moment, and with the wound in her side, even that was a bit faulty at the moment.

[PyroBlaze]

This might've been fun had she not been in danger of loosing her life. As it was, Sunrise could not join in on the happy sort of cries coming from the coffe-colored stallion and the one with the brush. She simply slid down the icy slide, trying to keep her things with her as they sped downwards. While it probably wasn't good practice to bring items with her during an escape, she would rather not loose these. If it came down to it though, she would have no trouble leaving the dress and purse behind.

Sunrise slid onto the ship after everypony else, as she was the last one on the slide, except that zebra. She looked around at the ship, judging it to be that coffee-colored stallion's ship, judging by his apparent familiarity with it, as well as the fact it had some clothes for him. She wanted to put her own dress back on, but it was covered in dust. Besides, they weren't out yet and the dress would be no help with their escape.

The icy mare seemed really tired now, not to mention she was wounded. She passed off the princess to the artist mare, saying she had to help up on deck. Sunrise shook her head slightly as she approached.

"Darling, I admire your persistence, but you are obviously running on fumes and you have a nasty wound there. I'm no doctor, but I don't think you're in any shape to be pushing yourself. You've done more than your fair share, let me help." She said gently to the injured ice mage. She felt she should help out as well, and doing tasks up top here seemed like a good place to start.

[Lux]

To her relief, Zecora succeeded in getting out of the Spire and to the waiting airship. She couldn't help but chuckle at the name Dhoruba Moja which meant Lonely Tempest in Unyasian. Not wasting any time to dwell on the origins of this ship or why that name was chosen Zecora boarded. It was a temporary relief from the danger, but the Crystal Empire was still in peril.

"Thank you Java Sun for your ship indeed. You really did come to our need. We are all safe for now, but we must think about how to save the Empire somehow."

Zecora then saw the blue unicorn who led the escape walking up to the outer deck. It didn't take her long to see that the unicorn was very tired and even worse injured. But despite this the mare still persisted.

"If you are going to fight still, the also with you fight I will. But you cannot fight when you have such an injury. I do have something that can be a remedy."

She opened her bag and revealed a glass container with a white ointment. The Zebra made it a habit to if nothing else carry this with her in case she or anypony else needed first aid. Not every injury required a trip to the hospital, and in some cases ponies would rather something quick in their busty schedules.

"Please conserve your energy and allow me," Zecora said as she took a glob of the cream and applied it to the wound,"While I'm doing this you may feel some pain, but this will make you feel better again."

She spread the cream on the wound, not caring how much it didn't blend into the mare's coat. While this cream wouldn't automatically heal the wound, it would help numb the pain and accelerate the healing process.

[Bramble Rose]

Over the sound of smashing walls and ponies bellowing in defiance, and the clash of arms and the bleating of carribou, a strange wailing rose up from the fairgrounds. A long, ghostly croon sounded, not entirely unlike the wail of a Windigo upon the frozen north winds - surely a noise to give pause to any northern warrior, seeing as it was their hate that best fed the beasts. It was joined by a second, then a third wail.

It had been centuries since the song of the bagpipes had sung out through the frozen northland in any force - the first time, it had signaled the arrival of the Fet Loch reinforcements, led by the famous Fet Loch lord, Altostratus McCloud. It was a stampede of pegasus and earth pony warriors who had claimed sky and land for Equestria, turning the tide of battle, joining the beleaguered army already there to beat back the invading forces. Thereafter, the sound had been a terror, and according to some stories, at least once it had scared away an entire legion of foes without a single arrow fired.

The song began with a ringing, martial tune - music afficianados would recognize the stately March of Fet Loch, suggesting the arrival of coming forces, but then that trailed off. The triple wail rose up towards a creshendo, and then the sharp, rising notes of the National Anthem of the Crystal Empire rose over the fairgrounds. It was perhaps not the best the song had ever been played - a bit out of tune, some of the pieces in the wrong order, creepy as all get out - but unmistakably a call to the national pride of every Crystal pony there, a joyous, stately noise full of love and friendship, and above all, confidence in the strength of every pony's heart.

​

[Elderflower]

So far, Frostlace remained unchallenged where she stood guarding the escape route the others had taken. She itched to go assist in the ongoing fights but could not risk giving any of the bewitched guards or caribou access to a direct route to Princess Twilight. So, standing agitated and scowling with a large hammer floating beside her, Frostlace stayed put. Until she heard a noise from behind her, that is. Surprised, she cursed in Stallian and whirled around so she could keep one eye on the battle before her and the other fixed on the now-awake guardpony.

By the look in his eyes and his lack of yelling ‘TWILIGHT IS MIIIINE AAHGHHHH OOOOO BOOOO!’ he had regained control of his mind. Still, Frostlace brought her hammer to linger dangerous close to him and wore a highly suspicious expression while she spoke.

“This is no drill, durak stallion,” she responded in her thick accent, “Crystal Empire is under siege. Sombra led caribou to attack during Faire. Spire was assault by Red Jarl, Princess was bombed and barely clings to life. Princess has been carried from Spire by able protectors along with non-combatants. Ponies and possessed guards fight Jarl and his caribou, and now Spire is about ready to fall. The fight continues.”

The pale unicorn let that sink in for a moment before continuing, feeling an intense chill fill the room. That could only mean the heart was stolen, and that turned Frost’s steely expression quite dangerous.

“And now Heart is in hooves of enemy it seems. And you were working for Sombra. You attacked princess. Charged at escaping ponies and went after her screaming like sad little heartbroken colt, ‘TWILIGHT SPARKLE IS MINE!’ So I knock you out with hammer, carry you here, and now protect escape route and you. If you go after them, next blow will kill.”

As she waited for a caribou to attack or the stallion to respond, Frostlace’s ears twitched. It was faint and nearly drowned out by the sounds of battle, but a song was rising from somewhere far below the top of the spire. It carried a warmth to drown out the cold, and a note of hope and victory. For the first time since the battle had begun, a warm and genuine smile full of gentleness lit up her face. The day was not done, and the ponies would triumph yet!

[Bellosh]

That just had to be the most dire situation report a royal guard could dread to hear. The Palace was under attack? Flash Sentry painfully got back up on all fours in alarm, although the stallion wobbled considerably. He couldn’t let his comrades and his country down in the face of what sounded like the most serious invasion Equestria has yet faced. And what did the unicorn mean by “possessed guards”? Letting all this information sink in left Flash in chills... or was that just the corridor inexplicably getting colder?

But there was even worse revelations to come. If what the mare said was true, then Flash Sentry had been serving the enemy up til now! And he wasn’t aware of his own betrayal at all! This... hearing this left the stallion completely flabbergasted. Flash never would think for a second of committing treason, or for that matter, acting like an entitled “nice guy” because that one date with Twilight Sparkle a while back didn’t go over too well. Could... could that one evening played a hoof in leading to Flash doing the horrible things he was accused of?

Or maybe something forcibly took over Flash Sentry’s mind and made him do evil deeds instead. What did that pony say about possessed guards? Were the other soldiers inflicted with the same predicament, being turned to Sombra’s will? But if they were serving Sombra, who also led an army of viking caribou, why were the vikings and possessed guards fighting each other? None of this made any sense!

AND the Crystal Heart was STOLEN? “I...,” a bewildered Flash mumbled, still coping with his apparent role in bringing doom to the Empire; “I just don’t know what to think! Did I... betray Equestria?”

[SteelEagle]

Bryti was woozy. The first explosion had given her a feeling of incredible internal unease. She barely felt her body unless it was to feel pain, which shot out of her arrow wound in the back in waves of rivuleting agony. Of course, not feeling much of her body and having no balance still marked heer as a far superior warrior to the brainwashed guards. Operating on instinct and experience with much of her mind slowly shutting down from wounding, she slew guard after guard that came after the Jarl. It was then that she heard a wonderful sound, or at least the vibrations of instruments she remembered from her youth. Was it the trumpets of the Spine calling her to Conflict?

No. That was the clashing of swords with this new foe. He was skilled, very much so, unlike most of the rest. It was a strange thing about ponies and griffons...some of the most highly skilled opponents weren't in uniform. Made it somewhat difficult to engage in combat and get a good decision out of it regarding them. Bryti hoped to have more chances but alas, she knew she was a dead cow walking. Or stumbling around, favoring her weapon as she reacted on instinct. Even an utterly broken warrior such as herself was a caribou and every caribou was a threat. But that loss...loss of...she could feel the growing dark around her. No, she would not live to see another day. She would have to go out swinging- or in this case thrusting- the caribou way! With a bloody roar of defiance at the gods of death she charged her foe one final time!

–--

The Jarl fell towards his victim with a delirious sense of joy. He'd killed a good number of guards today but just as Bryti was finding out, heroes never really seemed to wear uniforms. They came from every walk of life it seemed aside from military! It was honestly refreshing to see them all step up. Oh sure, they were all going to die today, but it was always better to die on your hooves than on your back. At least the fight had given him that much! Once he got rid of the unicorn he'd likely have to turn his attention rapidly to the earth pony. She was incredibly strong and durable. As the fissures in the structure fractured further and further all he could think was that there was a possibility he would have to engage her in a leaping motion to jump from the half of the structure that was going to collapse to the part that wasn't.

-His sword disintegrated on contact. A problem. He was kicked- not lethal by any stretch, but vexing. It came with such force as to stop him in mid fall with a great crack of his ribs. Then from behind a great force, a huge chunk of gemstone bucked with such catastrophic strength that the moment it cracked against the Jarl he blacked out as if his life had ended. The hunk of stone moved quickly across the room breaking apart barrels, antique chess boards, armor, and anything else unfortunate enough to get in it's way. It finally broke through the wall and was stopped there, sending the Jarl spring boarding out. He slammed into the ship and and blasted through the bilge and then the top deck, slowing down enough only to roll across the mast all the way to the crow's nest.

There he finally regained consciousness, draped over the mast which left him as far away from the Spire as possible. The Ship had by now been laid from bow to stern vertically. The pain was intense- his back was on fire, head felt like it was swimming in egg yolk. All four legs felt disconnected and all of this was on top of the wounding he had been given before. It was through an act of supernatural willpower that he was awake and it was an act of superbou strength that he managed to work his way down the mast. He pulled at the sails as the ship smacked against the Spire once more, the last of the mooring giving in at the top of the Spire. The sails came free as the ship started to free fall, the Jarl holding onto the mast long enough to pull the sails free. He then pushed off and arranged the sails to allow him to flat, creating a parachute. The Jarl was retreating.

After all, he had already won. The Spire was falling apart, the final impact and pull of the ship causing a full half of the Spire to start falling away from the rest. Much of the city was in flames and the Svein and Frostrar doubtlessly had treasures upon treasures to enrich the Clan. He floated towards the main capital ship as Sombra turned into...a cloud...of some form and Cadance was freed. Well, at least the Jarl wouldn't have to kill him today. Not that he really could- he couldn't feel the back half of his body, hahaha! 'twas a good fight. And now with the glory he would receive by bringing the Empire to its knees he could afford greater resources from his clan. More ships, more and better warriors, more anti-magic, more of the foreign specialists like pegasi, griffon, and zebra of his own.

But for now, the ponies would survive the battle. The Spire? Well...that was a different story.

But if they all died, it wouldn't be because of him.

And that was annoying.

[RarityDash]

"I threw that harder than I thought..." Maud observed as he watched the Jarl go crashing out of the tower.

She had hoped to match the momentum of Rose's kick and have it collide and send him falling down to the floor right between them at the point of impact. She had truly been angry she supposed, to let herself become so uninhibited. She almost felt bad for it. He could not feel good after all of that. As terrible as he was, Maud hoped he would be okay.

She looked to Rose on the other side of the room. "I do not think he will be coming back here..." she said. She looked around the room then, noticing the tremors from all that had happened and how the wall were crumbling. "But we have little time. The structural integrity of this structure has been breached. It will not stay standing long."

She moved toward the unicorn with surprising quickness and grabbed her hoof. "Come, let's find an exit..."

​

[Pretzelparty]

It took a few seconds before there was a response. A very peculiar response in fact. A very... deep rumbling “Yaar” could be heard. But this 'Yar' was from no pony, nor deer. It sounded very much like a feline.

“Excellent! Glad to see you are in good health! Terrible day I tell you! We have company coming in! Make some space below decks for me, and come above deck! I have a feeling I might need your help, kitty!”

There was another response. The same response from before but this time made in a completely different tone. Then came the sounds of clattering.

“Welcome to the Dhoruba Moja! Please, if you are a scared citizen of either the province of equestria, OR the crystal kingdom, head below decks! It's much safer down there... than up here! Oh and do tie yourself down... as this ship does not perform like many others! If you are other wise, feel free to help out above decks! And do try to avoid jumping... unless you are confident of your acrobatic abilities! I am Voronoi Fractal, also known as JavaSun, and I will be your pilot this evening! Thank you for your Patronage!”

".... OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo..." Eventually the scream of excitement managed to to calm down as the group finally landed at the bottom floor. Presteza's wind magic had done the trick. So far everyone was unharmed... well no more harmed than they were when they first got on their slide to freedom. Java in particular looked incredibly beat, maybe that smack to the face should have waited until he was in better shape. Ice storm didn't look all that good either, her hind leg had a noticeable injury on it and that would need to be taken care of, all that magic she's been doing must have been taking a lot out of her too...

The slide managed to end just in front of a very impressive looking airship! Apparently it belonged to Java, he'd come a long way from building carts to ride around in. The ship was positively amazing! The painter quickly got on and once she'd stepped aboard she's heard some kind of feline yowl and her old friend speaking to it. She had to make sure to ask him about that later...

"Pressy, Take Twilight and get her safely below deck. I am..." she winced a bit as a breeze from the engines blew across her wound. "I am needed up here. I need to use what magic I have... to,"

"Icy..." Pressy looked at her friend and placed a hoof on her shoulder, "You've already got her. You take her down below and join her for a rest. I've used a whole lot less magic then you have and you deserve a chance to catch yer breath."Before Icy could interject her friend would have circled around her and begin to gently yest noticeably nudge her friend towards the lower decks. "Yer time ta shine's over fer now... How about ya let The world's next greatest painter take over the spotlight?" she asked her friend playfully before she galloped over to side of the ship and stared for a moment as she registered what she was seeing.

Buildings were aflame, retreating vikings and the former tyrant of the crystal kingdom. This would honestly make one heck of a painting... a depressing painting but a darn good one. She'd have to put this to paper sometime, perhaps as a memorial of all the things the crystal ponies had lost this day. Once this empire was repaired she planned on painting this place once more, possibly with a theme of hope to it now what to call-- wait a second she needed to help the passengers! The painter galloped over to the earth pony at the wheel, "Cap'n Fractal! If there's anything ya need, I'm yer mare! Tell me wot needs doin' ta get us outta here faster and it'll be done!"

---Meanwhile---

She looked to Rose on the other side of the room. "I do not think he will be coming back here..." she said. She looked around the room then, noticing the tremors from all that had happened and how the wall were crumbling. "But we have little time. The structural integrity of this structure has been breached. It will not stay standing long."

She moved toward the unicorn with surprising quickness and grabbed her hoof. "Come, let's find an exit..."

​

The mare coughed once or twice and pulled herself up, wincing a bit. She felt very sore, She wasn't used to channeling that much magic through her self and holding up such a massive chunk of crystal at the same time. The added weight of the Jarl's attack from above had only put more weight on her. The scarlet maned wrecking mare pulled herself up and took a deep breath.

Through the combined efforts of Maud and Rose seemed to have won this battle. The Jarl was forcefully sent packing but given how sturdy that ... monster was, Rose doubted he was gone from this world as of yet. Her hopes of a normal and relaxing vacation seemed so far away now. Her friend maud seemed to be unscathed and to be alright, "Nice throw." The Amber eyed unicorn said before she too took notice of the increasing tremors. This place was indeed not going to stand any longer.

The sudden yanking of her hoof caught her off guard, not that one would have noticed with that stoic yet dour expression on her face. She stopped a moment and looked to Maud, "I have an idea, Stand still and hold on." The mare's horn and hooves shined with her magic and soon the floor around the two gave away and the two were left on a stone slab. The stone slammed down onto an icy surface, Before they knew it the two were on their way down the ice slide... although they were going very fast. Luckily, Rose had an idea in case they built up to much speed. The wind that rushed past the two mares on the rock made their manes flutter rather stylishly as they rode down. As soon as the mare thought that she heard voices around the next curve of the spiraling slide, rose spun the slab around and reached out then slammed her hooves on the ice, the frozen slide behind them breaking up as rose built up friction on the stones under it, Rose wincing and gritting her teeth all the way down until the two came to a stop in front of the group.

For a moment, rose's front hooves seemed to be smoking. The khaki pony stepped off the slab,"I'm... tired." With that, the demolition mare passed out and fell on her side.

Rose is down for the count, somepony might wanna carry her on to the ship.

[moonshineTheleocat]

The stallion was in a jolly mood now! Not only did he manage to get out alive, and managed to save a heap of civilians. But he also got a chance to test out the ships carrying capacity and manuverability! A day of heck suddenly gotten a little brighter for him! He was so jolly in fact, that something completely unintentional had slipped out!

“Well, the role of first mate on the ship is already taken,” The stallion hummed as a lanky feline had slipped out from the bottom deck and jumped ontop of the engineer's back. It was an orange creature, with blotched markings lining it's body. Large ears and long legs. “By my friend, Sine Wave, here! But I suppose a date would be great!”

The stallion's expression stopped dead. He had just began the process of a mirthful laughter when he realized what he had said. His eyes wide open, head tilted to gaze up at the sky. And his jaw was stuck wide open. He remained like this for a few more moments. His muzzle gradually growing redder by the second. Instead of making an attempt at a recovery, the stallion quickly slammed his hoof down on a nearby lever.

Those who aren't even ship savy would be able to recognize immediately the effect this had. Just as the lever went down, the exausts for the engines quickly closed as the opened slots on the sides narrowed with flaps angling so the open end was pointing to the front. The results were the ship suddenly lurching into motion, jaring those whom weren't ready for the sudden action, before slowly pulling out of the docks in reverse.

“UHM! So yeah! Definitely should rest Ice Storm! Hah,” The stallion nervously chirped as he now reset the thorttle's position. He allowed the momentum to carry the ship, as he quickly started to roll the wheel to the side, turning the ship in it's motion, then raising the same lever. Once again, the ship jarred, and began to move forward. First slowly, then increasingly faster at a rather bizzare rate. But once it reached it's set speed... it's acceleration came to an end.

The sides of the engines were now closed, and the exhausts were now narrowed. The ship quickly rose into the air, circling around the tower to find the opening that the larger viking ship had once floated in front of.

“Medical kits are located all over the place! Look on the nearest wall and you should find what you need! Oh and water is below the decks!”

The stallion continued. His eyes scanning over the walls till he finally found it. He pulled the lever down once more, and allowed the ship to come to a natural stop in front of the hole.

“Alrighty! Sine! I need you to get us in closer! Pressy! Mind helping out the two over yonder,” The stallion asked? As he pulled away from the helm. His Serval companion quickly hopped off of his back and took over his position. Her paws rested firmly on the wheel, as she quickly... and some how expertly... worked the ship closer into the hole.

While this happened, Java's eyes quickly sifted around looking for the two mares that did battle. His eyes soon fell on the hole... in the flooring? A quick lean over the railing confirmed his suspicions as the drifted over. Down below through all the smoke and dust he could see one collapsed pony. And one stoic gray pony.

With a smile, the stallion quickly opened up his vest, and ripped a thin metallic cable from inside, filling the air with a shrieking metallic sound. He quickly attached a clip to the end of the cable, and secured it onto the railing before hopping over in a swan dive.

He decended quickly. Practically free falling with the cable growing longer behind him. But eventually, a fore hoof made it's way to his side, tapping at a lever on a device secured under his vest. The cable snagged, and sparks jutted out from under his coat as his decent slowed down to a hault a few feet above the ground.

The stallion spun around in place upside down, looking over the two with curious eyes. One mare down. One mare standing. No signs.... of a deer... but there was a deer sized hole in the wall. Did the bucker just crash through the wall or something!? “Uh... ok! So... I take it you won? Would you like a lift out of here?”

[Elderflower]

Frostlace watched as the pegasus guard seemed to war with his own thoughts. Immediately a small sense of shame filled her at having poked so much fun at him. There was a time and place for snark, and this was not it. So almost as though she was flipping a switch, the unicorn’s expression melted from an icy glare into a gentle smile. She burst her ice hammer apart with magic, dabbing the shards she was left with gingerly against any of the sore spots the stallion might have. Her own flank throbbed, but she sensed this one could use a bit of kindness right now. And besides, she could actually spare a moment to show some kindness right now. After all, the caribou were retreating. None of them would be chasing after the princess, thankfully. The mare wasn’t entirely convinced she would have been able to hold off a great number of them had they attacked.

“You did not, no,” Frostlace finally answered the stallion’s question, her smile growing wider as the cold winds died down and warmth returned, “You were not in control of own self, little bird, so do not fret. Can you feel it? It is warm. The Heart has been returned - we have won! All that must be done now is escape tower, try not to get crushed or impaled by collapsing crystal structure. Da?”

The hoar frost that had been blossoming on her mane from casting cold spells was finally beginning to melt, leaving Frostlace with a wet mane. She must look quite the mess! A torn and bloody pink dress, a messy braided mane that was now dripping all over the cracked crystal floor, and a rather gaping and bloody wound on her flank that was now making her seriously favour her left side as she tried not to think about the pain. A loud groaning from deep within the tower told her rather urgently that it wasn’t time to rest yet, though. They had to get out of the Spire. Now. And what luck! Just as the thought crossed her mind, the familiar whirring sounds of an airship flooded the Stallian mare. She spun around,

“Ah! There is escape route, little bird. Easy as peas is, yes? Rest woozy head now, I hit you good earlier.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Frostlace dipped herself under the confused and distraught guard and lifted him right off his feet to make a dash for the ship. When she made it aboard she set the stallion down gently once again and then peered up at some of the familiar faces from earlier. Immediately she caught sight of Blue and rushed over to offer the icy mare somepony to lean on.

“Very stylish rescue, friends! I thank you! Pegasus guard here has mind back, is good stallion. Give him space - trust him,” she said with a reassuring smile before turning to her cold comrade, “But Blue, I told you to be careful with magics. Silly heroic thing. Let’s get you patched up. I am good at this! The Hoar Witch family owns best hospital in Stalliongrad, you know. No bias, of course!”

Without waiting for a response, Frostlace chuckled and picked up Blue the same way she had lifted the guardpony earlier, then carried her below deck where she could patch up her new friend.