[Attack!] The Party Ends (Open)

[SteelEagle]

Soarin' had not been a simple victim. Far from it, in most ways. Even behind the blinding pain that had momentarily frozen him in place followed by the ruthless and vicious machinations of the hawk, Soarin' was well aware of the danger. He was well aware of the danger even as he was going down the hawk's oversized gullet and it was there in the throat that he had stuck his hooves out and spread-eagled himself in the beast's throat, clogging it up and slowing it down. He was working on a way to get the gag reflex into action- and it was forthcoming for sure- though he also needed a stable exit. If he was just ejected without issue he would lose all aerodynamic capability or get knocked against a giant tooth and lose consciousness. There were worse outcomes of course but he was prepared for those. Now if he could get his head tucked in just such a manner as-

-And then he was ejected violently before he was ready! End over end, wings folded, crashing against the hawk's terrible teeth. He went herpaderping out of the mouth and through the sky like a wonderful frisbee of slobber and rugged handsome good charm. Unable to get his wings opened with the bad angle, slight heady issues, and excess slobber all over him, Soarin' couldn't stop himself from going SMACK and getting knocked out. That was how he was for the rest of the engagement, much to his chagrin as he went from the land of the fighting to the land of the dreaming. The dreamland. The dreamland of heavy injury. Ouchies.

Some time later he started to...wake. A little. Not a lot. Just a little. The edges of his body started to feel like wasps were attacking his honey thievin' hooves. After what seemed like an eternity but wasprobably no more than a few minutes of being semi-conscious he started to become increasingly aware of what was happening. A bunch of smaller hooves carrying him. His wing twitched. His hooves twitched. His snout twitched. “Braglbfraglebahagabg...” he stuttered out before his top half suddenly leaped up, “BUCCANEER BLAST SEVEN-SEVEN INTO THE ARCADIAN LOOP TO GET THE LITTLE ONES OUT-” he shouted at the top of his lungs, the giant hawks of the sky replaced by small tweeting birds flying around his head. He swooned in place as he started to push himself up, grunting as he did so. Smiles everywhere. They won? Great. He'd find out how later. For now he needed rest and relaxation, which he started by promptly sitting back down. Still not wholly there. But good. Safe. Oh look, love blossoms! “Oh look, love blossoms!”

[DerpRavener]

With the great wurm pinned, it fell quickly to the combined assault. And with that done, it was finished. The mage was incapacitated, the caribou raiders were routed. There were no enemies left to fight, no active threats left to the city. It was done.

Naj exhaled and staggered away from the fallen wurm, almost basking in the sudden peace. The caribou's congratulations at their victory though appreciated, went almost unheard. Above all else, Naj was exhausted. All she wanted now was to rest, and after this mess she felt she'd earned it,

Not a few moments after Naj had turned away, the whole area was awash with magic foreign to her, and though the pulse itself was brief it was not without a lasting impact. Naj steeled herself, trying to be ready for anything, but what she saw still defied her expectations. Everyone around her save the unconscious mage, even their caribou opponents, now sported a crystalline sheen resembling that of the crystal ponies. Even herself.

She jumped a bit at that, not expecting it on herself of everyone here. She wasn't sure how she felt about shining black chitin either, but it was quickly overcome with something else. A feeling of...acceptance? Relaxation? She couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it was a good feeling. She felt almost rested, and her injuries hurt less, though she could still feel them. So, she was certain a good part of it was in her head, but that seemed irrelevant. While she wasn't sure the 'crystal coating' would have any practical affect, it made her feel...closer to those she'd just fought for, or along side. She was happy again.

Naj Smiled.

She was brought out of her reverie by the large griffon from earlier. Naj mentally braced herself. Both she and the whole area seemed to be in too good a mood for more combat, but she still wanted to be ready. The griffon was less severe than Naj expected. Apparently she realized that Naj had good intentions, even if she couldn't approve of the method on display, and so settled for a speech rather than calling for the guards or the like.

Naj simply nodded in apparent agreement, and said nothing. Any response she gave would probably just be disruptive, given that on some level if she had to, she'd do it all over again. Though, the griffon wasn't entirely wrong. She'd made some mistakes. She could have done more to protect her hold on the then-brainwashed caribou, and she hadn't accounted for the possibility that the caribou might recover. While she hoped to never run into a similar situation, if she did there were a few lessons she could take from this, though she doubted that griffon would approve.

When the caribou in question overheard the discussion, and wandered over to give Naj some of her own advice, the changeling was a little more surprised. While she understood that the caribou had recovered from the curse, it was one thing to have that piece of information while another entirely to be having a conversation with her.

Randgrid's advice was essentially the same, if a little more vague for her lack of knowledge of what happened. Naj nodded again, though a little more dumbfounded this time. “You should probably know, it was-” After some hesitation she began to try and explain the situation, but Randgrid moved on before she could get underway. She trailed off. “...you, who I...controlled...”

Even this was forgotten for the moment though, as she finally found Flux bouncing over again. The other changeling, shining like the rest of them and thus an odd sight as well, almost tackled Naj again but stopped settled for a gentler hug instead. Naj, feeling a little giddy in the aftermath of everything that happened, returned the hug with a laugh herself. “Yeah,” She said, agreeing with Flux's exclamations, “We finished it, it's over.” Noticing the Flux looking around, she added, “For now at least. There'll be plenty to do later, but for now we can rest.”

Which reminded her. Red was still standing nearby, momentarily forgotten in the excitement of the moment. Releasing Flux, Naj reached a out a hoof and pulled him into the hug this time, leaning into his side. She held there, just enjoying the moment. She almost didn't say anything. Almost.

“I'm glad we're safe. All of us...” she muttered, and then added, “I need a nap.”

[RedCedar]

Red sighed as, with a strain, he removed the sword from the belly of the worm. The formerly brainwashed caribou said that such a feat, even with help, was worth free drinks in her hometown. On some level, a free drink right now sounded like something he desperately needed.

As much as Red loved to travel, however, right now travelling anywhere near the island of the caribou was the last thing he wanted to do, whether he was guarnateed a drink out of it or not.

As the Crystal Heart was replaced, a wave of magic washed over the entire Empire, beating back the sudden rush of arctic cold. It also left everyone alive with a crystal gleam. Red smiled as he looked down at himself, his coat now sparkling and crystalline and refracting the light, even though he didn't feel any different himself. Then he looked up to Naj, her body gleaming like obsidian, her eyes like topaz. She was exhausted, and obviously a little hurt, but right now, she was gorgeous.

He wasn't that impressed with the griffin's assessment of her actions, however. Part of him wanted to set Ryx straight right there and then, to tell him that Naj had taken the vikings' own weapon and turned it against them, successfully. Even if that weapon was a brainwashed being, it was still effective, as a tactic and a philosophy of war. Naj herself didn't seem too perturbed by the griffin's assertions, so he didn't say anything just then. He was going to make sure he let Naj know his feelings about it later, though.

Still, Red couldn't help but smile as Flux came for a hug, still as happy as ever, without her spirits dampened at all. Red almost envied her that ability.

As Naj pulled him into a hug, he wrapped his hoof around her shoulders, glad to have her intact to hold again. “I'm glad we're safe. All of us...” she muttered, and then added, “I need a nap.”

Red kissed her head and nodded in agreement. "Come on," he said, "Let's go back to the hotel."