[Starfall] The Long Road to Diplomacy (Closed)

[Lyipheoryia]

Agile have a quick nod, before trotting at a brisk pace towards the brightly-colored post office that he saw.  Strangely enough, it seemed...closed.

He turned around, checking to make sure none of his entourage was following or could see him-then gave the door a quick buck.  It was entirely, and utterly empty.

He drew back in sudden wary, shocked and fear spreading across his face.  He lowered his stance into a fighting figure, before slowly backing out the door.  

This.  Isn't.  Right.

 

Something here was wrong, very, very, wrong.

[FiniteZero]

"Please, don't."

 

A friendly, yet slightly crazed, unicorn walked up to him from behind. In his magical grasp was a very bizzare looking blade. The handle was fashioned from bone, the blade two serrated edges twisting aroung each other. Carved into the hilt was an intricate, and rather strange, symbol. It was too small to see clearly, however.

 

"I don't want to hurt you," The strange unicorn said, before slashing the dagger at Agile in a downwards swipe.

[Lyipheoryia]

He jumped back, quickly snatching his own blade and pointing it.

"Who are you?"

He tried to hold back his questions, but they all furrowed up.  The Unicorn appeared violent, but his words proved otherwise.  All of Agile's muscles tensed and he drew back to ready for parr, "What happened to this place?  What are you doing?  Where are the ponies?  Why is it empty?"

[FiniteZero]

"Oh, I can't answer that!" The unicorn said. "After all, what is there to be gained in making sense? Our Lord will crooked you out in no time!"

 

Suddenly, the knife gained a green glow and flew out of his magical grasp. The unicorn turned around only to catch a buck to the face and slam into the wall.

 

"Oh, good, you're not dead." Diamond Edge said. He gestured back with his head. "Radiant got the VIP to the zep, we need to meet him there before they leave."

[Lyipheoryia]

He turned in relief to Diamond, before steeling himself up again, "What do you mean-you're not dead.  Am I supposed to be?"

He kept his knife out, despite pointing it towards the floor.  Once again, he wondered, "Who was that?"

[FiniteZero]

"For a moment, I was worried you were going to be ambushed in there. I guess there's not as many of them as I-"

 

His head jerked to the side as the blade flew by.

 

"No you don't." The strange unicorn said, picking his blade back up with his magic. "You will both serve as sacrifices to our glorious Lord of Chaos!"

 

"They're dumber than I thought..." Diamond muttered. He turned around to see several cloak-wearing ponies advance in them, all weilding knives. "Agile, you handle that guy, I'll hold them off." Diamond said as his horn glowed green. "Once he's down, we can deal with the rest of the cultists."

[Lyipheoryia]

Agile gave a quick nod, pulling yet another blade.  He lowered once again into a battle stance, pointing the blades at the strange unicorn, "Drop the weapons.  We will not hesitate to disarm you.  I repeat: drop the weapon,"  

 

With that, he rushed towards the unicorn, so that he was gliding and above the ground.  His hooves would have to be for fighting, now walking.

[FiniteZero]

The unicorn gave a manic grin, then rushed towards Agile while swinging his blade wildly.

Suddenly, just as he was about to reach Agile, he teleported in a flash of white and a loud *SNAP*.

"You cannot defeat chaos!" The unicorn shouted from behind Agile before throwing his blade at him. "You cannot even contain it! It will consume you! You will see the light, or you will die!"

 

Diamond blasted spell after spell at the advancing cultists, knocking the weaker ones off their hooves. He jumped towards one, used a bright flash spell to make him flinch, then turned and bucked him in the face before taking his knife and jamming it into the side of another that was about to swing her blade. She grunted in pain, dropping her weapon.

[Lyipheoryia]

The crazed Unicorn seemed to shout things at Agile, but the Pegasus was too focused on not getting his head chopped off. Though good with knives-the ones Agile were most comfortable using were moreso...daggers.  And daggers weren't very defensive against a large, fat blade.  He ducked and swerved, using his wings to try and smack the flat part of the offensive.  Then, all of a sudden...

The Unicorn disappeared.

 

He flew up into the room-just in time to see the Unicorn thrust a blade into where he had been moments ago.  The idea that he was so close to death made his heart beat a little faster, and the room zoomed in and out around him.  He spotted Diamond-and, without wings-unable to dodge a hit in time.  He shook his head wildly to shake the dizziness, before flying to help Diamond, "We can't hold this for any longer!"

[FiniteZero]

"Right!" Diamond replied. He let loose a few magical blasts, knocking back a few more cultists, then began to run. "Let's get to the zep! We should be able to defend ourselves from there!"

 

He galloped towards the zeppelin, where Radiant was fending off more ponies.

 

There was a loud *SNAP* and a white flash. The cultist leader appeared in-front of Diamond, blade ready to end him. Diamond's eyes widened, and he let out a flash of his own to daze the cultist before spearing him with his horn. The cultist grunted in pain, and burried his knife into Diamond's side.

[Lyipheoryia]

Agile followed Diamond, quickly running and running, until he heard a loud noise.  The only thing he saw was the glare from a blade...a blade.

 

"Diamond!"

 

But there was no time to waste, he quickly took flight to beside the zeppelin, making sure their VIP were safe, "Radiant-GET IN THE ZEPPELIN!  We need to get Diamond in!"

He hovered in the air for a moment, letting the moment wash by.  How quickly things had escalated since their suspicious farewell in Ponyville.  He took a deep breath, before dashing in mid-air to Diamond.  This will end now.

[FiniteZero]

Radiant nodded, kicked a cultist in the face, then jumped into the zep and slam,ed the door shut behind him. The engines started up, and the zeppelin would soon take off.

 

Diamond cried out in pain as the knife dug into his side. He pumped as much power into his horn, and then let it loose, blasting clean through the leader and knocking him away. "Get to the zep! Make sure the VIP is safe!" Diamond shouted as another cultist lept onto him only to get bucked off. "I can handle mys- UF!" He ducked, nearly getting a knife to the eye. Another blast from his horn sent the attacker flying, though now he was panting. He couldn't hold out much longer.

[Lyipheoryia]

Agile have Diamond a quick nod,  before flying back to the zeppelin.  He looked inside to the Minister, before trying to calm himself down.  He took a deep breath, before flying into the driver's seat.  

Okay, Agile-get away from this area.  

Is everyone here?  Yes.

Okay-let's g-

He launched out of the zepellin, feeling the cold ground beneath him.  The world shook a few times, and he was vaguely aware of a rhythmic thuds along his side.  His vision began to blur, and his limbs felt soft and pudgy.  He gave a groan, before curling into fetal position.  And then it turned black...

 

[FiniteZero]

Radiant Silver dashed into the cockpit, hearing the glass break. He spotted the cultist, and flared his wings, poised to strike. He was not going to let this pony be a danger to the Minister any longer.

In the back of the zeppelin, Diamond Edge stirred. Led was working to dress the injured pony's wounds. The Minister looked on, worried.

"I'm sorry." The Minister said. "If I hadn't asked for your help..."

"You would be dead." Diamond replied. "I am here to ensure your safety, and hope for friendship. I was ready to put my life on the line when I accepted this assignment. But I will not die yet."

[Lyipheoryia]

Agile woke with a groan.  The world around him was full of mayhem and dismay.  But something deep stired within him-maybe it was training with his Captain, maybe it was the coldness and closeness to death he had experienced so many times.  Everything seemed like a blur: His vision was focused like an archer's sight, pointed at the zep and the zep alone.  There were no thoughts in his mind, only the sound of his breathing to keep him company.  His muscles seemed warm and he moved quickly-agilely.  He couldn't feel his self speaking, but he heard a voice that resembled his own, "Quickly, we move now!"

He felt no emotion, no pain, nothing other than the constant warmth that surrounded him.  He flew into the front seat of the zep, staring straight ahead...

 

I'm scared.  

[FiniteZero]

Radiant once again readied his razor wingtips before launching himself at the cultist. The cultist lunged as well, and Radiant switftly swooped underneath him before grabbing his left hind leg and twisting it. The cultist cried out in pain, and Radiant swiped his wings, the razors slashing across the cultist's sides. Radiant quickly slammed the cultist against the window before turning around and bucking him through it.

 

"Those windows aren't cheap, y'know!" Lead shouted as he entered the cockpit. "Guard guy, move over!" He the said loudly to Agile. "We aren't getting anywhere unless I'm behind the wheel!"

This caught Radiant's attention. "Oh, I thought I would have to back for you. Are you alright?"

[Lyipheoryia]

(XD.  Window-throwing works.))

Agile's mind was slowly starting to dwindle, and he became vaguely aware of the intense pain around his ribs.  He dragged himself away from the cockpit, clenching his teeth harder each moment as the pain resurfaced.  He could barely hear Radiant's words before he fell to the floor, "Unicorn.  Magic,"

He wanted to say more-to express how Diamond's magic could quickly heal him.  But his breath was ragged, and as he pulled himself up towards the back of the zep, he could feel himself walking on clouds.

[FiniteZero]

Radiant was quick to help him. "Looks like you got hurt, too. I instructed Lead to take us somewhere safe, so that I can inform the Crystal Empire of what happened. They should be able to send some troops to deal with those cultists. Twilight knows what will become of that town..."

He soon assisted Agile to where Diamond Edge was laying. Diamond did't look much better, with the bruises and the wound from the cultist that had stabbed him. A lot of medical gauze had been applied there to stop the bleeding. His armor lied to his side, and he looked up at Agile.

"That was..." He said before wincing slightly from the pain. "...Rather bad. The good news is, the Minister's unhurt. The less good news, our trip to the Griffon Kingdom might have to be delayed until we are fit for duty again."

[Lyipheoryia]

Agile bit his lip at the news.  It was always sad for a guard to here that his mission would be delayed because he wasn't fit for duty.  "I'm sure we will all heal quickly-I brought a few healing potions in my trunk.  I'm not sure if they actually work or not, since I brought it as a joke between fellow Wonderbolts," he took a deep breath, "But it's always worth a try if it gets too bad,"

He gave a glance at Diamond and almost flinched at his wounds. The wound was decently large, and he was covered in bruises.  I wonder if I am, too~  Diamond seemed to be in a lot of pain, and he turned his head to give some encouragement, "Take care, Diamond.  We've made it through so many trials already-this is just another...hurdle," 

[FiniteZero]

"Better to try that than do nothing." Diamond said. "Either it helps us heal faster, or it kills time."

"Fair enough. I got off with the least injury, so I'll go get them." Radiant said as he headed off towards the cargo hold.

 

Diamond turned back to Agile with a weak smile. "This isn't the worst I've ever gotten, so I'll be fine. Damn near lost a limb near Las Pegasus once. I wasn't even on duty; Some drunk sorcerer wanted to impress his fillyfriend or something, and tried to turn me into an orange." He let out a chuckle. "I told him off for how dangerous that could be, and he started using his magic to beat the everloving crap out of me. I might know some offensive spells, but he had me beat in raw power." He turned slightly, showing a long wicked scar across his right side. "That spell would have killed me if his aim wasn't off. Hurt like Tartarus, too. Was in the hospital for weeks. Let that be a lesson: Don't underestimate the drunk."

[Lyipheoryia]

Agile chuckled at Diamond's story, but secretly admired the strength and bravery of such a guard.  It takes a lot of willpower to get through one challenge...it takes insanity to get through the rest.  

He gasped at the scar, "Nasty.  I mean-I don't have any scars anywhere-purely by luck or chance, I don't know.  Sometimes, I feel like the deities watching over us can miss a pony or two...and have favourites, too!"

As the zep moved, he felt himself droning off.  The quiet wakes of sleep lulled him back and forth into the melody, and he felt himself as if he were washed onto a beach.  He let his eyes slowly drift into darkness...

...

And the quiet guard fell asleep.

[FiniteZero]

Diamond saw him sleep, and decided that he had the right idea. Rest easy, Agile. I fear a far greater battle lies in our future.

 

Some time passed. Diamond was no longer in the room. The faint hum of the propellers and the slight vibration of the metal floor were indicators that the ship was still in flight. An argument could be heard outside the room Agile slept.

 

"They need medical attention, and it's the closest place." Helping Hooves said.

"The griffons are fairly close, too! Why not go and ask them?" Radiant shot back.

"There's no need to be sarcastic. Besides, the changelings are not our enemy."

"Damn sympathizer! We're turning this ship around, they can survive the extra time it would take to find a suitable pony hospital."

"Aren't you're supposed to be my guard?"

"I'm supposed to do whatever it takes to protect your wellbeing, and I'm doing that right now!"

[Lyipheoryia]

Agile awoke to the noisy sound of ponies arguing.  The pain had subsided, and he could sit properly without pain.  Huh.  Did someone give me a healing potion...or did Diamond use his magic?  He tried to stand, and found that he could walk perfectly fine, as well.  He pressed a hoof along himself, flinching at the sore bruises.  Otherwise-he seemed relatively fine.  He walked outside-instantly going stoic when he way Radiant lashing out at the Minister...and the Minister talking back to his guard!  He gritted his teeth, before stepping in between the two, "At ease, both of you.  What's the situation that reduces you all to low-level back-talking scumbags?"

[FiniteZero]

Helping Hooves took in a long breath and let it out. "I need to make sure you and Diamond get medical assistance. While the healing potions seemed to have helped, I don't know if there are any internal injuries that we don't know about. Therefore, we should go to the nearest place to shorten the amount of time spent on this. We have a deadline to get to the Griffons by, and I don't intend to miss it."

 

"Except the place he wants to go to is a changeling hive. How do you even know where it is?!" Radiant asked.

 

"I'm a Minister of Foreign affairs. I have gone to the United Hives before." Helping replied. "Not on an official trip, but I have been to this town specifically before."

 

"It's not a town if it's underground." Radiant muttered.

[Lyipheoryia]

He looked around, before stepping up to Radiant and giving a sigh, "Radiant-let's see here.  I'm not asking you to do much.  I'm just going to give you a simple reminder to follow your job.  I don't know how you used to do it in your sector, but this is how we Guards like to organize ourselves.  By rank.  And who's the highest ranking official here?"

He raised his hoof towards the Minister, "Who's the pony that both of us serve hooves over head for?"

He stepped up beside the Minister, giving him a salute, "We await your decision and command.  And Radiant-you will follow the orders of the one you serve.  If the Minister so chooses that we enter a Changeling Hive, then we shall proceed with utmost caution and do all it takes to protect our liege within its boundaries.  Understood?"