The Caribou Plague: The King's Water

[Imagination]

 

The unicorn WRAITH Officer had incinerated the letter awhile ago, though she couldn't stop thinking about it. The ambitious mare had a big smile on her face as the small team of mooks and scientists got to work. She didn't know why they couldn't just dump the plague in the water and call it a day, but the eggheads insisted it "must be added gradually". Either way, she knew this was going to be her big break! If she succeeded here, she might even be rewarded! She might even get a name tag! Finally! Recognition she deserved! She couldn't fail, and thus far, they had been practically unopposed! Unnoticed, even! Or so she thought.

This underground waterway didn't offer much in the way of protection, however. It was fairly canalized with few places to hide. Something that may or may not work in their favor, but she preferred to get out of here as quickly as possible. Just on the off chance somepony did notice them going in here. It did strike her as a bit odd there weren't more guards, seeing as this water directly went to the caribou royalty...

Her supervision cut short by rumbling footsteps coming up behind her, the Officer scoffing as she looked over her shoulder at the 'Elite' operative she was provided. "What is it now, you impertinent buffoon?" she asked of the very large Diamond Dog towering over her. He and his new gadget had been assigned as extra insurance for her operation, though in all honesty she took it as a slight. She didn't need W.R.A.I.T.H.'s lapdog to babysit. She had things well under control!

"Dog new pack is ready" he reported, referring to the large crystal pack strapped to his back. The mare seemed unimpressed. Did he even know how to use that thing? 
A new development of W.R.A.I.T.H.'s R&D department, it was supposed to be some kind of 'magic beam caster' that was originally going to be used as a static post. Instead, they decided to strap the prototype to Dog. "Very well. Stay within earshot. If one of those savages wanders down here you will need to dispose of them..." Dog nodded, and situated himself in a darker nook of the waterway to sit and await further instructions... Or for trouble to start. The spot was shadowed enough to hide him with her darker fur color. While not the stealthiest guy around, perhaps if he held still he could at least surprise potential opponents. Maybe. But until then, he'd just have to wait and fantasize about hitting something.

The remainder of the security team, four uniformed mooks sat at the entrance, were just making idle chatter through their respirators. Glorified lookouts, if nothing else. At the very least they could buy some time before Dog was deployed.

"What's taking so long?!" she barked at one of the WRAITH scientists, looking up from the canisters they were rigging up. "We're finishing calibrations now... The pressure levels of these containers need to be set to to release the contagion at a rate where it will not be too diluted and will have a better chance of contaminating the water supply as a whole! Of course, if you decided to assist us, we could move this along much-" the stallion was cut off by a fireball square to the torso, singeing his labcoat and knocking him against the far wall. The Officer, he horn steaming, just stifled a chuckle. "You shouldn't make jokes, doctor. Humor is... hurtful... and can ruin lives. Besides, if you're telling me you need my assistance to do your job... All I'm hearing is you admitting you've outlived your usefulness..."

Without another word, the scientist limped back to work, leaving the underground waterway itself back to an eerie silence. 

 

[Dunder]

"They're making their way into the tunnel. There is no time to wait for reinforcements, we have to act now." Dunder's voice was grim. His eye was pressed up against a telescope, foreleg leaned up on the small snow ridge the trio had constructed for cover, one hoof used to shield his eye from the nipping snow that blew past his face. He examined the group as it made its way into the mouth of the aqueduct. Only figures trudging through snow, distorted behind the veil of wind and snow. If he were to write a story about this moment, he would compare the distortion of their figures against the weather to the distortion of their hearts to carry out such a cruel deed. His thought was cut short, when he caught sight of something much larger than any of the ponies. Broad shoulders and a flat head, almost like an upside down spade shape. Distinct from the long neck and slender body of a normal dragon. Still, it was tough to identify what the hulking figure actually was.

He slid back down into the makeshift trench. Eager to escape the biting cold, he explained to his 2 comrades. "This isn't a scouting party. These goons mean business." His armor shuffled as he collapsed the telescope in his hooves. "Several ponies...and something big...and mean." He looked Star, then fire in the eye. "It doesn't matter though. They could have 1 pony or 10 dragons on their side. Makes no difference, because we cannot lose. Countless caribou lives will be lost if these monsters have their way." He said. He shuffled back up and restructured the telescope to try to get a view of the mouth of the aqueduct, they would definitely set up a defensive perimeter. Unfortunately, EPIC would have to bring the fight to them since time was not on their side.

"I know their isn't a strict hierarchy here. But I say we need to move out as soon as possible. Leave whatever you don't need in a fight behind. We'll need to move quick and surprise them." The stallion said while trying to spot any sentries at the aqueduct.

[tacobob]

 

"Erm." Fire Walker did not like the idea of rushing off without proper support, but they needed to do something and it needed to be done now! Thankfully two of the finer Pegasi warriors were at her side. Such as  the young, but very promising Star Crusader who the red mare had served with in the past. The very stoic mare had been kicking the flank of scoundrels and Ne'er–do–wells since she was a filly. And there was also Dunder, a stallion Fire had once called her colt-friend. While the pair had moved on, she still considered the brown Pegasus to be one of her best friends. They had been on more than a few adventures together, and had been battle partners against dastardly foes in the past.

 

She frowned deeply as the thought of what could happen if they did not act. "Yes, we need to go." The R.E.A officer was ready for a fight. Not only was she decked out in her golden armor, she also sported her trusty disarming punch-daggers and something the stallion had not seen before. This was an rather impressive crossbow which was mounted on her front right leg. Their old friend Zelda probably had something to do with this. She waited for the stallion to put away his telescope and for Star to get moving. While she was not normally a violent pony, the whole idea of what WRAITH had been doing made her sick to her stomach. "We might not be able to stop them all ourselves, but we should be able to keep them busy until the others arrive." And again, Dunder was correct. This was EPIC. They were all equals here.

 

"We are not going to lose, Dunders.", she added as she extended her wings and took for the sky. She did not care if there were an army of ancient dragons down there along with an Ursa Major. She was going to fight and those who fought for the brave Caribou were going to win this. Failure was not an option.

[moonshineTheleocat]

Star Crusader stood tall, her face grim as she peered at the group of ponies ahead of them through a pair of binoculars. She eyed the massive diamond dog, and studied the pack it was carrying, before moving her gaze down to the strange devices that multiple scientists were working with. Eventually her gaze drifted to the what she believed was an arrogant pony. That might be the leader it seems.

Once she was done studying the forces, she quietly lowered the instrument down, collapsed it and stowed it away in a pouch on her chest. This mare had came dressed for war. And by that, we mean that her armor was more “complete” than what she typically wears. Along with the heavy set of full plate armor painted in the royal equestrian colors. The outside of her wings bore a series of thin and flexible interlocking plates of metal. They left gaps where needed, and they weren’t exactly designed for protection against puncture. But they’d be able to do something against slashing blows and non-direct slices. And by the way they were affixed to her, they could be easily cut off if they ever got in the way.

Hitched to her hip was a flail, and three sets of brass Bolas. And lying on the ground was a heavy spear with a metal shaft.

“I concur with Lady Fire,” The mare spoke up with a thoughtful expression. She soon removed the tower shield from her back and hefted up the spear. “Should, and by some miracle, the enemy defeat either one of you in battle, I will personally cook them a feast to last a year in celebration of a feat so grand, that the heavens will come crashing down on top of us.”

“If we are going to slow them down. I should note that our main priority is the device they are using,” She hummed as she now reared up on her hind hooves in a low crouch. Her wings were spread wide, ready to take flight. Her shield was over her head tilted down at an angle, ready to cover her. And her spear was pointed forward, ready for her low flying charge.

“I am concerned by the large one. If size alone is not a reason to worry, the crystal on it’s back may be. I am ready on your mark.”

[Dunder]

As Dunder observed the entrance longer through the scope, he noticed the four lightly armored goons as they took position at the mouth of the aqueduct. "They're standing guard at the entrance, as expected. Three at least, probably more." He said and slid back down into the trench, putting the scope away again. He listened to Star be dramatic about one of them dying in battle. "Shut up, Star." His tone playful as he shot a grin at her. He stood up and grabbed his sword, sliding the scabbard into the hangar. "Nopony is gonna die. And remember! Try not to injure them too badly, we want to to talk. We can't make a dead pony talk. At least, not comprehensibly."

He looked over to Fire, "But, stay safe." The stallion wasn't concerned for his own safety, he was concerned for the safety of his comrades. They were both his friends, he would never forgive himself if either got hurt. The red mare's fighting style troubled him. Even though she had a new set of toys, and her skills were superb, she'd be the final decider of how well well she was going to protect herself.

The pegasus pat his hoof around his sword belt and bandolier, checking that everything was in place and secure. Just then, the red mare took off into the sky. Suddenly the brown stallion flared his wings. "Do what you do best, Star! Get their attention." He said, backing up. He turned and galloped up the trench, hopping into the air to get a head start on his flight. He stayed close to the ground, keeping himself gliding more any second the cold would clench his muscles and render him flightless, even though the snowy wind had let up.

[Imagination]

The guards at the entrance were mostly only amounting to a lightly armed blockage. Thus far, they were unaware of the EPIC strike team... And probably unaware of nearly everything around them. Of the four, only one of them actually seemed to be keeping his eye on the surrounding area. The other uniformed, masked goons just ran their gobs. They acted as if they had already succeeded in their final mission, paying no heed to their responsibilities. 

"Oi, when are the eggheads supposed to be finished?"

"Doesn't matter, not going to get us back to base faster. I just don't understand why we can't crack em open and dump the whole thing"

"Maybe we should. Give the science team something to really cry about for once... Maybe we should at least ask if we can take some water before they start dumping. Don't know if this stuff works on us, don't wanna find out. I just want something for the pot back at base."

"Seriously? You're an idiot. One, your coffee sucks. Two, we have running water. Three, why carry the extra weight?"

"Alright smart alec. First of all, I'm not your mother, jerk. You can make your own. Second, you trust our water? I smart enough to know they don't give a flying buck about us. You think they haven't messed with the water as some kind of weird experiment? Make it easier for brainwashing or whatever? I like having my free will intact, thanks."

"You like your free will intact, by volunteering for an organization that you don't apparently trust and puts you on some crap security detail in this forsaken country after working here for how long? Maybe somepony should take your free will. Yours doesn't seem to be panning out for you very well."

The astute one decided to stay out of the antics behind him. Her first mission, she didn't want to screw it up. Though looking ahead at the hills surrounding them, she thought she could see a glint of something in the distance. "What the...?" But then she saw a red blur head off into the sky, glinting even more in a way only armor could in the dim moon light. "Uhh... Fellas?"

"What do you want, boot?"

===================================================================

Back inside, the science team and their leader seemed blissfully unaware of the happenings outside. The white-jacketed ponies all seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief. The release devices were all in place. "Right. Now to engage the startup sequence. Once that's done, the release should be automatic..."

"So we're done here." The officer spoke sternly, wanting badly to get above ground and back to civilized equestria. "If I may..." another scientist spoke up, "We really should remain here until the sequence is complete. These devices are still experimental. If we abandon them without ensuring they actually activate... Well, I don't want to be the one to go before number 2 to tell him."

He made a fair point, but she clearly wasn't happy about it. "Fine. Just hurry it along however you can!"

[-PATHOGEN RELEASE SEQUENCE ACTIVATED- FULL BERSERKER RELEASE IN 10 MINUTES]

"Sheesh that thing is loud..."

[moonshineTheleocat]

Do what you do best.

 

 

 

If Star Crusader was her mother, she’d be grinning like a mad pony right about now. But instead she just held a smirk. She slowly lowered her stance nearer to the ground, her shield now hugging it’s self closer to her head and back. Her wings streatched out now, and began to slowly flap.

Woosh… woooosh…. Woooosh…

 

 

 

She hadn’t planned on killing. Though when she gets involved in violence, and more specifically… against two factions, accidents happen. Especially at her strength. Still… it was best to ensure as few accidents as possible. The spear she held slowly rolled in her hooves, now with the point away from the charge, leaving only the blunt end.

 

Her wings continued flapping, picking up speed. She could feel her relaxed wings now began to spir with life as blood began to pump through them. The muscles warming up. And soon began to almost sound like war drums with the snow on the ground blowing into the air with each downwards motion.

Each beat speed up her heart. Each beat calmed her mind. Each beat helped her focus. And with the final beat her expression, like it was sculpted on stone, fixed it self to a deathly glare.

 

 

 

And like a jet, she was off. Her wings clawed furiously at the air, kicking up a torrent of snow in her wake. The wind howled in her ears. The air rolled fluidly over her back. The ground, just a few hooves underneath her. She continued picking up speed.

Then right before the very moment she collided with that first WRAITH guard… her wings opened wide, streatching out like a clothes line, and she bellowed out one thunderous War Cry. A war cry fit for a mare born and raised in Fetloch. A war cry… that could make the Caribou drop some rot… perhaps if they were about to get ran through with a massive, heavily armored, and absurdly heavy mare.

“nnNNRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-“

For those who were not aware of her approach, that’d be the only warning they probably would get.

She struck the first pony with a solid crunch, a sound that definitely sung songs of how this pony was now down for the count… and a few months thereafter. Unfortunately… his sacrifice wasn’t enough to stop Crusader’s momentum as she smite her foes with a righteous charge.

Ponies whom had the chance to meet her crusade, were sent flying through the air wailing out in either disbelief, fear, or pain. Boxes she smashed into were blown apart, with their contents sucked along for the ride only to be scattered in heaps everywhere. Mounds of snow she met shield first went up in ‘smoke’. And then finally her momentum died down, letting her skim along the snow stomach first, and end in a tumbling role. On her last volley, she streatched her wings out to act as a means of steadying herself, before she landed on her hind hooves.

Carrying on with what little momentum she had, the mare practically skipped in strides across the battlefield, with her wings flapping to propel herself forward. She quickly chased down a pony that was frantically fleeing, and raised her spear up high. She twirled it over head near the end of the shaft to build up momentum. Then she brought it out in a sweeping strike that took the pony’s legs out from underneath himself.

Following through, the mare brought the shield down onto him, flat first to force him into the ground and nock the wind out of him. Once he was down. The mare shoved a hoof onto his throat, and tossed her shield up. She caught it by the handles, now with the point extending past her hoof. She brought it down into the ground near his head, sending a tremor into the frozen landscape. And the shield? Well apparently permafrost and ice was no match for crusader's strength, as it did punch it's self halfway through the dirt, before being lifted out again, and raised up... this time pointing at the pony under her.

“There are many others here that I can ask. If you feel lucky, try me. But be sure to tell Faust I said 'hi' afterwards. Now, how do we stop the machine!?” Crusader growled. Her glare was intense enough that it could practically fire lasers into the other’s skull.

(( I rolled a D20 for intimidation... did she get it?))

[tacobob]

 

 

The red mare glanced over at the young officer with a slightly confused look on her face. Star Crusader was going to cook their foes a grand feast if one of them managed to Dunder or her? That’s awfully nice! The officer would probably preferred help to the nearest hospital. And while she would hardly consider herself somepony to over represent her fighting skills. this mare knew it was going to take more than some lowly generic guard to take her down. She and Dunder were skilled, strong and their fighting styles complemented each other.  She also hoped her father never heard that Star could cook, or he would probably figure out a way to get one of her brothers to serve with the multi-talented mare. The old stallion would do almost anything to end the 'Walker Cooking Curse'.

 

Over the years Fire Walker had involved into a trainer of the youngest members of the R.E.A. She was quite suited to teach lessons as negotiation, melee combat with an assortment of weapons, combat flying, among many others, but tactics were never her strong suit. And while she would have at least suggested a quick scouting before they charged into the fray, the rather loud declaration that had just sounded off told her that they needed to move and they needed to do it quickly! And silently. Unfortunately they only managed to get one of those right.

 

The young officer quickly took after the blue mare, and while she was nowhere near as fast as the Pegasus pony, she managed to trail rather close behind. Once Fire saw what she had in mind, the red pony slowed down as to watch Star as she pounced upon an lowly W.R.A.I.T.H guard. Good, this was good, but then she had to.

 

“nnNNRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-“

 

No No No! They needed to be quick and quiet! No screaming! Screaming is bad! She was going to alert the entire base! While the threesome could fight guards, officer and that big monster thing, it would have been preferable if they could take them on in groups. Not all at once. That would be suicide. And sure enough, another guard was taking action. He would see what was going on and alert the others! This could not happen, unless the loud holler her companion made hadn't already done that.

 

Fire Walker pushed herself as far as she could as the mare went for a dive. A few numbers floated about in her head. She needed to hit the second guard just right. If she did this wrong, she would either knock the guard on his rump, miss or even just kill the poor sap altogether. She needed to balance her speed for just the right amount of an 'love tap' that her fellow officer. Thankfully things worked out, and she managed a repeat pounce. "Hurry.", she growled. "If that guy doesn't talk, just cut his throat and we'll get answers from this guy.", she held the officer down and kept her right gaunt-led hoof over his mouth.

 

Both Star Crusader and Dunder knew Fire would only take a life if only completely necessary, so it was obvious she was trying to play 'bad cop'.

[Imagination]

At the entrance, things went from quiet to chaos very quickly. The sound of somepony screaming and slamming into somepony, while covered in full heavy plate armor, wasn't the stealthiest approach. The screaming, clashing, and clanging of combat echoed in the narrow tunnel of the waterway, carrying quite far. Not that it needed to go far to alert the rest of the WRAITH team.

As soon as the scuffle started, the science team started working to try and get the device to trigger faster, but it was going to take some time. The officer in command just watched as the lowly guards were cut down. Fine. She didn't seem to care. They served their purpose as an early-warning post, even if they didn't report the warning themselves. Though how EPIC had found them so readily was a mystery to her. Perhaps it was time to talk to Number 2 about the possibility of a mole in Operations...

But that was for later. She had an issue to deal with herself. "No use getting my own hooves dirty..." she muttered to herself before looking deeper into the tunnel and calling out for her monstrous insurance. "DOG! Destroy them!" If nothing else, the giant could buy the team time... And the officer had her own means of escape. Whether her team returned with her or not was not in the mission parameters. Only mission accomplishment mattered. 

 

As soon as the call sounded, the tunnel shook with his footsteps, the massive canine moving as quick as he could with the device on his back toward the fray. Seeing the commotion at the entrance, and the mooks incapacitated, or worse, he knew it was going to be three on one. Fine by him. He enjoyed a good fight! 
Dog held a barreled wand in one paw, the strange device having multiple hoses and ribbon cables connecting the crystal on his back, His other paw was gloved; a specially designed gauntlet with more crystals in the palm. On this wand was an empty space for Dog to grip with this gauntlet, which would complete the circuit for the magic to flow. An unstable, experimental beam caster in the paws of an unstable henchman. The device fired up, the crystal glowing bright purple and starting to steam in the cooler air.

"DIE!"

 

Important! Please read before continuing!

General PvP rules are now in effect for all players, including myself. Some general ground rules:
-No autohitting: All attacks or actions must be posted as attempts!
-No metagaming: Control your character, and your character alone! The exception will be myself controlling NPC characters from time to time, who will serve no combat role!
-No powergaming: Be fair and take a hit. Even Dog isn't invincible.

Failure to abide by these rules could result in a request to edit or a retcon.

Have fun!

[moonshineTheleocat]

Crusader was still looming over the paniced… and now with Fire Walker’s help… sobbing goon. Well great… that was a bit too much. But… there was something else… something that drew crusader’s attention.

She looked up, and squinted her eyes to gaze down the tunnel ways. Her shield began to lower slowly as her body rose upwards. Finally the source of the earth shaking noises was in view. A monstrously large diamond dog… and just as ugly to boot. Now… Crusader wished she was her brother. The pockets of that jacket of his had many secrets in them… filled with miscellaneous junk. A dog whistle would be fantastic right now.

Then her eyes flicked to the device in his hands… and noticed the air warping and shifting around it. This… is not going to be good.

Now alarmed, the mare quickly raised up her family’s tower shield. If there was ever a time that she used it’s enchantment… now would be it. And if it works… she will personally praise the sun after this is all over. That and leave her shield in the sunlight for a day or so.

 

Celestia’s Mark on the reflective surface began to glow a brilliant golden glow. That glow quickly expanded out over the entirety of the shield’s crest. Then finally when the entire object was glowing, it blasted out an insanely bright beam of light down the hall. The concentrated light emitted a decent amount of heat that is familiar to the rays of the sun it’s self.

The shield’s column of light bounced off of the walls, and flooded the tunnel with its bright golden hue. It strobed, erratically blasting a blinding corona and making it difficult to adjust to.

“Dunder… Firewalker… get to cover,” She hissed quietly as she raised up her shield now to cover her body. She dropped her center of mass low to the ground, and pulled more of herself behind it. She wore a frown after a small thought. A small piece of her mind kept track of how many seconds she had left before the shield’s stored energy ran out. “Our primary objective is still the machine. Not the mutt. One or both of you squeeze by when you can.”

Truth be told… as much as Crusader did pride herself over her strength… she was quite certain that on her own she’s likely bucked against Dog in these tunnels. But like a the mind of a soldier, she just simply settled on the mindset of ‘the life of many matters more than the life of one.’

Once Crusader was done she charged forward weaving erratically to give Dog a harder target.

Spoiler

Ray of Sunlight doesn't do any damage. It's just a blinding beam of warm concentrated sunlight that is blasted out of the shield's Mirror like surface.

NOTE: The shield's surface most likely will not reflect the beam. If it did, it'll be broken up and diffused in relation to the facing direction of the shield. Your choice though. It has a semi rough/polished surface.

 

[Dunder]

Dunder was the last in the line of fliers, it seemed. the other two launched off ahead while the stallion lagged behind, hindered by the cold. He kept his head forward, watching as Star charged two of the guards, letting out a harrowing bellow. Fire joined in the fray soon after, using the momentum of her flight to take down a fleeing guard. Dunder banked away to head for the last guard, who decided not to call for help or even help his comrades. Dunder drew a bead on his target and pulled up, aftwards pulling his wings close to his body so that he plummeted towards the ground straight onto the goon.

The stallion pinned the goon to the ground, hoof on the back of the head when he heard Fire. "Can I cut this one open? Or do you just want me to start giving him some reasons to talk." Dunder played along with Fire.

Though their acting was cut short by the introduction of the character Dunder wasn't excited for. The stallion looked up to see the behemoth approaching, instantly his feathers stood up and his wings flared out a little, a shiver running up his spine. The stallion slammed his steel bracer against the side of the captured goon's head to knock him out and let the limp body fall limp on the floor.

The dog was imposing, much larger up close. And that backpack was more than a backpack, tubes and hoses all over. The pegasus was frozen solid up to where the crystal started to light up. The pegasus retreated with frantic wing flaps to take cover outside, at the mouth of the aqueduct.

"Get behind something! STAR!" He yelled after peeking back in and seeing Star covered behind her shield.

[tacobob]

 

 

Oh dear.

 

Their captives weren't about to give anything away as they were no longer in the land of consciousness. Did the mare hit her target too hard, or was there something that knocked her guard out if rendered incapacitated? Whatever it was, she had very little time to ponder this as something else was coming towards them. Something very big.

 

She turned to answer the stallion, but decided against speaking. He should know the answer by now. The mare was a peacekeeper, not a warrior, or assassin. Her custom weapon mounted in her horseshoe was meant for disarming, not harming. Even her crossbow bolts were dull. They may hurt like a solid hoof-punch when they hit their target, but nopony was going to die. Not even the big dog. And what in Equestria were they feeding this guy? Magical physical enchantments? The red mare only knew a small amount of 'Diamond Dogs', but none of them were even remotely the size of this creature. Even if they all stood on each others shoulders, they still would not reach the size of this beast.

 

While the creature looked very formidable, there was one glaring issue it would have. The three ponies could fly, and the dog could not.  They could...oh...what was Star Crusader doing? Following both Dunder and her command, the red mare decided it would be for the best that she was not going be hanging around when whatever was going on, went off. And before things got messy, she found cover with the brown pony...

 

 

For Imagination

Spoiler

 

OOC: A thousand pardons! I usually avoid combat type games in these open RP's. I like a block of stats and a handful of dice when it comes to combat. And in the ones I've RP'ed on Canterlot before, nameless bottom rankings NPCs are usually made to make the heroes (or villains) look good. While higher NPCs and player characters would get your attempt-posts. For now on, I will make sure to leave it open as requested.

 

 

[Imagination]

Indeed those goons that were left conscious were sobbing and shaking. Poorly trained, high mortality minions that just likely couldn't find a place anywhere else in Equestria, so they turn to crime. The Henchman standing between the EPIC squad and the science team, however, seemed neither poorly trained nor likely to go down easy. 

The massive dog snarled as the light from the shield blinded him, but he saw it getting closer. "RAH! COME TO DOG, COWARD!" he roared, trying his best to force his eyes open despite the shield's magic. Fortunately, the bright light served to visually cover the other two's escape to cover. Squinting, Dog hunkered down and did his best to aim that strange wand toward the serpentineing knight.The device started to whir as the power charged up more and more, even starting to shake. It seemed the magical buildup was causing some instability, but to what end wasn't clear. All that stopped as soon as Dog took that gauntlet-ed free paw and grasped the open rod on the wand. Once the circuit was complete, all that energy within the crystal was released into a loud, concentrated beam of energy. It was a solid beam, but unstable, bending and arching as it went toward the charging Star Crusader. Dog tried to sweep the beam across the narrow tunnel to make up for his lack of sight and hoping to hit all three... Not knowing only one remained in the line of fire with an enchanted shield. The henchman found immense joy in using his toy, laughing all the while as the magic poured into the tunnel. 

As the beam continued to discharge, it seemed to get weaker and weaker, eventually stopping all together. It seemed the device needed to charge itself up between each burst, but how long of a window did they have?

 

As the sounds of battle started to rage just in front of them, the science team frantically tried to find a way to shortcut the release. Dog would keep them safe... Right? He was under order to do that, right...? Their only hope was to rely on the big, bumbling canine to get out of there. They were scientists, not soldiers! All that would stand between EPIC if Dog went down would be the commander of this team and... For now she seemed nowhere in sight!

 

If you need a sound reference for the device, click here (yes yes, I know. I couldn't help myself).

Taco:
No worries at all, friend! I didn't mean the advisory to be directed to anyone in particular! NPCs I have no issues with players taking liberties. When it's true PvP, like now, just want to make sure everyone has a fair shot and that everyone can have fun without worry. All is well! 

[moonshineTheleocat]

Of all the pains that Crusader had endured in her life span… this one definitely takes the cake. The stoic Pegasus pony might not let out a howl in agony, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t feel it. Oh no… she definitely felt it, she was just not going to give this diamond dog the satisfaction.

If it wasn’t for her shield also being a magic object, Star Crusader might not have been standing. Or in this case charging forward. When that blast initially struck her, it took her by surprise as her shield threatened to practically smash back into her own mug. The beam wasn’t completely negated. The reflective surface practically reduced it to a less devastating but still threatening corona of energy. The heat blasted it’s way across her body, and began to lightly cook the exposed portions of her body, and the under barding. The metal? Well it was being heated up to be rather uncomfortably hot. Oh… and speaking of hot…

Serpentine as a pony tends to force you to expose a little of yourself to actually turn. In fact it’s more like a slalom than a serpentine. Needless to say the beam managed to rock it’s way off of the shield, leaving a glowing red mark on it’s surface, and then running it’s way down to rake along her ribs down to her flank. The metal that was covering exploded away in glowing golden shards if a line wasn’t carved down to the under barding. A few of her feather’s were smoking, and some of the plating to her wing had been melted and curled outwards like a shredded skin. And… there goes a most of the hair to her tail… flying in the air… in flames.

It wasn’t until she was completely clear did she finally give her wings a single… but strong flap. That move was strong enough to send her flying through the air in a dive. Mid-air her shield finally lost power, and went dark… but it did it’s job well enough. She hit the ground hard, and in a roll to find herself behind and facing the blinded the Diamond dog.

Smoke was rising up from under her plates. Exposed barding had been blacked in sections, and in a few other’s there were small flames and embers eating away at her armor and fur, and slowly dying away. Obvious signs of burns were easy to see along her withers and flank along with some minor bleeding. If anything… this is one of those situations where you don’t ask if a pony is not ok. The answer is clearly seen on her face.

Her lips were pulled back into a fierce snarl, her jaws parted and panting along with some amount of drool leaking from her muzzle. Her eyes were blood shot red (probably caused from the heat drying them out… as seen by singe marks along her face). And the fur on the back of her neck and along her spine was standing on end. Either that’s a sign of pain… or she’s being quite “lively”.

 

Definitely a mix of the both, but mostly the latter. She spared not a single moment. With the sour taste of adrenaline on her tongue, she immediately dropped her spear and ripped her flail free from her belt. She hopped forward, revving  the devastating and comparatively primitive weapon into a hard spin, and slung it hard in an underleg whirlwind like motion with all her might.

Her aim? To try and swing that large metal weight with devastating accuracy between the poor puppy’s tiny hind legs… and strike him where it hurts. The hush puppies. The most treacherous and dishonorable move passed down from generation to generation in one of the two combat manuals of the Nova Family. And worse, the very first lesson in the combat manual titled, "Dark Knight's Compendium". The Low Blow.

Quote

A technique to fell the mightiest of foes, and the largest of beasts. Firm thy hoof, and strike true and hard to the dagger of thy foe from between their legs. To ruin them truely, use a weapon in which one is proficient with. [Pg 3, Nova Burst]

 

 

A note to Imagination. Her flail is a box like  octohedra-esque shaped, but it does not have any prongs or flangs... so... if it does land He won't get mangled.

 

Another note... if not noticed from the sour taste in her mouth, her body's pumping up the heat with adrenaline.

[Dunder]

As the magic of the dog's machine met the magic of the knight's shield, the resulting flash pushed the pegasus back around in the shelter of the aqueduct wall.

He quickly turned to look at Fire. He was about to speak, but his train of thought was intruded on. the pegasus remembered her aversion to the utilization of violence in a fight. Even with how much of an easy fight these first goons were, the pegasus couldn't leave her alone. He looked Fire in the eyes through the steel bars of his mask. "Go help Star. You and her need to distract the dog while I rush the rest of them." He took another peek around the corner of the aqueduct wall to see the diamond dog stunned and the beam no longer firing as Star charged the creature.

"Go! Now!" He didn't wait for her to suggest something else, not that he would listen anyway. In his mind he was certain this was the only way.

He slunk around the corner, hugging the wall as he tried to remain unseen by the diamond dog. Still, he picked up the pace, hooves clacking against the stone floor as he made his way past the Star who was winding up her mace for a strike.

The pegasus slid to a halt in front of the henchponies guarding the science team. "¡Oye! Drop your weapons you cowards before I make you!"

[tacobob]

 

No No No No.

 

What was she thinking? The armored mare took the entirety of the blast! And while her shield probably ended up saving her life, the red coated officer could only cringe as she spotted the terrible wounds Star Crusader now had. The poor girl would probably have to spend a week covered from hoof to mane in magic healing salves. That is, if she were to survive this SNAFU.

 

Fire Walker did not even spend a moment to acknowledge her former colt-friend's orders. There just wasn't enough time! She knew they had to do more than distract the oversized Diamond Dog. They were going to need to put him down. And when this was all over, there was bound to be an place reserved for him in Tartarus. One he could share with the rest of the monsters that he served.

 

There was something about the crystal on the dog's bag they were concerned about. As the R.E.A officer took to the sky and flew towards the pair, she readied her crossbow. She hoped the large creature would be distracted by the wounded pony's attacks just enough to give her a good shot at his back.

 

OOC:

Spoiler

If she's able, Fire will try to attack the Dog's machine that's on his back. If not, she will time her aim and hopefully manage a few direct hits with her non-lethal bolts that will in turn aid Star Crusader's attacks. If they're able to take the Dog down, they can then all help Dunder..