unknown
Foal
The thunder of my hooves beats dreams into despair.
Posts: 18
|
Post by unknown on Jan 14, 2012 12:23:07 GMT -5
It was a moonless night above Ponyville, and not a shed of light could reach through a thick shroud of clouds and illuminate the earth. Most were fast asleep, and did not know of something very strange was about to happen in little old Ponyville.
Near the town's Library, the earth burst as strong claws tunneled through it, spewing dirt around and a Diamond Dog, black of fur and with angry red eyes climbed up, followed by a turquoise Unicorn mare with a short-cut mane and a Griffin with ebony feathers. The three were perfectly hidden from sight in one of the old cobblestone alleys of Ponyville; the Dog could easily dig through the old, unmaintained street to create a silent, quick route of escape and entrance.
"Hugo waits here; Grimbeak with me", whispered the Unicorn, her voice rough and hissing, as she began to silently approach the Library, the Griffin in tow, both of them sneaking expertly to a window on the ground floor. With a slight, deep purple glow of the mare's horn and a sharp gesture, the window opened, and the duo entered inside.
Grimbeak, being an expert 'detective' had been following the resident of the library, none other but Twilight Sparkle herself, for days, learning her routine, when she'd go to sleep every day, and had even taken a look inside the other day.
The Unicorn and her Griffin companion began their silent advance through the room, across the main hall, and into the laboratory, where their prize awaited them; the Vendrigoth Device, a strange machine with an unknown purpose. Grimbeak swiftly took the artifact in his talons and nodded at the Unicorn, who gestured back, and almost as quietly, they began their way back towards whence they had come.. until a lone, forgotten book under the Unicorn's hoof caused her to slip, causing her to stumble with a thump. She got up in an instant, and for a moment, the two stayed perfectly still and did not even breath, listening if anypony had woken up.
|
|
|
Post by Twilight Sparkle on Jan 15, 2012 17:40:02 GMT -5
A thud.
Twilights eyes opened in an instant. She was about to jump to conclusions, but no, it was probably Spike. But then she looked to find him snoozing in his bed as always. Something wasn't right. She tried to quietly slide out from under her warm covers and snuck her way to the doorway that lead to the main room.
She peeked in from around the corner. It was dark, but she could barely make out the silhouettes of a pony, and something bigger. Had they seen her? Suddenly, her bravery kicked in. With a quick flash from her horn, all the candles in the room lit. She couldn't believe her eyes. "What are you two doing in here?!" She demanded, her horn still glowing, at the ready.
|
|
unknown
Foal
The thunder of my hooves beats dreams into despair.
Posts: 18
|
Post by unknown on Jan 16, 2012 11:39:33 GMT -5
The Griffin and the Unicorn froze when the candles lit, and turned their eyes towards the purple mare, staring at her for a split second, before they realized they had failed their task. Yet, there was hope of escape with the Artifact; they had prepared for the chance that they might have to face Twilight Sparkle in her own home. "Grimbeak, withdraw!", yelled the Unicorn, her horn glowing an aquamarine color.
The Griffin grumbled a response, and dashed back into the laboratory with the Device in his claws, leaving his companion to face off with Celestia's apprentice. "I am Lavendermere! Let us test our sorceries, Twilight Sparkle. The master's will be done", she announced dramatically, and her horn flashed, filling the room with a bright, greenish-blue light, and when it faded, there were a dozen mirror images of the mare, all deceivingly real, acting and speaking in unison.
"You might be powerful, Sparkle, but what will you do when you don't know where I am?" She boasted, and all the twelve Unicorn's horns blazed with that turquoise, arcane light once more.
Meanwhile, Grimbeak had found his way out by crashing through a window and rushed towards Hugo and his tunnel with the strange machine with him. The Diamond Dog gave the Griffon a curious look when he returned alone. "Where's Lavie?" He asked, and the Griffon replied by shaking his head. "The cursed Sparkle woke up. Them's fighting it out right now. Let's split before Lavender gets her flank handed to her and she comes after us."
Hugo frowned. "But.. Lavie's in trouble", he protested, but Grimbeak wouldn't have it. "Nothing we can do, buddy. Let's go and take this thing to the master. Sparkle won't hurt Lavie. It's not her style", he calmed down the big Dog, who slowly nodded. "Ok, then, Grimmy", he said and jumped down the pit after Grimbeak, filling the tunnel behind them.
|
|
|
Post by Twilight Sparkle on Jan 17, 2012 18:41:48 GMT -5
Twilight Sparkle watched as the griffon retreated, carrying something she hadn't gotten a good look at. She had a choice to make. This 'Lavendermere' was almost certainly a distraction, Twilight knew better than to be so easily distracted. The real question was could she get away from her? And if she did stay and fight, would she be able to take her captive for interrogation?
Twilight wasn't sure if she made the right decision in the end, but there was no way anypony would just walk in and steal from her. Her horn glowed a bright burning purple, and so did what seemed to be the entire library. Books flew from the shelves, so many that there was little, yet still possible chance to dodge. Twilight tried to make it to where the unicorn would be buried under them all.
|
|
|
Post by Spike on Jan 18, 2012 0:27:35 GMT -5
The loud thud made Spike stir in his sleep. Twilight must've been up late working on Celestia-knows-what. He shifted back under his warm blanket, hoping to get quickly back to sleep. However, his hope of a pleasant night in his cozy basket was destroyed by the sudden commotion.
He jumped from his makeshift bed with a start. "What's going on?!" The young dragon raced down the stairs. Spike let out a gasp upon seeing all the books flying through the air. He had just helped reorganize those, what was Twilight thinking!? The purple mare didn't seem to be doing her own brand of reshelving, however. Her focus appeared to be on a second unicorn in the room, and she sure didn't look like a friendly visitor.
"Holy Moley!"
|
|
unknown
Foal
The thunder of my hooves beats dreams into despair.
Posts: 18
|
Post by unknown on Jan 18, 2012 12:16:44 GMT -5
All twelve Lavendermere's laughed when the books began flying, and she took on a smug expression as the tomes flew straight through the illusions harmlessly, merely causing them to fizzle a bit before regaining their coherency. "Your little tricks cannot hit me, Sparkle. My phantasms will-- OW!" The images stumbled, as the real Lavendermere was struck in the forehead by one particularly thick book.
Lavender growled and her horn blazed in colors of emerald and sapphire, as she prepared to wield her magic against that of the lilac unicorn, but Spike's shout caught her attention. She looked at the purple dragon, then back at Twilight, and narrowly avoided being hit by yet another book by ducking "That is your pet, hm?" She inquired. Another mirror image appeared behind the baby dragon, and all the others disappeared in a shower of lavender leaves, leaving behind petals and a small puddle of water - even the real mare burst in the same way, until only the image behind Spike remained.
Lavendermere's sole remaining form grinned wickedly. "Stand down, and your precious pet won't be hurt!" She demanded, horn sparkling, slamming her hoof steadily on the floor. "You have nothing to gain from me, Sparkle. We already have what we came for. All your tricks are in vain, every moment you linger with me only serves our purpose. You might as well let me go and wait for your impending doom!"
|
|
|
Post by Twilight Sparkle on Jan 18, 2012 23:06:31 GMT -5
Just when Twilight had found her true target, Spike had doomed her entire plan. She looked in fear as she loomed over her friend. She briefly thought about attacking, Lavendermere would never expect her to in this situation, but she couldn't risk that. She decided to be predictable, and stood her ground, gritting her teeth.
"You.... You better not hurt him!" She weakly threatened. She probably didn't need to threaten her, as she would be in for it if she did hurt him. There was a moment where she could almost feel a tear slide down her cheek. "J-just leave! You said it, you got what you want, now go!" All she could do was hope. She was nearly helpless in this situation.
|
|
|
Post by Spike on Jan 20, 2012 19:26:46 GMT -5
Everything happened so quick that the dragon barely had time to comprehend it all. The fight between the two unicorns ended suddenly when he entered and now Spike was at the mercy of Lavendermere. His whole body froze up. He could feel the presence of her behind him, but he didn't dare turn to face the unicorn.
"Y-y-you don't scare me," Spike whimpered. He tried to act brave, but his quivering voice had betrayed him. It was clear that Twilight was just as frightened, but he couldn't appear scared right now. He had to be strong for her.
Impending doom? Just what had they taken from Twilight?!"You can't just let her go, T-Twilight! Whatever she's planning must be real bad!"
|
|
unknown
Foal
The thunder of my hooves beats dreams into despair.
Posts: 18
|
Post by unknown on Jan 21, 2012 19:36:01 GMT -5
The turquoise coated mare lowered her head and took a slow, cautious step backwards, her horn sending out sparks of energy, ready to fling a spell should Twilight try something. "Wise choice, Sparkle - now don't do anything stupid. We wouldn't want your little pet hurt, now would we?" She showed Twilight a mocking, arrogant grin as she took another step away.
"Oh, listen. Your dragon's trying to act all brave and sacrificial", Lavendermere continued taunting her, as she now had the upper hoof - Spike's arrival had saved Lavender; she was no match for Twilight Sparkle in single combat, she knew well enough, but the thief had one thing over her, and that was playing dirty.
Lavendermere stared at the librarian, and circled around the room, keeping her spell aimed at Spike at all times, trying to get to the door, or a window, or anything that would grant her an escape route. "Stay still, Sparkle, and don't even think of preparing a spell, I've got mine aimed and prepped up just for the little scales. You don't want to see what I've got for him, do you?"
Lavender was getting uneasy, and holding this magic ready and waiting drained both her focus and her strength. She couldn't keep on this game for long, but hopefully she wouldn't have to.
|
|
|
Post by Twilight Sparkle on Jan 22, 2012 18:33:16 GMT -5
Twilight stood, ready to act. It was too risky to try and use a spell. Though it didn't take her long to ready her magic, it took long enough to put Spike in serios danger. "Spike, stay still." She commanded in a lowered tone. Then, more sternly she spoke to lavender. "I wont try anything, so long as you just leave."
There were a hundred spells she knew that would be useful right now, but almost all of them would take a few seconds to use. A few seconds was long enough for Lavender to unleash.... Whatever it was she had prepared. She didn't want to think of what it could be. What in Equestria had she owned that was important enough to steal like this?
|
|
|
Post by Spike on Jan 24, 2012 23:25:07 GMT -5
Why wasn't Twilight doing anything?! She could easily show this mare up! She never let anything stop her before: Not Nightmare Moon, not Discord, not even an Ursa Major!
Lavendermere had her horn trained on him now. It looked like she was trying to make her escape as well, edging her way around the room to reach an exit. He couldn't just watch her make her way out! The good guys always won, right? All he had to do was be brave, then everything would work out.
He knew Twilight had told him to stand his ground, but he was having none of it. It was now or never. Spike could feel himself quivering. What kind of spell did she have ready? Would it hurt? Could he even do anything that would matter? No, if he was going to do something, he had to do it now!
There were books all over the floor now, so it was easy to find one near him. The dragon waited for Lavendermere to momentarily shift her focus onto Twilight, then dove down to scoop one of the larger tomes off the ground. With all the strength he could summon, Spike tossed the massive book at the unicorn, hoping it would distract her. "Twilight!" he called. Spike closed his eyes, his body stiffening, readying himself for whatever punishment might await him.
|
|
unknown
Foal
The thunder of my hooves beats dreams into despair.
Posts: 18
|
Post by unknown on Jan 25, 2012 12:20:26 GMT -5
"You're not half as tough as they say, Sparkle! I had no idea the Element of Magic would be so easy to outsmart.." Lavender bragged, backing down towards the door. "You'll be nothing but an insect when--" her boasting was cut short again by a book used as an improvised projectile, getting a shriek from her as the spell went awry; the mare's horn emitted a bright, blinding flash of green light that engulfed the room for a split-second as an emerald witchfire sparked into life, ricocheting randomly across the room.
Lavendermere let out a curse and glared at Spike; her horn sparked again; "damned dragon! I'll make a cloak of your scales and present it to my master as an offering!" She growled furiously, and pointed her horn at the dragon - but nothing happened, her spell fizzled off harmlessly. All of her magic had went into the witchfire that Spike had managed to make go haywire.
The turquoise mare's eyes widened and she lowered her head, putting back her ears. "Eh.." she began, taking small steps backwards, keeping her eyes at Twilight. "You promised to let me go!" She reminded Twilight with desperation in her voice.
|
|
|
Post by Twilight Sparkle on Jan 26, 2012 16:21:14 GMT -5
Twilight watched as Spike risked his life, the very thing she was trying to protect, and managed to completely foil Lavender's plans. She might need to scold him later, but that was far from important right now. He was safe, and she wasn't. She took a step closer to power drained mare, standing tall and readying her horn.
She had half the mind to take her emotions in consideration when choosing what spell to loose upon her. But instead, she merely grimaced. "I did say you could leave." With that, a burst of magic went Lavender's way, strong enough to push most ponies back, powerful enough to leave her glowing for a second. "Get out before I change my mind on that." She threatened.
|
|
unknown
Foal
The thunder of my hooves beats dreams into despair.
Posts: 18
|
Post by unknown on Jan 31, 2012 11:42:54 GMT -5
Lavendermere cowered, expecting Twilight to unleash her magic upon her with devastating and terrible effects. She closed her eyes and braced herself, but instead of being turned inside out, as she expected, the librarian merely pushed her back - she hurt herself falling due to the force of the mare's spell, yes, but it was better than what she had expected to happen. Lavender got up, still surprised and confused by the mercy Twilight showed her - she wouldn't have been as kind herself. Given half the chance, Lavender would have struck down Twilight and her pet dragon, but her magic was drained, for now. She had conjured too many phantasms, and taking the place of one of her illusions was a feat that was especially exhausting. Lavender had been careless and too full of herself, she realized now, but it was too late to mend those mistakes.
The Unicorn stared her enemy for a brief moment, before she backed out of the front door and galloped away on her way, heading straight towards the Everfree Forest. She and her companions had succeeded in their primary objective, and it was all that mattered, as failure wasn't an option for her master.
At the edge of Everfree, Lavender halted, and glanced back to Ponyville. She was certain she and Sparkle would meet again.. and that time, she'd be prepared and make sure Twilight wouldn't walk away from that encounter.
|
|
|
Post by Spike on Feb 5, 2012 20:36:14 GMT -5
His eyes were shut tight, his body ready for whatever Lavendermere was going to fire at him. He heard her curse and he knew he was in for in...but nothing came. Spike opened his eyes. It appeared the tables had turned.
He watched in admiration as Twilight threw her spell at the intruder, giving a small cheer. That was the Twi he knew! But...the unicorn was just leaving now! After all that happened, even! He tried to protest, but Lavendermere was long gone now.
"Twilight, she's getting away!" Spike complained. It didn't look like she was going to pursue, however. The dragon let out a frustrated huff and started to pick up some of the books scattered about the place. "What was she even here for?"
|
|