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The Gamemaster



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Dream-o-Vision



There is the rumble of distant explosions as the coordinated Nightmare strike sends a surge of dark energy through the dream.



A a aA a Aar r R rg gGh h !!



As the stardust spirals into the chasm, the Temple begins rumbling and swaying. Storm teeters on the uneven stone, falling to the ground with a breath-stealing thump. The Gemini twins steady themselves in midair -- only to find a steadily escalating breeze kicking up around them. The winds soon escalate to hurricane force, with stone golems being flung through the air and spiraling down into darkness.



At the far end of the dream Temple, a giant red eye opens up from behind the broken stained glass of Celestia, blazing like a sun where her head ought to be.



You.



A wind-caught robot clobbers Dark Storm in the face. With a yelp, she goes sprawling into the pit, catching herself on the edge, clinging against the roaring gale, her mask torn off and blown away. The Geminis are also struggling against the pull of the winds.



The roof of the Temple lifts away, the dome fragmenting into slivers of darkness, spiraling up into the night sky that sprawls beyond. As the walls similarly crumble away, an enormous skeletal robot towers over the ruined dreamscape at the Temple's far end. It's limned in red light, quilted together from a dozen unrelated parts, its single eye blazing with hellfire.



It gestures. The skies themselves open up in fury, meteors streaking down toward the Nightmares --



Out.



-- and darkness reaches up from the chasm to envelop them, sucking them away before impact --





Temple-o-Vision



At the back of the hall, Dark Storm sits up with a gasp, choking in the dust and taking a few moments to catch her breath. Gemini also stirs back to awareness.



Storm glances around the Temple, blinking, disoriented. Then her eyes widen, and she points over at the fallen boxes --



Error. Segmentation fault.



The voice oddly echoes. Stardust rises into midair from throughout the boxfall, swirling together into several erratic clusters. A weak darkness -- more of a haze -- gathers, less connecting the stars than clinging to them.



Emergency recuperation initiated.



The clusters coalesce. One red star rises, wobbling, into the center of its mass.



e i n itialize itialize d .



A box tips and crashes. From underneath it, Flare launches herself at the glowing mass, bruised but unbeaten. The bodyslam swats some stars away, but with the cloud of night as thin as it is, she can't find a solid target. (AoO: Reaction roll 8+7 = 15, miss.)



The stars suddenly geyser away from her, shooting in a beeline up and out, swarming around the spotlights over the stage. The darkness deepens back into the First's starfield, and the starfield reshapes itself into pony form. The red star swirls back up its neck, to resettle in its left eye socket, and the right springs back to blazing yellow life. The two new glowstones -- already weakened, and straining to hold their charge under the new demands being placed on them -- settle into place on the First's flanks.



Analyzing, the starpony says. And no sooner has it finished speaking the word than it is in motion again, rocketing downward toward the stage --





Joe brings his coughing under control, wrinkling his nose against the ancient dust. He shakes Blatherskite's unresponsive shoulder again. "C'mon, Skite. Please --"



The lights dim.



He looks up reflexively at the spotlight, only to see a pony-shaped mass of stars hurtling at him. He yelps, springing, scrambling back, landing undignifiedly on his plot. The First slams heavily into the ground at his hind hooves, crouched astride Blatherskite's prone form.



Order. The starpony's head twitches sideways. Kk krr r rhhhhkkk. Th e box. Now.



Joe glances around wildly, looking for some salvation, feeling the familiar lightheadedness of an impending faint. How the hay can I fight this thing ONE ON ONE after the rest of them TOGETHER couldn't stop it? Rainy's over at the far side of the stage, too far away to do anything -- and there's nothing else to help him but the control box that Blatherskite had been brandishing earlier, right by his sprawled-out forehoof.



He looks back up at the First. The First is staring directly at that box.



Joe whimpers. The only thing that flashes through his mind is: Tell Trance I love her.



In a frozen and infinite moment, muscles shaking with desperation, blood like ice, he whirls to grab the box in his teeth and snaps his head forward, sending the box flinging at Rainy.



Then adrenaline explodes into his brain, and the world goes black.





Stars rocket up. Then rocket down. Metal hooves slam into the floor behind the stage. The box. Now.



Then there's the explosives control box, flipping end over end at Rain Breeze, and the sigh and crumple of Joe fainting again -- probably for good.



It's not the throw of legends that any self-respecting bard would insert into such an epic climax. It's got a bad spin, and it's wide right. But it's close enough for Rainy to lunge out and grab. And with so much on the line, that's all that matters. (Joe throw: 9+2 vs DC 10. Pass.)



Stars rise up from behind the stage as the First's head rises. Oooooh! Unbelievable!



Then the stars dip down again, coming back up trailing something, rising in the arc of a jump. The starpony thumps to a dramatic landing on the stage, reared back on hind hooves, one forelimb wrapped around a limp black-cloaked filly's body, one starhoof at her neck. Blatherskite stares unfocusedly into space with tear-streaked eyes. Her nostrils flare in and out, but that breathing is visibly getting shallower as she lies helplessly in the starpony's grasp.



Order. The starpony repeats himself with a chilling calmness. The box. His head twitches again, but this time, instead of the grind of catching gears, the red eye blazes to increased life, and the glowstone in his left flank sputters, throwing out sparks. Or we get to play. Tee hee!





(NOTE: We are still in combat time, but I'll need to handle most significant actions on a case-by-case basis due to the hostage situation. Take your turns with that in mind.)



(Blatherskite saving throw: 17, pass. Still at Strike One. She's hanging on ... for now.)



(Joe's turn: Minor Action, pick up control box. Standard Action, throw it. Action Point -> Standard Action: Combat Fainting.)



(FIRST'S TURN: Action Point 2/2 + Starpony Endurance -> Move action at negative HP. Free action: Assimilate glowstones, spending Healing Surge 1/1. Standard action: Boot Nightmares out of dream. Move action: To behind stage. Minor action: pick up Skite. He's now taking cover behind her, and can attack her as a reaction.)

There is the rumble of distant explosions as the coordinated Nightmare strike sends a surge of dark energy through the dream.A piercing, disembodied scream accompanies the attack.As the stardust spirals into the chasm, the Temple begins rumbling and swaying. Storm teeters on the uneven stone, falling to the ground with a breath-stealing thump. The Gemini twins steady themselves in midair -- only to find a steadily escalating breeze kicking up around them. The winds soon escalate to hurricane force, with stone golems being flung through the air and spiraling down into darkness.At the far end of the dream Temple, a giant red eye opens up from behind the broken stained glass of Celestia, blazing like a sun where her head ought to be.A wind-caught robot clobbers Dark Storm in the face. With a yelp, she goes sprawling into the pit, catching herself on the edge, clinging against the roaring gale, her mask torn off and blown away. The Geminis are also struggling against the pull of the winds.The roof of the Temple lifts away, the dome fragmenting into slivers of darkness, spiraling up into the night sky that sprawls beyond. As the walls similarly crumble away, an enormous skeletal robot towers over the ruined dreamscape at the Temple's far end. It's limned in red light, quilted together from a dozen unrelated parts, its single eye blazing with hellfire.It gestures. The skies themselves open up in fury, meteors streaking down toward the Nightmares ---- and darkness reaches up from the chasm to envelop them, sucking them away before impact --At the back of the hall, Dark Storm sits up with a gasp, choking in the dust and taking a few moments to catch her breath. Gemini also stirs back to awareness.Storm glances around the Temple, blinking, disoriented. Then her eyes widen, and she points over at the fallen boxes --The voice oddly echoes. Stardust rises into midair from throughout the boxfall, swirling together into several erratic clusters. A weak darkness -- more of a haze -- gathers, less connecting the stars than clinging to them.The clusters coalesce. One red star rises, wobbling, into the center of its mass.A box tips and crashes. From underneath it, Flare launches herself at the glowing mass, bruised but unbeaten. The bodyslam swats some stars away, but with the cloud of night as thin as it is, she can't find a solid target.The stars suddenly geyser away from her, shooting in a beeline up and out, swarming around the spotlights over the stage. The darkness deepens back into the First's starfield, and the starfield reshapes itself into pony form. The red star swirls back up its neck, to resettle in its left eye socket, and the right springs back to blazing yellow life. The two new glowstones -- already weakened, and straining to hold their charge under the new demands being placed on them -- settle into place on the First's flanks.the starpony says. And no sooner has it finished speaking the word than it is in motion again, rocketing downward toward the stage --Joe brings his coughing under control, wrinkling his nose against the ancient dust. He shakes Blatherskite's unresponsive shoulder again. "C'mon, Skite.--"The lights dim.He looks up reflexively at the spotlight, only to see a pony-shaped mass of stars hurtling at him. He yelps, springing, scrambling back, landing undignifiedly on his plot. The First slams heavily into the ground at his hind hooves, crouched astride Blatherskite's prone form.The starpony's head twitches sideways. KkJoe glances around wildly, looking for some salvation, feeling the familiar lightheadedness of an impending faint.Rainy's over at the far side of the stage, too far away to do anything -- and there's nothing else to help him but the control box that Blatherskite had been brandishing earlier, right by his sprawled-out forehoof.He looks back up at the First. The First is staring directly at that box.Joe whimpers. The only thing that flashes through his mind is:In a frozen and infinite moment, muscles shaking with desperation, blood like ice, he whirls to grab the box in his teeth and snaps his head forward, sending the box flinging at Rainy.Then adrenaline explodes into his brain, and the world goes black.Stars rocket up. Then rocket down. Metal hooves slam into the floor behind the stage.Then there's the explosives control box, flipping end over end at Rain Breeze, and the sigh and crumple of Joe fainting again -- probably for good.It's not the throw of legends that any self-respecting bard would insert into such an epic climax. It's got a bad spin, and it's wide right. But it's close enough for Rainy to lunge out and grab. And with so much on the line, that's all that matters.Stars rise up from behind the stage as the First's head rises.The tone is light, almost gleeful. His multicolored eyes bore into Rain Breeze's.Then the stars dip down again, coming back up trailing something, rising in the arc of a jump. The starpony thumps to a dramatic landing on the stage, reared back on hind hooves, one forelimb wrapped around a limp black-cloaked filly's body, one starhoof at her neck. Blatherskite stares unfocusedly into space with tear-streaked eyes. Her nostrils flare in and out, but that breathing is visibly getting shallower as she lies helplessly in the starpony's grasp.The starpony repeats himself with a chilling calmness.His head twitches again, but this time, instead of the grind of catching gears, the red eye blazes to increased life, and the glowstone in his left flank sputters, throwing out sparks. Back to top IP Logged

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