Act I - Ch. 4 Justice Grounded
Here we go! Chapter 4 ‘Justice Grounded’ is off to go! Longest chapter yet!
Also, I do apologise for Zecora. I’m just not good at it, I suspect. There I go, sounding like Vander Decken IX!
-
Chapter 4 Justice Grounded
***
Tyrael looked around, stunned. He was in an entirely new place. No, not new he realised. He turned his head, observing the dark chamber. It was, he remembered, deep within a small, discreet city of Kehjistan. The room itself was unremarkable save for its remote location and its lack of features.
It was here the mages who would form the Horadrim gathered for the first time, heeding Tyrael’s call. He came to them in their dreams and visions, a being of light with wings of fire.
Voices suddenly reached Tyrael’s ears and he turned facing down those remarkable individuals who appeared behind him.
“Rasha! I thought I smelled you.” a cold voice spat.
Except he was not facing them down. He was looking up at them! His brow furrowed in confusion and the mages ignored him.
A tall, robed figure nodded to another. “Zoltun, a pleasure as always. I see you too received the call.” Tal Rasha motioned a man on his right. “Jered and a few others seem to have shared our summons.”
The man Tyrael remembered as Zoltun Kulle scowled at the other mages. “I was in the middle of very important experiments.” He informed them crossly.
“Experiments more important than meeting a being such as this ‘Tyrael’?” a third voice recognised by the Archangel as Jered Cain, Deckard Cain’s ancestor, asked with a lilt of curiosity to it.
“Clearly not, or I would not be here.” Kulle sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I mean no offence to either of you. I have merely reached something of a dead-end in my research.” He admitted. Looking on him now, Tyrael sighed at the knowledge of what Kulle would become. His sanity stripped away in the Hunt for the Three and how his desperation to give humanity the power to stand beyond the control of angel or demon would become desperation to avoid death.
At his sigh, the mages looked towards him as if only now noticing him.
Tal Rasha frowned as he stared at Tyrael. “Now what is this?” he asked, though by his tone he expected neither of his contemporaries to answer.
“Is this what we came here for?” Kulle’s expression darkened. “A horse?!”
Tyrael spoke, or tried to. All that came out was an animal ‘neigh!’
“Pony.”
“What?” the look Kulle shot at Jered could have fried a demon.
Jered nodded at Tyrael. “It’s a pony, not a horse.”
“You know” Tal Rasha muttered with a slight smile on his face “when I was a child I thought ponies were baby horses.” He chuckled.
“Thank you so much for sharing.” Growled Kulle. He brandished a fist in Tyrael’s direction. “What now? Is this some wretched prank?” Disgust filled his voice.
“Who knows?” Tal Rasha seemed merely amused by the entire spectacle.
“It has a most unusual colouration.’ Jered took a step closer, ignoring the frantic neighing from Tyrael.
‘Why can’t I talk? Why do I sound like an animal?’ Tyrael backed away, looking around desperately for an answer.
“And wings. Perhaps some kind of mutation, or conjuration.” The mage mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
“I would guess someone used the wings of another creature.” Offered Kulle, unable to resist the intellectual challenge. “You see how they are so different from the rest of it. Graft it on during its youth, let the wings grow with it.”
“But the tail matches the wings.” Rasha interjected.
“If the wings come from an creature with innate magic of its own I could imagine it might cause some physical affects such as changing it tail’s colour.” Jered agreed, nodding in Kulle’s direction.
‘I’m not a pony! I am Tyrael!’ the angel tried to scream. It came out as loud, panicked neighs and equine rumbles. ‘Listen to me!’
It meant nothing to them, and the mages continued to close on him. Tyrael backed away until his rear hit the wall.
They loomed over him, discussing whether the results of an autopsy would be more accurate if it was dead or alive.
***
“-wake up!”
With a gasp Tyrael awoke, rising from the small cot. He flailed for a moment, overwhelmed by the sensations of his shell in his barely conscious state. Hooves which had been shaking him stopped him from falling.
The room was silent, and Tyrael kept his eyes closed for a few minutes. His body was wet, covered in a cold sweat. When his eyes opened, he found the room lit by a soft purple glow.
“What was that?” he asked quietly, not looking at Twilight as she let go.
“A dream.” Was all she said.
“A dream...I saw things. A memory. But..not.”
Twilight shrugged. “Dreams can be like that. I guess you’ve forgotten about dreams as well. You must have been too tired last night to dream.” She hesitated, looking away for a moment. “Do...do you want to talk about it?” the unicorn offered nervously.
He considered the offer. Twilight could see it, his defences still stripped away from whatever haunted his sleep. Paladin actually considered it before shaking his head.
“No. I will endure it.”
She kept looking at him for another moment and Tyrael didn’t like what he saw in her eyes. Pity. He was being pitied by a short-lived, mortal equine.
Finally Twilight sighed and nodded. “Alright. If you change your mind I’ll be upstairs. Sleep well, Paladin.” She turned and left, the closing door leaving Tyrael to ponder his ‘dream’ in darkness.
Outside, Twilight shot a concerned look through the door hiding the strange pegasus. ‘I can’t imagine how he must feel.’ she thought sadly. ‘He doesn’t even know what dreams are, for Celestia’s sake! And the look in his eyes when he woke up...’
He had looked...broken. Afraid, but not of a danger. She still wasn’t sure if it really been fear. Paladin didn’t look like he knew what fear was. He had looked for all the world like he simply couldn’t understand what he was feeling.
That had been what had shaken him. Twilight was almost certain. Despite the fact he was in a new place that was apparently a great deal different from wherever in Equestria he had been Paladin had extruded a sense of self control most of the time. He had shown his surface emotions when taken by surprise, but the entire time he had been...firm was the only way to explain. Like he could and would endure anything that came at him and refuse to let it affect him.
His dream had been strange enough to challenge that, and he wasn’t sure how to react.
It was then that Twilight realised she still knew next to nothing about her guest. She didn’t expect to have his life story after only a day but all she had learned was that whatever it was he did, it was dangerous.
She sighed. It was too late to keep thinking about this. Twilight trotted back to her bed, taking a moment to smile at finding Spike curled up in her bed. Shaking her head, she climbed back in next to him and drifted back to sleep.
***
The morning proceeded much like the one before save the distinct lack of Pinkie Pie turning up. Paladin said nothing of his night’s trouble and Twilight reluctantly decided to respect that. If he wanted to talk about it, he would.
Instead they made small talk largely concerning the party the night before. After Paladin had coaxed Fluttershy out from behind the chair and back into the party he had sought to retreat. Not physically, but he simply became quiet and his replies terse. If anything, Pinkie’s attempts ‘bring him out of his shell’ – and he had given her a very strange look when she said exactly that – had merely made the mysterious stallion clam up.
He had tried, even Twilight saw that. But a party was so far out of his element he might as well have been an icicle in hell. Although she didn’t know it, all things considered it’s probably a good thing no one said that exact sentence out loud.
At least she had managed to make some progress on filling in the blanks of his knowledge. When Paladin had admitted that he could no longer remember how he was supposed to fly Rainbow Dash had blown a metaphorical fuse. It took little prompting to convince her to help him, and any moment now she was meant to arrive.
He had also got to witness Applejack bucking Rainbow Dash in the flank for laughing when Gummy somehow managed to get a hold of her tongue.
Twilight took her time with breakfast, reassuring Paladin that if the meeting time had been agreed as eight in the morning they still had at least until ten before Dash would turn up. The day Rainbow Dash got up before nine am for anything other than work was the day Twilight would eat her hat. Since this would first require Twilight to purchase a hat, this was unlikely.
Levitating the bowls and plates to the sink, Twilight decided to open the kitchen window and let some fresh morning air in. This was fortunate, because the moment she turned away a rainbow-trailing blur shot through it.
The blur hit the table, bounced into the ceiling and landed in the next room where Rainbow Dash materialised, completely unrelated, with her head buried in a formerly neatly stacked pile of books now extremely unstacked but definitely in a pile.
“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight and Spike asked in stereo.
“The one and only!” pulling herself from the pile, she grinned at them both. “On time, as ever.”
“Right.” Walking closer, Twilight began to closely inspect the pegasus. Hooves were examined, her eye stared carefully into and her wings lifted for a better look.
“Twi, I know I’m awesome and all but this is getting a little weird.” Rainbow Dash protested after letting it go on for a short time, too confused initially to stop her. “What are you doing?”
By now Spike had joined them, staring at Rainbow as hard as he could as if he might force her to reveal all her secrets through sheer force of gaze.
“Just making sure you’re not somepony else using a Rainbow Dash illusion or an evil doppelganger.” Twilight replied matter-of-factly.
Rainbow Dash pulled her wing away from Twilight’s hooves and with a single flap took a seat atop one of the bookcases. “What?” she asked in a flat voice.
The look Twilight gave her back was entirely serious. “Rainbow Dash, you’re here on time.”
“Pfft, is that all?” Dash laughed, waving a hoof as though waving her friend’s words away. “I’m the fastest flier in Equestria, of course I’m on time!”
“Its eight am.” Spike observed cynically.
Unheeded, Paladin emerged from the kitchen to watch them with is typical inexpressive mask.
“So?” with what was definitely not a pout, Rainbow glared at her so-called friends.
“Dash...”
The pegasus sighed. “Fine. Derpy woke me up when she was delivering the mail and I couldn’t get back to sleep.” She admitted grudgingly.
“And now you get to know the satisfaction of honesty. Wouldn’t Applejack be proud?” Twilight asked cheerfully, getting a scowl back. She spied Paladin watching them impassively. “So, ready to get started teaching Paladin?”
“Sure, sure.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Let’s just...wait a bit.”
“Now she wants to wait!” cried Spike, throwing his arms in the air. He gave her a suspicious look. “Are you sure she’s really Dash?”
Twilight chuckled and Rainbow Dash shot Spike a dirty look. “Shuddup. I just...okay, Scoots is always asking me for flying lessons. If she saw me teaching somepony else....”
“Why don’t you just give her a lesson or two then? That’ll keep her out of your mane.” Spike pointed out.
“I know that. It’s just...her wings are slow growing, dunno why, and until they’re bigger all she can do is that weird buzzing thing.” Rainbow Dash shrugged regretfully. “Inless you want me to rub that in her face by letting her see me teaching Paladin...”
“So this has nothing to do with the new Daring Do book at all?” Twilight asked drily.
Rainbow Dash gave her a wide, wide grin. “Nope! But since you bring it up and we have to wait anyway....”
Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw Paladin turn away and head to his room. She sighed, hoping he wouldn’t dwell on whatever it was he had dreamed about.
***
Tyrael pulled the door shut with his mouth, sitting in the darkness and dwelling on what he had dreamt about.
This was something new to him, but a brief perusal of Twilight’s library when she had gone back to sleep after waking him had yielded some answers. Dreams were apparently influenced by the subconscious, a concept which itself was bizarre to him. Angels did not have a ‘subconscious’. Their mind was whole and united, unrestrained by the limitations of a flesh and blood brain nor their souls tainted by the essence of the Burning Hells.
As dreaming was a function of his shell, there was a possibly that his mind was now shackled to its brain. If this was so, there was a disturbing chance he might now have a ‘subconscious’. The very thought was repulsive.
Another fact from the book, Dreaming; the Dos & Don’ts was that what symbology was often involved. When dissecting a dream, look at what you recalled and ask yourself what that meant to you. Where were you? What did you look like? Who was in your dream? If it was somepony you know, were they acting like normal or different? If different, was the dream-version exaggerating a trait or aspect of that pony’s personality? Was it wholly new or a memory that went differently in your dream then it really had?
He had been in his pony shell, Tyrael remembered that clearly. It had been a twisted version of the first gathering of those who would form the core of the Horadrim. Tal Rasha, arguably the most powerful mage among them. Zoltun Kulle, a genius whose like would not be seen again. Jered Cain, a man of considerable power and far more considerable morals.
Look at what went differently, the book said.
They had been in awe of him when he manifested. Open amazement on their faces. Each had the look of a man whose eyes had been opened to something new. Kulle had recovered the fastest, determined to find the answers to his questions. Tal Rasha had taken barely more time then Kulle and had grasped that something vital to the world was afoot. In Jered’s face a look of wonder remained as he gazed at the beautifully crafted angelic armour and he had spoken with quiet confidence.
It was Jered Cain who made the connection between Angels and Demons. If an Angel had at last come, he pointed out, not in glory from the skies but with stealth and cunning, a Demon was in their future. When Tyrael had told them why he had gathered them to him, that the three greatest Evils their world had ever seen had been loosed Jered had volunteered to aid him without a second’s hesitation. Soon Kulle and Rasha were agreed and the Horadrim was born.
In the dream, they had looked upon Tyrael not with awe but with annoyance, shortly followed by academic curiosity. Their discussion had not been how to find those willing to join them in the Hunt for the Three but on whether the creature before them would be an interesting specimen.
They had not heard the words the Angel spoke, because he was unable to speak. He had bleated like an animal and faced a dignity-less death as something undeserving of consideration.
He had been reduced from a primal force of creation, the living avatar of Justice, to a helpless beast to be slaughtered at the whims of men.
The book had spoken of someponies believing that dreams were warnings. Warnings from the future, from the subconscious, from the very magic of Equestria itself. Was this a warning, Tyrael pondered in the dark. Could that happen to him?
The door suddenly swung open and Tyrael had to resist the urge to shield his eyes from the sudden light. It was only then that he realised he was not sure how much time had passed, lost in his thoughts as he was.
“Time to get flying!” Rainbow Dash told him, grinning widely.
***
“No, not like that! Like this!” frustrated, Rainbow Dash slowly –agonisingly slowly to her – showed Paladin again. “Come on, how hard can it be?”
Tyrael watched her carefully, running through the explanation he had been provided for the hundredth time. With carefully deliberation he attempted take off once again.
And landed on his face in the dirt.
“Laaaame.” Dash dragged the word out in a whine.
Pulling himself up, Paladin sent her a stony look. “I possess the full use of my legs, however much you seem to disagree.” He said, and if she didn’t know better Rainbow might think he was making fun of her.
She ran her hooves over her face, pulling her cheeks down in frustration. “Seriously, you’re a grown pegasus! This should be no problem. I’ve told you everything you need to know, and what do I get in return? Nothing, that’s what!” Dash growled.
All he did was shrug in return.
“I, um, I think, oh don’t mind me.”
Both looked up, finding Fluttershy watching shyly from behind a tree. Rainbow Dash had decided to begin the lessons on an out of the way hill not far from Sweet Apple Acres. A few trees dotted one side, but the rest was clear and beneath it lay a pond Dash assured him was the perfect landing spot if he screwed up while in flight.
‘It would be nice,’ Rainbow Dash mused “if he could get far enough to crash in the pond.’
“Hey ‘Shy! What’s up? Not Paladin.” She snorted and dropped down next to her friend. “Guy can’t get a foot off the ground without comin’ falling back down like a rock.”
“I can hear you.” A trace of annoyance worked its way into the stallion’s tone.
“I know! And you know where you wouldn’t be able to hear me? Up in the sky, if you could just fly already!”
Paladin sighed and ignored the barb, and the troublesome logic Dash was applying to it, looking to Fluttershy as he asked “What brings you to us?”
The timid pony recoiled slightly at his flat tone. Even if he wasn’t trying to show it, Fluttershy could tell Paladin was frustrated.
She didn’t know how true that was. To Tyrael, his inability to fly was vexing as more and more things seemed since landing in this strange world. Only two days at that. Angels could fly. Flying was something angels did. From the moment the Spine of Anu birthed an angel they could stride the skies as easily as they could the land.
To be grounded was a strange and bitter sensation, one he had ignored until now. With his lack of flight being thrown in his face so openly it had become impossible. Had he been a lesser being, it could have been said to be eating at him.
He could do it, the knowledge was just out of sight. Tyrael could remember the instinctive control over his wings during his ill-fated assault on the Princess of the Night and when he had evaded the pie at the market. Yet the feeling and control from both incidents eluded him and nothing would bring them to the fore of his mind.
“Oh, I heard from Twilight that you were out hear practicing and I wanted to give, uh, cheer you on.” Fluttershy admitted, looking down and kicking – although in her case it was more of a gentle caress – the dirt. “I...I’ve gotten better.”
Remembering the usual volume Fluttershy’s voice could achieve Rainbow Dash snorted. “Oh yeah? Come on then, show us whatcha got!” she challenged, jumping into the air and pointing a hoof at the shy pegasus.
“O-ok...” Fluttershy took a deep breath. Then she took an even better breath, chest puffing. A third, and she looked like she was about to explode. Against her better judgement Dash paid close attention, drawn in by the strained look on Fluttershy’s now red face.
Even Paladin looked interested, if also confused.
With a great burst of force, Fluttershy released her cry.
“...yay...”
Such was Rainbow Dash underwhelmed that her wings actually stopped moving. She thumped to the ground, still staring at the proud looking Fluttershy.
“Was I good?” she asked with complete sincerity, a look of hope in her large, large eyes.
“I...” Dash’s throat tightened, trying to grip the truth and hold it in. Her tongue became tied as it tried to prevent her from breaking Fluttershy’s fragile heart. Deep inside, part of Rainbow Dash realised that if she told her friend the truth right now and made those big, hopeful eyes cry she would be the worst pony.
“Y-Yeah, ‘Shy, you did great.” Rainbow managed a smile. “Way better then usual! Look, even Paladin’s impressed. Aren’t you, Paladin? Huh?” turning to get support from the sober pegasus, she stared at him. “Something wrong?”
‘What was that?’ Tyrael thought, ignoring the outside world for a moment. ‘I felt...something. Damn this shell to the Black Road, my senses are impeded.’ He could have sworn, just as Fluttershy gave her quiet cheer, that something, some force had passed them by.
“See? He’s in awe!” he became suddenly aware again when Rainbow Dash threw a hoof over his shoulders. Into his ears she hissed “If you don’t agree, I’ll make your life a living hell. Can you see a personal lightning storm in your future?”
“Of course.” He said aloud, not sure why but content that it seemed to please Fluttershy by the beaming smile on her face. “It was an excellent...”
“Cheer. She cheered you.” Dash whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
“Cheer. In complete honesty, it was the best cheering a pony has ever given me.” Paladin said, with complete honesty. It was true. It was also the only time a pony had ever cheered for Tyrael, really, but that didn’t change facts.
“Oh, I’m sure it wasn’t that good.” Fluttershy whispered bashfully, a blush colouring her face at the praise. “I just put all my hope into it.”
Paladin shook his head, both disagreeing and getting Dash’s hoof off him. “There is no ‘just’ when it comes to hope, Miss Fluttershy. Hope is a precious thing, and should ever held onto. There are few feelings as powerful as hope.” he said firmly.
In Tyrael’s thoughts, an elegant feminine figure wove through the clouds of Heaven one moment with the Cord of Hope, the next dancing through the madness of battle in Pandemonium with Al’maiesh whipping through the air to skewer demons with abandon.
He shook away the memories, denying them. They would not help him now.
“Would you have any suggestions, Miss Fluttershy?” he asked politely, ever aware of how fragile her nerve seemed to be.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t manage to contain her snort of disbelief at Paladin asking Fluttershy of all ponies for flying advice. She wanted to point out the absurdity, especially since the greatest flier in Equestria was right next to him, but was too busy smothering her laughter.
“M-me? Oh, I’m not very good at flying myself.” She looked away, embarrassed.
“Yeah, and I’m here so you don’t need anypony else’s help!” Dash added once she had recovered from her fit. Unnoticed, a small frown appeared on Fluttershy’s face. Unused to being in such a place, it panicked and quickly vanished.
“I can think of one thing, if you want.” She said with what was bold for her. Both Paladin and Rainbow Dash looked at her and Fluttershy’s nervousness returned in full force. “T-that is if D-Dash doesn’t mind.”
Said mare let out a laugh and waved a hoof nonchalantly. “Nah, go ahead. I wanna hear this.” she grinned, as if sharing an inside joke.
“Please, go ahead.” Paladin told Fluttershy. His expression softened, just a touch and nearly unnoticeable but the animal loving pegasus saw it.
“O-Ok...well, um, Twilight was telling me a while back how pegasi can fly because-”
“We have wings, duh. Next!” Dash interrupted. She rolled her eyes at the looks Paladin and Fluttershy gave her. “Whatever, keep going.”
Fluttershy took a deep breath when attention was back on her. “Well, she said it was because we had wings and natural magic. Like how unicorns have magic through horns, we channel sky magic through our wings. According to Twilight, the magic is just as important as our wings.”
“Interesting.” Paladin certainly sounded interested. “Please, tell me more.”
The support had a visible effect, and her voice became more confident. “Emotions effect our magic too. I thought, maybe, if Rainbow Dash told you how flying made her feel it could help you. I mean, it might help.”
“Ugh. Feelings.” Rainbow Dash made puking gesture with her hoof in her mouth.
“...oh, ok, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have wasted your time...” mumbled Fluttershy. She retreated behind her curtain of hair and became to stumble backwards.
Seeing the inadvertent effect her words had on her friend, Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. “I didn’t mean it, Fluttershy. Come back and we’ll talk about...ugh, feelings.” She visibly shuddered as she said it.
The smile Fluttershy gave her in return made it worth the trouble though. That and the earful she’d avoided getting from Applejack if the farmpony had seen Fluttershy’s condition as she passed Sweet Apple Acres on the way home.
“I have seen magic affected by the emotions of its wielders quite often.” Paladin concurred. He eyed Rainbow Dash warily. “I suppose sharing your...feelings may be of some value.”
“Alright, settle down. I’ll talk about my...ugh, feelings.” Dash sat down, waiting for the other two to join her if only to put it off.
“Go ahead.” Fluttershy prompted her, smiling gently .
Rainbow Dash chewed her lip, thinking, actually thinking about it. “You want to know what flying is like to me? Its like...everything.”
“Everything?” His voice was sceptical, as was the look Paladin levelled on her.
“Yes.” She scowled back before drifting into thought. “It feels...right. Like it’s what I should be doing. Every time I take off, every time I see the ground getting further and further away I know I’m where I should be. There’s no place I’d rather be then in the air, up in the skies. But when I go fast, so fast I push the boundaries that’s when it all comes in and I’m complete in every way. It’s just...the part of me which makes me, me.”
She suddenly coloured, red rushing into her cheeks when she realised that she had actually just spouted all that emotional...stuff.
Fluttershy smiled the whole way through, pleased at hearing Rainbow Dash talking about it properly. She turned to Paladin. “Does that help?”
“I...I do not know.” He admitted, unwilling to disappoint her but unable to think of a way out of it. “I will do my best to understand. It may be, in time, I will fly again thanks to your help. Both of you.”
While Fluttershy, predictably, went red and denied that she really did anything Rainbow Dash scoffed. “Yeah, whatever. We’re gonna have to finish here, I’ve got clouds to push, skies to clear, that sort of thing.” ‘And emotions to not talk about.’ she added in the privacy of her own thoughts.
Paladin nodded to her. “Very well. My thanks for your efforts so far. We will continue another time?”
“Sure. I’ll let you know.” With a shrug and brief farewell to both mare and stallion Rainbow Dash took off in the direction of Ponyville at high speed.
“Thank you for your efforts on my behalf.” Paladin thanked Fluttershy as Rainbow faded from sight.
She shrugged in her usual manner, and somewhere Photo Finish felt an opportunity had been missed. She also spilled her coffee over herself and became terribly embarrassed when a gossip-rag ran an issue on it, but that’s not important.
“I was just happy to help.” Fluttershy assured him. “What are you going to do now?”
He considered this for a few seconds. “I intend to find some source of income, to repay Miss Twilight. Applejack offered work on her farm, I believe she asked me to come there should I not find something more suited to my talents.” Paladin’s lips twitched in what might have been the suggestion of a smirk. “Unless things are very different from what they appear around this land, I do not think I will find much success.”
Fluttershy considered asking what his special talent was, but considered it for a moment. It was a sword. She changed her mind.
“What are your plans?” he was asking her while she thought.
“Oh, I was just on my way to see Zecora. One of the otters has a tummy-ache, the poor little dear, and my supply of medicine has run out.” She explained. From behind the tree she had originally been watching from Fluttershy retrieved her saddle bags.
The large pegasus frowned. “Zecora? Another denizen of Ponyville, I assume? The name seems...unusual.”
“W-well, technically Zecora lives outside Ponyville.” A little trace of fear appeared in Fluttershy’s eyes. “She lives in the E-Everfree Forest.”
“Is that forest not dangerous? Miss Twilight was quite expressive on the matter. You are venturing into it alone?” he asked incredulously. “For...otter medicine?!”
Her eyes went flat and Fluttershy looked away. “W-well...”
“I will accompony-arg, accompany you.” Paladin cut her off. She looked up in surprise but his eyes were firm and his expression set.
“B-but what about finding work?” asked the timid pony, fighting the urge to shout ‘Oh thank Celestia!’ his decision prompted. As much as she liked the zebra, her abode’s location was still one of great trepidation for Fluttershy.
Paladin’s entire stance screamed to her that he would not be budged. “It can wait. I will not allow you to walk into a place of danger without protection.” Was his steady reply.
Busying herself getting her saddlebags on, Fluttershy let out a tiny sigh of relief.
‘Maybe his special talent is protecting others.’ She thought with meek cheerfulness. Suddenly, her day seemed far less daunting. Paladin just extruded an aura of dependability.
***
Half an hour later, Fluttershy felt even more sure this must be his talent. They trotted down the path at a steady rate and for once Fluttershy wasn’t jumping at every little sound or flicker of movement in the plant life around them.
This she attributed to Paladin. His pace was steady and reassuring, not to mention his size was both a deterrent and she was unable to see the other side of the path or its suggestions of movement. It was his way of staying on guard that gave her a greater sense of safety, however.
As if a switch had been flipped, the moment they had entered the Everfree Forest something had changed in Paladin. He had relaxed, bizarrely. It reminded Fluttershy keenly of the change in animals when she returned them to their natural homes after nursing them back to health. The moment when they went from just occupying space to being home, in their place.
Though he seemed relaxed Paladin held an air of alertness. His eyes didn’t jump madly from one suspicion of hidden watcher to the next sound of stealthy beast. With utmost calm he surveyed all before him and Fluttershy could only imagine the things obvious to him that just flew over her head.
It was like a part of him that had been lost was suddenly sliding back into place. ‘Perhaps,’ Fluttershy thought happily, ‘he’s remembering something he forgot.’ Twilight’s explanation had helped clear some of Paladin’s oddities, although how Pinkie Pie had heard with her head dunked in the punch cola for the whole conversation last night she was still unsure.
Any brain damage from more than several minutes submersion, it had been decided, was welcome to try its luck but nopony was willing to put money on it.
For his part, Tyrael was indeed more comfortable. A stroll through this forest would, in his prime, have been quite literally a walk in a park. He seriously doubted there was anything in this world, let alone in the Everfree, that could face an Archangel in combat and prevail.
This was nothing compared to the Eternal Conflict and yet...and yet...
‘It feels good.’ he thought. ‘I am doing what I am supposed to do. I may not be bringing righteous judgement upon the Evils but to protect an innocent, to guard them against the darkness...’
His awareness, dulled by his meat shell, had grown. He could feel it. What to others was an alarming shift of leaves sending fright up their spine, unable to pierce the shadows, was simply an old small branch giving way and falling to the ground. A sound like a quiet growl was merely a leaf running over grooves on the bark of a tree in the wind. His control was perfect, and his body ready to leap into action at the slightest provocation. The slightest actual provocation, not imagined threats.
A smile, tiny and barely there, formed on his lips unbidden.
‘It feels good.’ Tyrael thought again. Unnoticed for the moment, for the barest of seconds his deeply buried angelic power grew. A tiny, infinitesimal amount. But even the smallest of pebbles could make all the difference.
Peeking up at him, Fluttershy smiled herself despite their location. It was nice to see their new friend happy. For his benefit, not for her own comfort at all, she decided to invite him along when she needed to see Zecora in the future. Purely because it might be good for him, not her own meekness or fear of the Everfree at all. Really.
Out of the corner of his eye Tyrael noticed Fluttershy peeking at him from behind her hair and began to turn to her. With an embarrassed ‘meep’ her face was back watching the ground.
He quirked an eyebrow at her strange behaviour but shrugged it off.
Embarrassed at being caught watching him, Fluttershy kept her gaze down. As she did so, something caught her attention. A root was poking out of the ground, extending a few inches out like it was trying to reach into the sky. Maybe it was just the darkness, but the root almost seemed to be pitch black and its surface oddly twisted.
Paladin’s pace hadn’t slowed and Fluttershy couldn’t bring herself to ask him to stop for a minute so she could have a look at it, so it went uninspected.
As they continued past it and down the path, neither saw the root twist slightly bringing its tip to face them. Almost like it was...watching.
***
“Your otter's ills it will soon cure.” Zecora smiled kindly to her friend as she placed the bundle of herbs in front of her. “Of this fact I am quite sure.”
“Oh, thank you so much Zecora. He will appreciate this so much.” happily placing the herbs away in her saddlebags, Fluttershy didn’t see the speculative look in Zecora’s eyes.
The zebra turned her gaze to the mysterious stallion accompanying the timid mare. Fluttershy had explained that he was staying with Twilight to recover from the ill-effects of magic used to save his life. ‘Paladin’ was certainly an odd colt, and Zecora knew odd quite well. His wings and tail, for one, or rather for two. She admired them when he first arrived, more than a little impressed.
Fluttershy had, well, shyly introduced them. His greeting had been short and simple, a nod and polite greeting. Hers had been warmer, as she consciously chose to do. Since her integration into Ponyville proper, Zecora had decided to make an effort to greet other ponies as kindly as she could manage, particularly if they looked at all frightened or put off.
She had shaken his hoof, noting the strength obvious in his darkly furred leg. When she looked him in the eye, it was not his somewhat flat expression that intrigued her the most. It was his eyes.
They were old. So, so old. Zecora knew not who or what Paladin was, but he was no normal pony. She doubted any of the others had noticed, even the ever-observant Twilight. But one look into his eyes and Zecora had seen something entirely new to her.
The truth she could not guess at, not with what little information she had. A few subtly probing questions had revealed that the Princesses had personally brought Paladin to Twilight forcing Zecora to conclude that he was no danger.
Fluttershy certainly seemed to trust him. It always broke her heart to see Fluttershy’s state when she arrived and the zebra would usually offer to walk her out of the Everfree ‘So you will not be lost my friend, and you avoid some creature’s den’ she would say. They both knew the real reason, but she was nothing if not circumspect. Fluttershy was simply unable to bring herself to ‘rudely’ interrupt one of her friend’s day just to walk her to Zecora’s on far too many occasions.
Imagine her surprise to find the kindly pegasus smiling in muted comfort in the presence of a strange stallion. Her first summarisation, that this newcomer was Fluttershy’s special somepony had received an almighty blush from her and confusion from Paladin. It still brought a small smile of humour to her face and a contained chuckle remembering the reaction from Fluttershy.
Whoever, whatever Paladin was it did Zecora good to know that Fluttershy had not endured the journey to her hut alone and wracked with fright.
“I wonder if it was not much to ask, would you bring to Twilight a task?” she asked once the herbs were safely stowed.
“Oh, of course. I mean, I don’t know if Twilight will be able to help but I’m sure she’ll do her best.” Fluttershy answered eagerly.
Zecora retrieved a small clay container, sealed with wax. “A black root of origin I have never seen, found across the Everfree it has been. If in Twilight’s books I can find aid, would you ask her where it was made?”
“Made?” Paladin inquired. He was eying the clay jar suspiciously. Had he not been new, and most definitely not what he looked to be, Zecora might have been offended. “A curious choice of words. It implies something crafted it intentionally. What makes you think it was made?”
“A suspicion, nothing more. To be wrong I would adore.” She shook her head. “I have made little progress, and can now only guess.”
Fluttershy offered her a reassuring smile. “You know so much after only living here for a short time Zecora, I’m sure you’ll work it out. I’ll take it to Twilight for you, if you really want.” She craned her head forward to pick it up in her mouth only to find Zecora pulling her hoof back.
“With your mouth I would not suggest. The chance of danger I will not jest.”
“It might be dangerous?” Now a protective cast came to Paladin’s eyes and he took a step forward. “I will carry it.”
An amused grin stole over Zecora. “Brave your decision is, good Paladin. In whose bags will you carry it in?" she asked curiously, looking at his side as if to find saddlebags that he had somehow hidden.
And, she admitted to herself, to admire his flank with an excuse. Whatever he was, he was well built and Zecora had travelled far enough to know there was nothing wrong with appreciation.
Paladin scowled, but relented after a few minutes of persuasion. It was merely a precaution, Zecora assured him. If there was something dangerous about it, and whether there she was still uncertain, it might be bad idea to carry it in the mouth.
“Place it where you can easily get rid of it.” Paladin advised Fluttershy. “Or so that I might, should it prove unnatural.”
With that done, Paladin turned his attention back to Zecora.
Tyrael was finding this...zebra to be an oddity. She had recognised something when he looked her in the eye. He was certain it was not his true nature, for how might she know of angels and demons when none other in Equestria did? No, she had not seen that. But she had seen something, and when she looked at him Tyrael could feel her gaze measuring him, searching for answers. At the very least she had come to believe he was unusual, a not unexpected conclusion thanks to his wings and tail.
Still, she made him uneasy.
“Have there been any other peculiarities lately?” he asked without thinking. Tyrael hadn’t really been thinking of asking such a thing, the thought just sort of...came up. Inwardly he frowned. Another defect of his meat shell, no doubt.
Zecora hesitated, brow furrowing in thought. She took a moment to answer. “I...am not sure, if all be told. The Everfree follows its own patterns, whether in seasons of heat or cold.”
“Nothing? Just this strange black root appearing across the forest?” he frowned, not sure why the answer didn’t satisfy him.
“The Timber Wolves have grown restless at night, howling even without the moon’s silver light.” She admitted.
“I...I’ve heard them.” Fluttershy added meekly, looking down. “At night, I mean, when the moon isn’t out. But I thought Timber Wolves only howled when the moon was full.”
“That is their nature as I have seen. A strange change there has been.” Zecora glanced at Paladin, her eyes alight with curiosity. “Is there something more I have not found, something that could be trouble abound?”
“I know not the answer to your question, but something tells me there is more to this.” He was surprised to find that assertion was true. There was a niggling feeling in the back of his mind, a little warning that told him something wasn’t right. It reminded him uneasily of the sensation before a demon ambush or one of Mephisto or Diablo’s traps closed their jaws over his soldiers.
It could not be either of Prime Evils’ work, of course, or any of their kin. But it left Tyrael tense, and he kept his awareness spread wide around them as they bade farewell to Zecora and set off into the forest.
Neither noticed the small root, black as a moonless night with skin twisted sickly, exposed by the elements an inch from where it had sunk into Zecora’s home.
***
It was not until halfway through the journey that Tyrael realised they were being followed. To be fair, it wasn’t until halfway through the journey that they were being followed.
From the forest around them his ears picked up the telltale sound of something moving. Tree branches scraping across surfaces too often to be just the wind and never in the same place twice. It was all the sign Tyrael needed, and a half dozen other subtle clues left him in no doubt.
The only oddity was the sound. It was not fur, or hide, or some metallic surface the plant-life was giving way to. It almost sounded like...wood?
“Fluttershy” he asked, making his voice casual. That very fact, and the lack of a ‘Miss’ was not missed by the meek mare. She was shy, Tyrael reminded himself, not stupid. “Those ‘Timber Wolves’ Zecora mentioned? What kind of creatures are they?”
She stared at him, catching the look in his eye and the change in his voice. It took all her nerve not turn into a ball of nervous fear.
“W-well, uh, t-they’re m-made of w-wo-ood.” She stuttered slowly.
“Ah.” It was just one word, with a whole lot of meaning. “There is a clearing just a short way ahead, I seem to recall from our journey to Zecora’s. When we reach it, I would ask for you to...put yourself out of harms way.”
“O-ok.” She whispered. She would feel wetness gathering at the edge of her eyes and hated herself for tearing up so quickly. But now the movements were getting closer and less subtle and her friends weren’t there!
Seeing her fear, Tyrael cursed himself. Of course she would react like this! He had always been with other warriors, with those who knew the risks and knew what they were doing. They had also been there it was their place. Angels fought Demons. It was simply a fact, one they faced with hesitation or fear.
Fluttershy was no warrior and violence seem anathema to her very presence.
Keeping his voice low, Tyrael lowered his head closer to hers.
“Fluttershy, listen to me. I am here. While I breathe, they will not touch you. I promise.” He vowed, keeping the fire out of his voice so as not to alarm her. He meant it. Tyrael knew with complete certainty that his kind were meant to do more then war with the Burning Hells. To protect the innocent, to bring justice, that was their true destiny.
“Y-you Pinkie Promise?” she begged in a whisper, desperate for something to latch onto.
Despite the oddness of the term, he nodded immediately. “I Pinkie Promise.” He said firmly. “I will protect you.”
Unnoticed, his cutie mark seemed to glow with a barely visible white light for a split second. The angelic presence flared as it had on the way to Zecora’s, and again it was hidden within the chorus of bodily signals and urges that now besieged Tyrael’s mind.
They emerged from the forest into a clearing. The tree-cover was so thick it was more night then day, save a single hole in the centre where the light shone down at angle. As they came to the middle, shapes began to form at the edge. Long, lupine shapes slid from the shadows.
In total four Timber Wolves watched the pair. Fluttershy, already familiar with their kind, noticed the oddity first.
“T-they’re sick.” She whispered.
Paladin didn’t turn his gaze away from the largest of the beasts. The moment it had appeared he had lock eyes with it and now they played a waiting game to see who would flinch first. It was this perhaps that held the creatures at bay for the moment.
“Sick? How?” Paladin asked, still not looking at her. Recognising what he was doing, Fluttershy tried to explain while making as little bodily movement as possible.
“T-The black lines, in their bodies? Those don’t look natural.” She frowned in concern, suddenly realsing something. A sweat broke out on her forehead. “They’re roots. Black roots growing through their whole bodies.” She whispered in horror.
As if the words had been a signal, the beasts suddenly howled and charged, stake-fangs bared.
Fluttershy let out a squeak and fell to the ground, over come. Her Stare, her wings, in that moment of panic everything was forgotten.
Everything save the stallion next to her, who let out a battle cry of his own. Wings spreading aggressively, Paladin bellowed and charged the largest, which had already bounded nearly to them.
It snapped, jaw opening wide. Tyrael ducked under the attack and leapt forward, throwing his mass into one of its front legs. Wrapping his forehooves around its knee, he strained and dug his back hooves into the ground. His muscles groaned in protest at the sudden test of their power but they answered. A faint white light ran across his fur from his cutie mark and the burning of muscles was silenced. With a tremendous snap! he broke off its leg at the knee.
The Timber Wolf howled in agony, trying to retreat.
Tyrael was already moving, leaving that one to its pain. The others seemed to realise he was the source of their leader's pain, and two came to a halt before they reached him. The last just growled and pounced towards Fluttershy.
Her hooves covering her head, Fluttershy peaked out to see the oncoming beast and screamed.
Paladin came from above, leaping over her with all the powerful muscles in his body. Landing in perfect place he was already turning and suddenly the Timber Wolf realised the pony in front of it was showing it his arse.
Tyrael thought back to the night before, replaying the scene of Applejack bucking Rainbow Dash. He threw himself over Fluttershy into the monster’s path, twisting the movement to land rear-end towards the Timber Wolf. White light slid from his cutie mark down his flank to ground itself in his rear hooves.
Before the monster could stop its charge a pair of glowing white hooves, propelled by mighty muscles and a touch of angelic power, rammed into its skull with the force of a canon. A sickening crack filled the clearing and the Timber Wolf was shot away, crashing into the trees at the edge of the clearing.
It hurt Fluttershy to see Paladin dealing what was likely a fatal blow, but right now she didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on it. The last two Timber Wolves had withdrawn, watching them from the tree-line.
Tyrael kept his eyes on them and the wounded, crooning alpha. He leaned down, putting his mouth next to Fluttershy’s ear. “We need to leave now.” He said. “While the other two are afraid and the leader is still in shock. I need you to get up and go, now.”
“G-go?” she peeked through her hooves at him.
“Yes. Fly. You have to tell the others something is wrong here.” Paladin informed her.
“W-what? I...I can’t just leave you. A-and, I know the Timber Wolves attacking is stran-”
“Now is not the time!” He hissed. Fluttershy recoiled from his harsh tone and he immediately regretted it. Tyrael tried to make his voice more gentle. “Yes, something is wrong. When I was looking in the alpha's eyes, I saw it. It was panicked, like a trapped animal. And when I touched them...something is deeply wrong here. I need you to fly away, Fluttershy.”
“What about you?” she asked, rising slowly to her stand with Paladin’s aid.
“Zecora is still in her hut, and I fear she may be in danger. I will get her. But you need to go, now, before-”
The leader stopped cringing and whining in pain. It didn’t trail away, it simply stopped like musician abruptly ceasing to play in the middle of a song. They both looked up, and Fluttershy let out a gasp.
The leg Paladin had torn off was alive with activity. Black roots reached from it, twining with others where the limb had been taken from. Slowly, the leg was pulled together, a knot of black roots sealing the bind.
A series of bizarre cracks and creaks sounded from where the skull-smashed Timber Wolf had landed. Tyrael was expecting what he would see, and sure enough the ‘dead’ Timber Wolf was back on its feet. Its shattered skull was repaired but far darker as it festooned with more black roots.
The unhurt Timber Wolves joined in a howl with their healed kin, and to Tyrael’s ears it was like the baying of undead.
He turned to Fluttershy and spoke a single word with all the force he could muster.
“Go!”
Such was the authority in his voice that Fluttershy’s body reacted before she could stop it and she was away. Looking down, Fluttershy had time to see Paladin now surrounded by Timber Wolves, all thirsty for his blood before she was through the gap in the tree-cover and sight was lost to her.
She flew. Fluttershy flew unlike she had ever flown before. Her wings, when she was finished, would be aching for days and the flight muscles strained beyond belief. The burning of her wings was a nightmare from days when she had been expected to pratice and fly all day in Flight Camp, a torment she never wanted to repeat.
But she did, and the skies were cut by a blur of yellow and pink.
In her wake, salty tears fell to the earth like rain.
*Chapter Fin.*
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About time one of these popped up.. Now if you'll excuse me..
gifsforum.com/images/gif/dis%20gon%20be%20good/grand/this_gon_b_gud_gif.gif
The above comment intrigues me...
Woo, another chapter! I think this is the largest update that I've ever sat through in one sitting, but it's so good!
It can wait. I will not allow you to walk into a place of danger with protection.”
Shouldn't it be without?
Wonderful, Completely wonderful. You have done a great thing with this story and its awesomeness.
We approve.
I enjoyed the chapter
How does this keep getting better and better?
-Glassed
The friendship between him and Fluttershy is adorable, and its good to see him doing what he does best...Protecting the innocent and vanquishing evil.
808756 Agreed.
Sooooo Awesooome!
“Shuddup. I just...okay, Scoots is always asking me for flying lessons. If she sure me teaching somepony else....”
I'm fairly sure that you meant saw.
It seems that as long as Tyrael stays true to the ideals of justice and protection, more of his power returns to him. Just in time too, because something tells me that if he wants those things to stay down he will need to lay on some holy smiting.
Very interesting story, well written and paced.
I've been working on an angel-inspired fanfic myself, and I really like what you've managed to do with Tyrael.
hopefully this story is better than the one in diablo 3... god such an awful story >_< and awful game... oh well... stupid me for buying stupid shitty games :(
It's time for the Angel of justice to pull out his badass glowing sword
i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac188/Ronnita/Gifs/Doctor%20Who/tumblr_lk3wwyzz691qdmvgn.gif that feel when the ending is a cliffhanger...truly an awesome story and MOAR
It's so great to see a crossover that doesn't suck and stays true to the characters. I can't wait to see what the next chapter brings.
809067 It should indeed, thanks for pointing out.
810035 Personally I rather enjoyed it. I quite like D3. Although I did get it for free through WoW Annual Pass.
811344 Thanks, keeping everypony is character is a big concern for me, its good to know I'm succeeding.
I quit. Trying to look for spelling or grammar mistakes detaches me from the story too much. I did notice some, but...
Oh, they were nothing major. Nothing you should worry about. Anyway...
Amazing chapter, Autocharth. It seems like we finally meet an 'antagonist'! Shall it be a creature from the Sanctuary? Perhaps from Hell itself? A minion of Diablo? A HIGH-RANKED DEMON LORD THAT SPITS FIRE?! How about-
...A black piece of wood? Sorry, a "black as a very black night" piece of wood. Its special ability seems to be having a totally not redundant color description.
...Can it still spit fire, though? No?
Shame.
Now, will Tyrael's Cutie Mark be some sort of summoning mechanism for his awesome-cool-shiny-sword-which-I-can't-remember-the-name-of?
We shall see! Looking forward to the next chapter, keep up the awesome work!
811400
I'm glad to see you have that attitude. I've seen way too many crossovers which have completely sucked due to either bad writing, or bad characterization. What's even worse is that the authors don't even care. "It's fanfiction lol who cares if there ooc or not." You wouldn't believe the number of "authors" who use that excuse.
*Cough* Sorry, felt the need to vent for a second. I'm just glad you make sure to keep them in character. That's probably the thing I like the most, especially in crossovers (afterall, if they aren't in character [usually by having the ponies be vulgar, violent, etc.], then how can there be a sense of two cultures meeting for the first time?).
811478 Ah, you seem disappointed with the antagonist. Trust me, it gets better. I did "black as very black night' thing on purpose, because I like making entirely reduntant statements, plus its very close a line for a favourite scene from a Terry Pratchett novel. And yes, don't send so much time looking for mistakes if its making it hard to enjoy. I only really meant it as something that could be pointed out if it was noticed while reading and wasn't much bother, but not to the extent that you were no longer getting into the story so much.
The Black Root is just the beginning. A hint of corruption. It is the first Act after all. I promise, by the time the story is done you'll not be disappointed villain-wise.
As for the sword, well wielding a sword will be rather awkward as pony. But let's see how things develop, you never know. Its called El'druin, by the way.
811480 Exactly! It defeats the point if the character isn't acting like they're meant to. One of the main appeals in a crossover is how they'll react to the new things. If they're OOC doesn't that just ruin it?
Hence why i tend to sit there for a minute staring at the story after a lot of talking, trying to visualise the character as though it were an episode. Would I believe them doing that wasn't weird? Would this course of action seem natural to them or would I be wondering what was up with them if I saw it somewhere else.
I think the biggest shame about writing this that I don't get to read it, not the same way a reader does. That's always a shame, missing out on that wonderful feeling. I wish I could remove my memory of it for a couple minutes so I could read my own story. That would be great.
811538
Oh, he's Tyrael. He'll find a way to use El'druin, even if he has to use his mouth...
...Actually, it wouldn't be that awkward. Ponies can grab things with hooves. Tyrael would just be unable to take a stance, or fight like he used to bipedally. Adaptation is key!
Anyway, am I disappointed with the antagonist? Well... No. I'm just surprised.
I mean, let's take a look at FiM's previous antagonists.
->First one? Oh, it's the 'goddess' of the night who can, y'know, bring down eternal darkness.
->Second one? God of chaos, no biggie.
->Third? Queen of the changelings, able to grow as powerful as, if not more than, Celestia herself.
...To be honest, I think I'm more afraid of the "black as a very black night" stick than any of the before-mentioned antagonists.
None of them could poke your eye out, you know.
811611 I prefer to think of it as "a very black root which can control wood, had enslaved Timber Wolves (possibly more then were just near Tyrael and Fluttershy) and now has a root sunken into Zecora's wooden hut, Which can somehow all do this, repair a shattered Timber Wolf skull and could have spread who knows how far.". Not like anypony lives in houses made of wood or, y'know, a tree.
I mean, what's the worst it could possibly do?
...other then poke your eye out, of course. Nasty little buggers.
Holy...
Parasitic black roots making undead timber wolves? Kudos!
This. Is. Awesome! I love Diablo, and am glad I found this. I hope you update more soon.
811400 so.. playing the same 4 levels over 300 times = fun and good times? not to mention how lazy the game is designed? the gameplay is dumbed down, most of the runes are so uncreative it could make a dead person bored, can't even play single player without having to be online and etc. sorry i don't see the appeal... i was bored the fuck out of my skull and the story? hah... what a joke... all the time i was 2-3 steps a head of the story as i could easily guess wtf would happen -_- it kinda reminds me of how everyone says that avatar (indians vs cowboys in the future) and starcraft has good stories... i've read novels of 10 chapters with more interesting plots and more deeply thought out stories... now i do have "some" experience with how to make movies, story scripts and writing stories so i can more easily than most see all the parts in a story where you use sudden things such as suspense to achieve something in a story, which makes most stories in movies, books and games pretty boring to me as they are all pretty cliche and bland to me.
813273
You're certainly entitled to your opinion, I was just saying that enjoyed it. Some people might not have, as you evidently did not, but that happens. You really didn't have to make a long post about why it was bad, since its not going to change my mind and even if it did, odds are I'd lose willingness to finish Justice Itself and that would be Bad.
Still, glad you're enjoying my story.
Rainbow Dash.... You neatly caught her personality and behaviour just perfect here.
*groans loudly* She just makes me wanna strangle somebody!
813500
Honestly, I almost felt like I was making her a bit of a jerk (and that's not a word I use often, not being American) but then I realised I was just making her thoughtless, which she often is. Doesn't make her a bad pers- err, bad pony. I'm often thoughtless myself having the ability to read emotions about as accurately as a fish. Rainbow Dash is my favourite of the Mane 6 to be honest. Might need to include some more positive aspects of her in that case, now I think about it....
813986 I take it that's...good? Bad? What? I'm lost in a sea of confusion!
813447 i guess you thought avatar was a pretty good movie... and star wars episode 1-3 as well... *cough* i guess the taste is the problem here... or rather the lack of it ;)
814140 you legend!!!!!!!!!!!! you read terry pratchett!!!!!!!!!!!!
just for saying that you can has all my likes, favs and a watch
take the kisses
also which book does that (modified) quote come from???
813590
Funny. She's my least favourite because of her personality and behaviour. I still like her though, but only slightly.
Would be cool to see Tyrael (hopefully) getting his powers/form back so he can show Dash how to fly angel-style.
814533 Wow, you seem to care so much about being right. I don't care. If my taste is different from yours, whoopy for that. You don't have to be a dick and say i have no taste because, gasp! I don't agree with you. Who would have thought, that someone out there might possibly not share your taste in something?
But I'm not in the mood to start an argument, so I won't say what I want to say. I'm also not sure if I can do it without breaking any rules, so yeah. Leave it alone,. You're acting like a child with your comments, so just stop it now. Either way, if all you have to say is how much I suck for liking D3 and proceed to whine about it I'm just going to ignore you. Its that simple. I'll ignore it, and if you just keep making comments with no content but slagging off the game or me I'll delete them and block you.
Also: no, I didn't particularly like the story to Avatar, it was a bit preachy about nature and such and not at all subtle but I did enjoy Star Wars because, hey, might as well make the best of it since its all we'll get.
816613 well... duh? i'm right after all... so... obviously? what a silly question...
aw... you mad bro? <- not sure if childish or just trolling...
yeah... that statement alone pretty much answers everything... and regarding avatar that was pretty much just cowboys vs indians in space...
I've never played diablo, but once again, I have found this crossover enjoyable.
822912 I take it....you like Auriel? Yes, I know, I just possess amazing deductive abilities. Sometimes I shock even myself, although that time I was so shocked I tried to punch that bastard in the bathroom mirror was rather unfortunate. He might have looked like me, but he sure as hell had a glass jaw....
....I'm a horrible person for that pun.
I love what you've done with this story so far
also, if you're looking for a grammar/spelling nazi to help with the bugs, I'd love to help
in any case, can't wait for chapter 5 and more Zecora (i also think you did really well with her rhymes, she doesn't get as much attention as she should)
811538
Here, have some edits.
"FLuttershy prompted her"
extra capital letter
"Purely for because it might be good for him, not her own meekness or fear of the Everfree at all. Really."
Two in this
"Purely for because"
and
"not her own meekness"
does not agree with becuase.
should be "not because of her own meekness"
"Tyrael noticed Fluttershy’s peeking at him from behind her hair" she owns what now, also if you were going for fluttershy is, your entire story is written in past tense.
for writing zecora
“Your otter will feel fine, my dear Fluttershy.” Zecora smiled kindly to her friend as she placed the bundle of herbs in front of her. “Soon his ills will simply say goodbye.”
i propose "Your otter's ills will soon cure / of this fact i am quite sure"
"His wings and tail, for one or rather for two" needs an extra comma after one
"Whoever, whatever Paladin was it did Zecora [...]" needs more commas, after whatever, and after it
"Zecora retrieved a small clay contained, sealed with wax."
"He was eying the clay jar with a suspicious expression." awkward word choice, i propose "He was eying the clay jar suspiciously."
"it wasn’t until halfway through the journey until they were being followed." replace with "that they started being followed"
"subtle clues left him in no doubt." delete "in"
"They emerged from the forest, into a clearing." Random unnecessary comma
"The tree-cover was so thick it was more night then day save a single hole in the centre that shone down at angle." needs a comma after day, insert phrase "where the light" in place of "that", making it "The tree-cover was so thick it was more night then day, save a single hole in the centre where the light shone down at angle."
811611
809516
Come on guys, get your act together.
827512
*Cough* *Cough*
811478
"I quit. Trying to look for spelling or grammar mistakes detaches me from the story too much. I did notice some, but..."
827593
i've done it so often with other stories that it's almost second nature, i'm just usually too lazy to put it all down in a comment, so i just cringe, and move on.
827609
Agreed.
827512
I think I just got curb-stomped. I'm not giving up without a fight!
827512 Well, thank you for all the mistake-pointing out. There was one I didn't change as you suggested, because both ways work but I prefer mine. I suspect I shouldn't do most of my writing at 2am, but I seem to do better at that time. Obviously not with typos, of course. I should probably get my usual beta-reader checking this stuff as well but the moment I finish a chapter I just want to post it, even though I cringe myself reading something and finding a mistake.
828055 *get my beta-reader dotacinema.com/system/users/avatars/5757/original/4chan-happy-face.png?1331084008
828095 Yes yes, I know. Since I wrote that after getting home from work, I'll forgive myself the typo. I always knew that the 't' was too close to the 'y', treacherous keyboard.
Man, if I tried to figure out the symbology of some of my dreams it'd look like a Salvador Dali painting.
Hell, just finding out that the subconscious can fritz out enough to crap out some of the stuff I've dreamed up might be enough to make Tyrael go NOPE NOPE NOPE and jump right out of the mortal coil into oblivion.
Most likely, heart palpitations.
Fluttershy was no warrior and violence seem anathema to her very presence.
seemed
The tree-cover was so thick it was more night then day, save a single hole in the centre where the lght shone down at angle.
Tyrael kept his eyes on them and the wound, crooning alpha.
wounded
81161 I thought Tyreal's runeblade was Azurath
Should probably be without.