1768/Robot Unicorn Attack: Coming of Age Edition

Robot Unicorn Attack: Coming of Age Edition
Date of Scene:	09 March 2015
Location:	Rainbow Road
Synopsis:	To pass her rite of passage, Ariel must run the Rainbow Road, like many young unicorns before her. But she doesn't have to run it alone.
Cast of Characters:	Maya, 43, 151, 189, 219, 231, 253, 255, 325, 395, 411, 481, 570, Ayako Hasekawa

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Amalthea (395) has posed:
    It is a rare trip for Amalthea to return to her old home world, but for something such a this, it is necessary. As she said, a rite of passage for young unicorns is a very serious thing, and must be accorded with as such.
    The elder unicorn is already waiting at the start of this so called Rainbow Road, and despite the name it looks very plain, a simple, if slightly wide dirt path amid green fields and forests. For such a grandiose name it seems very plain, but nevertheless, she is in her quadrupedal form, best suited for running, as is the intent of tonight's apparent foray, gently nosing at Ariel's ear in quiet encouragement while waiting for the others to arrive.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    A sight not often seen, yet one that is familiar to Rhapsody all the same, is Amalthea. It wasn't someone she had managed to see very often, but the paladin had all of Rhapsody's respect, and a little more. Hearing about Ariel needing to run this road gave the Guildmaster a reason to escape the League, the beuracracy of Ravnica, and hopefully was going to let her enjoy the company of a number of friends that she had not yet met, or had not seen in some time.

    When Rhapsody starts to approach from a distance, it's clear her strides aren't a normal walk. In fact it seems like she was ice skating across the ground toward Amalthea. As she closes distance, it would seem more like rollerblading. Once she's within a few dozen yards, its clear that the 'wheels' of those skates aren't even physical. They're mana-based. "Amalthea! It's really been too long!"

Kirika (481) has posed:
    How on earth a kitsune manages to sneak a motorcycle onto this realm is beyond explaination beyond 'warpgates yo', but Kirika is still there regardless of logic, her borrowed motorcycle purring quietly as she awaits others amid the starting point of this road.

    She also has a helmet that's been modified with holes on each side for the vixen's ears. They manage to make her look much more adorable than her manner may reflect, unfortunately.

    "Rhapsody. Well met." She greets the dragoness when she arrives, but otherwise is quiet as the grave.

Ariel (219) has posed:
Ariel is in her four-legged form as well, the smaller unicorn prancing lightly and nervously while everyone is gathering. "So... how old were you when you ran this? Do you really think I'm ready? Is it going to be hard? Do I need to go fast? Can Diea help? What about Al? Oh, Al isn't here, um..."

The flurry of questions is probably her own sign of nervousness, honestly. She's scuffing the ground with a hoof as she eyees the path... and everyone gathering is just putting on more pressure!

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    All too often, Major Setsuko Kaminagi is called upon only to take the battlefield. It is, in large part, her lot in life, by her own choice. She has long since accepted that. To dwell overlong in any place of peace, for her, is to invite war to that place. But if it's just for a short time, if people would call on her to oversee a meaningful, happy moment in life, then for just a little while she's more than happy to come and be with friends.

    "Amalthea, Ariel," she greets, her tone surprisingly warm. If the name 'Rainbow Road' seems unfitting for this place, she doesn't show it. Many places earn their names in their own way, after all. "If your mother feels you're ready, Ariel, then I'm certain you are. How's Iyoshi?" Rhapsody gets a nod of greeting, and Kirika a slight bow of the head.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    A special occasion usually calls for a special car. Today is a special occasion, and so Psyber has brought a special car. Specifically, because he won that bet with Crystanthemum, Psyber has brought the 1987 Callaway Corvette B2k Twin Turbo. At least, with this car's strange conceptual features, any damage he does to it will recover.

    The half-angel himself looks pretty tired and doesn't seem to say much as the vehicle rolls up and kind of rumbles while Psyber waits for the run to start.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    A trial that needs to be completed to grow up? Of course Ayako was interested in that. But mostly more interested in cheering Ariel on! Although she might not know Ariel well, trial is a trial, after all. And so Ayako is here, sitting side-saddle on her floating broomstick.

    To be more precise, she's floating somewhat nearby Psyber. He does look pretty tired after all.

Ellestaria (231) has posed:
    Looking much different from her earlier days in the Union, Lest is here. Motherhood has really changed her, though she's loathe to admit it sometimes. Other days, not so much. Today, Ellestaria is sipping a soda while standing near the unicorns, watching everyone filter in. "Mn, I'm sure you will do fine, Ariel. Just remember who your parents are, and when has Amalthea ever lead you wrong?"

    Sluuuuurp.

    "Hello, everyone."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    It may be a matter of some question just how sentimental Kimiko Shinobu can get, but when it comes to something like this--at least, if it's Ariel, she makes an effort to come see. She was there to see the younger unicorn's first flagrant disregard for physical law. May as well see how far she's come, in all the time since. That's an easy way for her put it to herself, to justify the trip.

    As she said, she's arrived in flight. Unlike some, she has no actual ability to fly on her own. What she does have is a Striker unit, a set of airplane engine-like devices into which her legs disappear, running off her magic and keeping her in the air, or moving quickly through it, at the expense of some need for good balance. The need for magic means she's necessarily transformed, revealing that the decorated style of the engines matches her own outfit as a magical girl.

    The nature of her lift makes hovering in place exceptionally difficult, relative to the ground, but Kimiko still manages to come in at what's at most a gentle drift to those assembled and assembling, hands grasped before her. She nods, turning in slightly in air in the faint impression of a bow, as her greeting. Not particularly talkative, then. Ellestaria gets an additional not-quite-a-bow, on account of passage of time.

Maya has posed:
So it was shocking to hear Amalthea was going to her home world, she said there was a rite if passage for her daughter? Maya could understand that nad had come along to the Rainbdow road she wonders about this place for a moment as she looks to the mother and daughte with a grin.

"Hey."

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    'Flitting' is a good word for how Ainsley arrives to the gathering, floating on toward the rest of everyone with a sense of weightlessness. She clasps her hands behind her back, looking at Amalthea, Ariel and Ellestaria with a big bright smile. She seems to approve of seeing the family all gathered together, in her own silent way. She hums a little song to herself, while quietly looking around at the others, and getting familiar with the way the air feels here.

    "I am ready to join the Run," she tells the family, after she thinks it would be important to do so. Largely an afterthought, to make sure her implied willingness isn't overlooked.

Rainbow Dash (43) has posed:
    While the 'run' isn't supposed to be a race, to Rainbow Dash someone might have called it that anyway. It's like the concept of the thing entered into her mind, and the only thing that came out was 'race'. One thing is for sure, whether or not it is a race, the blue hued, rainbow maned pegasus is no less prepared.

    A blur of colors speeds out of the warp gate, only becoming recognizable as Rainbow Dash when she slows down to join the others forming at the 'starting line'. Brass flight goggles rest against her forehead, while a long, blue and yellow flight scarf flares out behind her. She quickly loops around those already nearby, bleeding off speed before hovering to a stop

    "Hey guys!" She greets, grinning, "What's shaking?"

Pegasus (189) has posed:
    When Pegasus arrives, she sets down with full bags on either side. Shifting to her humanoid form, she sets the bags down and opens them up, giving a view of a number of pastries. "These are just for a quick refreshment," she explains. "Cake will follow, because I'm sure Ariel will do just fine!" Clapping her hands together, the mechanical pegasus-girl whrrs and turns around, flashing a smile to everyone. "Hello, Sis and Sis-in-Law! Hello, Niece!"

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    "I was older than you when I did this." Amalthea answers the younger unicorn very plainly. "But I don't think that matters now." Added gently as she impishly evades her daughter's questions with a lick at an ear. "The road is yours to run, it won't be the same for you as it was for me." It would seem that is all the help Ariel is getting, as Amalthea lifts her head. A dip of her horn is given in greeting to Rhapsody and Setsuko, "Glad you both could make it. Iyoshi's doing fine." Psyber gets a tilt of the head to better focus that lone eye on the half-angel, in her ever silent means of seemingly asking 'Dude are you alright?'. Though Pegasus' arrival earns a light nudge of the metal unicorn's snout at her sibling's hip, before Amalthea trots a quick circle around the gathering group, giving words of greeting or an occasional nudge to a friend. "I'm glad you're all here for Ariel's sake. And I suppose you're all very curious what this is about."
    Lowering to her knees for Lest to climb on with an idle "My Lady~." Amalthea's pause is very brief before she casts her gaze down the simple dirt road.
    Already the trees on either side of the path seem to come to life, the twittering of birds, rustle of leaves, and even varied wild animals are beginning to peek out curiously, as if drawn to the beginning of a great event, gaggles of pixies peeking out of hiding- at least until Amalthea snarls.
    "Six hundred years ago, a young unicorn and pegasus- two rivals raced down this very road. No one has ever beaten their record. By the end of the path, the two, having faced every trial and peril the Rainbow Road has to offer became closest of friends, for centuries. Running the road is something of a tradition now. It spans every part of this world, there is much to see and experience along the way."
    She looks to Ariel then. "Ariel. Your task, is to reach the end of the road before sunrise, at any pace you see fit. Begin when you are ready. Stop for nothing. May all your dreams come true."

Ariel (219) has posed:
A little whinny squeaks out from the ear lick, but Ariel is paying attention. She swishes her tail, tapping her hoof against the ground as she notices how many came to see her. "Ah... hi, Aunt Pegasus... Uncle Psyber... um... everyone..." She gives a shy dip of her head to Rhapsody, then a beaming smile to Setsuko, "Iyoshi is wonderful!" A passing glance to Psyber urges, "Do you need help sleeping?"

Well, there's a lot to cover, so she just gives a sheepish nod to some of the others. Some, like Kimiko, she knows somewhat. Others, like Ainsley, she's fought. All of them get that friendly smile. "Okay... I guess I'd better get started. Thank you all for coming! But... I don't have a pegasus rival." She doesn't consider Dash a rival, just because she feels no need to outdo her!

A quick prance turns her the right way around, and Ariel takes a deep breath... before starting down the road at a swift canter, conserving her strength for now. She may be a constructed being, but she still feels fatigue in her own way.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    If Amalthea wandered close enough, she'd get a friendly patting from the Guildmaster. Afterward, Rhapsody turns to see who all has shown up, and it's a lot of folks! She'd greet anyone that greets her before turning back to Ariel, smiling, "We all have our own ways of growing up, Ariel. I sort of envy you for yours, you know?" There was something Rhapsody had to do, but that wasn't tonight, so, that was a story for another day.

    Today, however, there's a road to be ran, and an end to be reached, before sunrise. That seemed simple enough, right? Once Ariel starts, Rhapsody would fall in not too far behind, the mana-based skates traversing any uneven terrain without any issue. She was pretty sure this wasn't going to be just a simple old road..

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Setusko gets a nod from Kirika when the Major arrives, "Good to see you as well, Major Kaminagi." She smiles under her helmet, silly as it looks on her right now. Ainsley, Maya, Pegasus, and others get a nod from the vixen as well before Amalthea speaks up.

    "I wish you luck, Ariel." She says to the young unicorn just before the run kicks off.

    Her motorcycle gives off a growl, and Kirika leans down before she torques the gas, wheels squealing before she takes off down the road.

Maya has posed:
Maya listens to Amathea as she tells her daughter the tale about the road. She wonders for a moment about this and she seems to be fairly ready and she was glad to come. She was curious about this honestly, but the tale, that Amathea was more than a bit of a surprise to her. She starts to get an idea about it's purpose. Maya smiles a little bit and has to admit Amalthea's been a good mother from what she's seen. She looks over to both Mother and daughter for a moment.

"I'm pretty sure you'll do well Ariel."

Maya honestly means it Ariel while she's not had much contact that has to Maya more than proven herself in the multiverse.

She looks over to Kirika who gets a nod in return from Maya.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko's sober mood is unlikely to help with Ariel's nervousness. She does very little to give away the degree to which she actually likes several people present, unicorns included. This is probably why she's bad at encouraging people. She has a feeling Amalthea might understand that, on the other hand. Maybe. Well, there's always a chance.

    As Ariel moves out, Kimiko manages to form a few words, "Do your best." It's traditional, at least where she comes from. She moves out as well, keeping pace, with no desire to do more than watch. So long as it's set easily, she can match it easily. She isn't the fastest, herself, but her Striker was made for long-term use.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber nods his head to Amalthea and then waves his hand at her in a 'yeah, I'll live' kind of gesture. It's not wholly accurate, but is at least true enough for any general term. He taps a cigarette out the window and drops some ash from the tip of it before listening to the speech.

    For whatever other things may be occurring in his life, the half-angel was certainly going to be here for Ariel. He didn't have the energy or the legs to physically run the road, but driving it in his car was totally allowed and so that was what he would do.

    "I'll be okay, Ariel. Really. Don't worry about me too much," He says with a reassuring smile.

    And then, when she takes off down the road, he slowly lurches the car forward, cruising at a low speed for now.

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Among the unicorns gathered? Twilight Sparkle! She has come along to run the road and help Ariel along. Although she has no real idea how this is supposed to work. Are there obstacles? She is a bit late, thanks to hearing that it is an endurance sort of race and thus studying up on them in the time it took to get here. When Twilight arrives, she is still reading a book. But, after a few more moments of reading, she closes it and with a flick of her magic tosses it over her shoulder, where it disappears. Presumably back to her library.

     "Reach the end by sunrise? Oh my...this is much longer than I realized. I did not train for an all day run." Twilight says a bit worriedly. But, she is here, and she has promised to run the road with Ariel. Twilight is a both a bit surprised and not all that surprised that so many have shown up to support Ariel. She really only knows the robot equine family through reports and such, so she is sure the others have more reason to be here than she does. But, offering support for one's allies is important! Twilight offers greetings to everyone she can, then follows after Ariel, matching the young unicorn's pace.

Pegasus (189) has posed:
    "I always liked that legend," Pegasus says lightly. "I'm not sure why, since I'm not fond of unicorns." The present company is obviously excepted. She chirps, "Help yourself to any goodies! I'm going to run with Ariel!" Yes, that's right, run. She drops to all fours again, taking off after the younger equine with her wings tucked back against her sides.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako inclines her head to the side gently as she listens to Amalthea. "Un! I hope to cheer Ariel on at the very least!" She listens quietly to the history behind the Rainbow Road and smiles softly. "Every part of this world, huh? This should be fun, then! Just do your best, Ariel!"

    Ayako grabs her broomstick's handle and starts directing it upwards a bit so she can see everyone down below. She keeps up with the group, of course! Just watching to make sure no one gets hurt!

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    If anything, Setsuko's expression seems a bit softer than usual. "Just Setsuko," she replies to Kirika. "Or Kaminagi, if you must be formal. I'm no officer for an event like this." It would perhaps be better for the swordswoman to hang back a little, as Kimiko is; to simply watch. But some part of her is curious. Curious to test herself against a trial which has nothing to do with war, to take part in something positive for once.

    So when Ariel and then Pegasus take off, Setsuko comes in right behind them. Her body is far enough into the superhuman range that she can keep pace easily; though she keeps one hand at her left side at all times, steadying the sword sheathed at her hip. Wouldn't do to have it bouncing around and making things difficult for her, after all.

Rainbow Dash (43) has posed:
    Rainbow Dash's wings beat steadily as she listens to Amalthea. The pegasus rubs at the side of her head, ruffling up the side of her mane a little. "It doesn't look very rainbowy. Or dangerous," She comments, furrowing her brows a little bit. The possible deeper metaphores seem to be lost on the flighty pegasus.

Though what's said brings brings a slight grin to her muzzle. She glances back down the starting path again, then towards Twilight when the unicorn arrives finally. "Heh, this kinda reminds me of-" She gives her head a quick shake. "Nah, forget it!" Her grin becomes fierce. "Count me in!"

    With a flick of those wings, Dash touches down. "Hey, you /want/ a pegasus rival? Because I could totally rival you, buuut you'd have to be way fast on your feet if you wanna keep up with my wings!" Her wings only stay folded for a moment, before they flare out again. They come down quickly, and Dash takes off down the road with the others.

Ellestaria (231) has posed:
    Lest quietly disposes of her soda, then plucks up a pastry or two to tuck into her jacket. "Thank you, Pegasus." She flashes a smile, then shakes her head. "That's because you made up with your sister in a trial of your own, I think. I still remember that battle in the cliffs."

    She lightly hops atop Amalthea's back and takes hold, chuckling a little. "I expect things will get more interesting very shortly, yes?"

    Dash's challenge gets a mild chuckle from Ellestaria as well. "Careful, Rainbow Dash. Ariel seems to be making a habit of rising to impossible challenges."

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley looks briefly surprised by the revelation that this road travels every part of this world... which then makes her pat her own face a couple times as if to wake herself up. She gets into position to prepare before the run even begins. She looks toward Rainbow Dash warily, and then toward Ariel, and then to Ellestaria, and suddenly seems briefly terrified at the prospect of having to keep up with a couple speedsters.

    But she begins to follow everyone without a second of hesitation.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    "A rival isn't necessary, the company here today will serve well enough." Amalthea notes before clearing her throat. "The Rainbow Road passes through the Pink-Grass Plains, into the Hellfire Peaks. From there you'll traverse the christmas land of Kringle, finally ending in the Star Planes. The road can be tracherous, things you will not expect may happen. There may be danger. so go now. For laughs. For luck. For the unknown."
    Thus, Ariel decides to begin, and once Ellestaria is mounted on her back, Amalthea takes off. Though she actually sticks to the back of the group, and obviously giving Ariel space to run on her own legs.
    It's maybe a mile down the dull dirt road that things... Change... The trees begin to thin out; the road remains about the same, dusty and lined with gravel, but the colors take a shift to the surreal, green grass shifting in gradients until the plantlife in any shape or form is a lush and oddly vibrant shade of lively, sugary, pink, the occasional glimmer of a rainbow hanging in the air distantly.
    And then the earth starts to break up. It's not sudden or an earthquake or anything, but as the path moves onwards, there are cracks in the ground, fissures wide enough for the unware to fall through, and presenting natural hurdles to jump over and across, an empty expanse of nothingness visible below for miles and miles before the roiling waves of water in a sea beneath the ground.
    Fae flit through the air excitedly, chasing the group with harrowing burbles of glee, dusting everything and everyone in glitter and burbling happily. Excited and harmless mostly.
    The issue comes in the stars.
    They FALL FROM THE SKY.
    It's a star shower, huge stars the size of cars, gleaming with a soft glow, start crashing into the earth. Amalthea lowers her head and smashes clean through one in her path in a spray of prismatic light and explosing star shards, sending a dancing spray of light everywhere.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Running the road? Nah. Skating the road? Far more interesting. While Ryxinel had created the skates Rhapsody was using for the streets of Ravnica, they seemed to handle the Rainbow Road rather well. However, the skates weren't made JUST for roads. They were totally able to run across the many rooves of Ravnica as well.

    The result? When Rhapsody comes to the first fissure in the road, a small burst of blue mana sends the Guildmaster up and over the gap before coming back down. "That was smooth!" she muses, making a mental note to tell Ryxinel later. This is about the time that Rhapsody's path is full of STAR. Without another thought, a burst of red mana sends her racing forward toward the five-poitned object, "Outta my way!"

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko is already certain that something will break up the scenery soon enough, and Amalthea confirms it shortly after. She continues on, able to ignore the cracks in the ground--or rather, she looks down several until she can spot the water, far below--and takes to cautiously avoiding the fae. This proves increasingly difficult without resorting to acrobatics that the creatures seem too small to really deserve. She almost doesn't see the stars coming down.

    Legs splayed, her Striker spins her and she tumbles to the side, trading speed for maneuverability. Legs together, she trades back, this time watching the sky. She zips low, weaves to the side, narrowly misses yet another, coming close enough to brush her finger-tips over it as her arms spread for balance--and takes a faceful of fairy glitter. That does it.

    She has no time to dodge the next--not when she can barely see in front of her for that half-moment. Her fist pulls back, and it's an armored gauntlet that thrusts forward, striking with stone-shattering force. She hurries, building that engine whine, to catch up the lost distance.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako blinks her eyes quickly when the road starts to... change. Now that's different! The colors are shifting weirdly. But after a while, she just shakes her head slowly and just enjoys it. At least until the glitter. Argh. At least she isn't really a human or it would take months to get all the glitter off of her and her clothes.

    Is... are those cracks on the ground? Ayako looks down concernedly at the people down below. They... they should be fine, right? She looks up in time to see a star shower. How pretty! Err... wait, they're falling and not staying in the sky! "Ice Comet Barrier!" A transparent chunky ice barrier surrounds Ayako and gives off icy mist around her, making her seem very much like an ice comet! And it happens to protect her from the falling stars as well. At least she matches with the stars!

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    In silence does Setsuko run, moving with a smooth, almost graceful agility even while running faster than any ordinary mortal is capable of. She's quite content to keep pace with the pack as long as she can, at least until the ground starts splitting apart and becoming fragmented. At that point, her feet begin taking her on the more convoluted possible route where available, eyes tracking her next leap long before she needs it and feed launching her past packs of fairies time and time again. At least until the huge stars begin barring their way. As soon as she sees it, Zanjintou's sheath is detached from her belt, already a move peculiar to any of those who know her style of swordsmanship.

    The look she briefly shoots Kimiko almost seems to say, 'Watch this.'

    Thirty feet before the star, she still doesn't have her sword drawn. Twenty, she's only just resting her hand on the grip. Fifteen, ten, she still isn't getting ready to attack, perhaps almost worrying. But in the last five feet before impact, something happens almost too fast to follow. A perfect, blindingly fast quickdraw. Utterly unlike the demigod's usual balanced, forceful style. By the time she's through the debris, Zanjintou is back in her sheath and she's leaping to the next piece of broken earth.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    As Kirika drives across the road, she kicks the engine into overdrive, speeding along with the pack as she tries to avoid the fae and cracks in the road. This is going to be a bit of a dicey run, given the road hazards. She yanks the bike upwards by the handlebars, before suddenly making a leap across one of the cracks, and romping off a convienent ramp across one of the expanses of nothing.

    She then draws her shield out of the bag-of-holding she has tied to the saddlebag of the bike, using it to knock away falling stars whenever they get too close for comfort in her descent.

    One lucky hit manages to cause a star to explode in a shower of sparks and light, and the vixen's bike carries on without a beat missed.

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     As Twilight continues along, she is watching the terrain as much, if not more, than the runners. The change in colors as they run is quite amazing! And there are pixies following them! This seems like a magical land, as much as Equestria perhaps!

     Twilight is more than happy to be running this road right now. Even the fissures are little more than small hurdles even to a pony like herself.

     Falling stars? Those are a different story. Twilight's eyes widen as she sees them falling. "Wh-...literal falling stars?!" she exclaims before several are broken apart by her fellow runners, showering them in stardust. As one approaches Twilight, her horn glows brightly and a shield forms around her before she charges that star, shattering it similarly and offering protection to anyone who wants it. She keeps the shield up for now, smashing through any other stars that get in her way.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley is only grateful for her ability to fly in this run when she sees the cracks in the path. She puffs a sigh as she doesn't see anything that could impede a flying creature, relaxing into the pace. This makes it distinctly easy for something probably hilarious to happen.

    Ainsley gets distracted by fairy dust in her face. The sparkles make her unhappy, because she gets them all over her clothes, and she really hates when that gets on her because she can never get it out of her feathers. What's even worse is that she almost gets struck by a falling star, the shining object swishing past her head and causing a loud bird-like squawk out of her, the sheer shock and terror obvious in how puffed up her feathers get and how wide her eyes are.

    Now she is more on alert for what's coming, carefully avoiding sparkly dust and stars as they come down. Except for one star, forced to electro-punch it to keep up her pace with a matching 'BZZZAP' noise.

Ariel (219) has posed:
One could almost literally say that this is the sort of situation Ariel was made for. The tiny unicorn is moving at a fair clip already, trailing her own sparkles. She doesn't leave behind rainbow glitter like her equine mother does, but she still has a bright aura about her.

Then things get to be treacherous, and she, despite her earlier nervousness, is already dealing. Like a mountain goat, Ariel leaps from one part to the next, bounding across the chasms that open up. "Nnn, it'll get hard soon, I'm sure..." This much? This she can deal with. She's a unicorn.

That's why when the stars begin to fall, Amalthea will be happy to see how Ariel reacts. A leap forward, a sudden lunge of speed, and her horn lowers automatically. She's gotten good at ramming things, over the last couple years, smashing through a falling star in mid-leap to land with all fours on the road again, taking off at a quick trot. In fact, the most worrisome part is how she glances back, checking on the others following her.

Rainbow Dash (43) has posed:
    After her first burst ahead, Rainbow Dash actually checks her speed and lets the others catch up. As much as she itched for a good race, what the path looked like reminded her of a certain lesson. One that she didn't really want to re-learn. Instead she takes to looping and rolling just above the heads of the others, flitting around the faeries. And getting a good face full of pixie dust in the process. "-AAACHOO!" SNRRF. "Ugh, I think I'm allergic to sparkles," She says, rubbing her face with a forelimb. "Oh great, now it's on my hoof!"

    With a quick burst of speed, Dash tries to leave some of the faries behind. "Leave me alone you crazy sparkle-WHOA!" Dash flares her wings abruptly, bringing herself to a sharp mid air stop just as a massive star falls right in front of her. "Uh, I've heard of falling stars, but that's just crazy!"

    Another flap of those wings, and Dash puts on a burst of speed, but this time it's not to avoid the faeries or take any lead. It's to avoid the painful stars from the sky! She flits and swerves, zigging and zagging back and forth in aerial acrobatics between the falling as they fall all around her.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    In brilliant blazing explosions, stars are smashed asunder, bathing everything in shards of color. The crags are getting a little more far between, resulting in a need for much longer leaps, thankfully there are convenient hurdles and natural ramps at the end of every edge allowing for vehicles to soar just as easily as leapers and flyers.
    But there's something else leaping.
    A squeal and chittering hello starts to sound off from below, and with mighty SPLASHES, something leaps up from the waters below.
    Streaks of white and silver jump up between the chasms, with sweet chirruping clicks and squeals as a whole pod of dolphins perform jumps that are way too high to be feasible, as if to wish the little unicorn and all accompanying her well on her path, all the way to the borders of the Pink-Grass Plains, eventually the happy squeals and giggling of fairies dying down as the scenery starts to change again.
    The colors die down, grass withers, as the road is reduced to a red and black dust, and the temperature rises.
    The Hellfire Fields are aptly named, floating continents of mountains visible in the distant horizon, the roat and distant vistas festooned with immense bones of creatures fantastical and nonsensical, large rolling wheels of spikes seemingly rolling towards the runners in an attempt to fend off this intrusion. But the fact of the matter is... Holy shit the whole place looks like the cover of a heavy metal album.
    Something odd is occuring though... It may be subtle, it may be blatant, but. Amalthea's plating has turned a midnight black, features becoming more monstrous and skeletal, her normally rainbow mane and tail are now made of FIRE. Though it won't burn her rider.
    Holy shit she looks like something out of a heavy metal album.
    And others might experience something similar to themselves or their vehicles.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Dolphins! In fact, if the road goes low enough, Rhapsody would be almost close enough to reach out and touch them. At least being near the water helps deal with all the dust and glitter and shiny and AUGH MAKE IT STOP.

    Murphy smiles.

    A few jumps and the landscape starts to change. The hellfire fields appear to everyone, and now Rhapsody feels like she's marching straight into Rix Maadi. Clearly Rakdos would love to have a summer home here. At least the stars seemed to have stopped? "Well this is very... different!"

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Watching others was Kimiko's reason to be here, so it is something she attempts to do. Attempts, in-between dancing around meteors(?) and driving herself through fist-first. She does watch Setsuko, in apparent calm, briefly occluded by a falling mass before that mass is reduced to debris. Mn. That is different. She looks for Ariel immediately after, and murmurs some approval to see that the younger unicorn takes to this obstacle in the same way as the elder. For her part, this heightens Kimiko's own feeling that the way through this obstacle really is to go /through/, and that suits her fine.

    Dolphins? Those are--some very, very high leaps from the water.

    They enter the Hellfire Fields, and here the lack of ground continues to prove no problem to the flying Puella, but the differing heights still do pose some trouble. She's trying to keep reasonably low, to stay with the others, and that means that she still needs to duck below or pull up above some of the floating islands. That much is easy enough, but--

    Why has her armor turned black and spiked, down to the previously polished-silver of her Striker? Well, no time to worry about that.

    Kimiko twirls to the side, dancing through the air as she avoids the spiked wheels. If only they were going the opposite direction, she might be able to use them for something, but here they're just a hindrance. That's what they're for(?), so it's no real surprise, but it's still a hindrance.

    If there's one thing spiked armor is good for, it's ramming into whatever's in the way. The spikes on her armor have nothing to do with the chain whip she summons a moment later, spinning it in front of her to latch against a wheel in motion and spin it around her, letting go to let it fall as she breaks orbit and continues on her way--and any appropriateness of the weapon's imagery to her armor's transformation is just coincidence.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber is totes here, despite his player being caught in phone calls repeatedly. When the world transitions to the Hellfire Fields, Psyber's car morphs around him. Thanks to Chrysanthemum's enchantments, the car will recover from the dented fender and cracked headlights from plowing through a few obstacles along the way.

    The new terrain morphs his vehicle, causing it to begin trailing fire behind itself from its new, matte-grey exterior with skulls and spikes. Psyber seems to, if nothing else, be enjoying a nice and relaxing drive.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako glances down to make sure everyone's okay after those falling stars. Everyone seems to be okay! That's always good! When the chittering begins, Ayako looks in the direction of them and then waves cheerfully at the dolphins jumping! She blinks her eyes quickly as the scenery begins to slowly change into something else. Ungh. Heat. Good thing she already has her barrier up. Although the ice slowly melts and instead becomes a misty barrier of water.

    "Whoa, that's qutie the mood change!" Ayako glances downwards at the Hellfire Fields and blinks her eyes quickly. While the place itself doesn't change Ayako, Ayako decides to change her outfit herself on her own! In a puff of black mist, she changes form abruptly into something that matches this place. Her clothing is very gothic lolita-with a pair of horns on her head. And thus, Demon Lord Ayako continues to fly on wings of an inky black liquid coming from her back. "Kyahahah! This should be fun!"

Maya has posed:
Maya gets an idea as she's along with everyone else who have been invited to run the road as well. She speeds on after the others moving hard moving fast and she's head butting the stars as she keeps going this is crazy and she's loving it. Maya's not as fast as some but with a well timed speed spell she's able to keep up and this has her with a bit of a grin on her face. She soon finds the Hellfire Field and think they remind her much of her home. She also notices that Amalthea has gone utterly Metal.

Maya normally looks a bit metalish but it get worse now her shoulder pauldrons get spikes her outfit /covers/ less, her tattoos turn blood red. They are also also glowing now. What's left of her clothing goes a twisted mix of mail, leather cloth, her hair also turns bright elemental red.

She's also not stopped headbutting stars as she goes.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    DOLPHINS. Kirika has no idea what to make of these weird sea-mammal things, and she tries not to pay too much attention to them as she makes another leap across a gap in the roads. Coated in sparkles, she seems to carry on despite looking RIDICULOUS considering the shower of glitter she just got punk'd by.

    Fucking glitter's gonna take hours to wash out of her hair when this is over. WOrst. Shower. Ever.

    Of course, the race transitions towards the Hellfire Fields, and the mood darkens considerably.

    Kirika's eyes glow red now, and her skin grows pale as she begins to trail fire behind her with her motorcycle's wheels unlike a certain hellish biker demon, but otherwise her appearance isn't so drastically changed as others may be.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    The longer leaps leave Setsuko soaring smoothly, from landing spot to landing spot with only the briefest spots of running in between anymore. But she doesn't mind. Even the dolphins joining them only seem fitting for such a peaceful run.

    That's before everything changes, though. Bones and spikes, ash and menace. An entirely more menacing place than the one they just left behind. It's somewhat to Setsuko's chagrin that she actually feels less out-of-place here.

    And looking around to see her allies changing in some small way to match the terrain, it is perhaps even more to her chagrin that she looks down to herself to see no alterations to herself or her outfit whatsoever.

    But no time to dwell, really. If one of those spiked obstacles gets in her way, all there is for it is to cleave it in twain, just as before.

Ariel (219) has posed:
The dolphins get a laugh from Ariel, tossing her mane hello in mid-leap, and once even doing a double jump in midair. Yeah she's showing off JUST a little. But this is pretty fun for her, really! As long as nobody is getting hurt, right?

When things turn noticeably darker, Ariel is... okay with this, since she does understand it's supposed to be a challenge. Her change isn't as extreme as her mother's, as she merely darkens into a deep green plating, and her mane becomes flowing liquid silver that leaves trails of sparkling embers of red behind her.

Ellestaria (231) has posed:
    Riding atop Amalthea, Lest has to tighten her hands a few times, keeping hold of her wife and... okay, maybe she's more stressed than she lets on. While her face is impassive and she doesn't shout out or anything, there's on major difference with how Ellestaria normally looks, and how she is riding.

    Her tail is showing.

    "Are you certain this is safe?" she calls out in Amalthea's ear.

Rainbow Dash (43) has posed:
    By the time that Rainbow Dash is free of the star field, her hooves are covered in glitter from kicking the falling stars out of the sky. But she barely even looks winded. If anything, she looks excited. As she dips down back towards the others, there's a fierce grin on the pegasus's muzzle. "Now this is what I'm talking about! Danger and excitement, my two favorite things!" A brief pause, "Okay, two of my favorite things."

    The change in scenery isn't lost upon Dash though. She dips even lower to the ground, frowning a little bit. "The hay is up with-Whoa!" Dash stares at her forelimbs outstretched before her, which are now sporting a pair of leather, spiked legbands. The scarf around her neck has become a spiked collar, with flames rippling out the back of it, mingling harmlessly with her mane. Even her goggles look a bit less steampunk, and now sport horned edges and a reddish tint to their lenses.

    "Now this rocks!"

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight Sparkle is having a harder and harder time jumping those chasms, until she is finally having to leap and land on things that are floating above the chasms before leaping on to the road again. Then...dolphins! Dolphins are so cute and fun! Twilight smiles happily to them as they jump around the runners. Of course, she is only a normal Equestrian unicorn, not a super agile pegasus or a used to this sort of thing robot unicorn. She slips on one of her leaps, and with a girly scream starts plummeting down a pit. Then, she remembers that she is an Equestrian unicorn of special talents for magic. So, her horn glows, her form disappears in a burst of sparkles, and she reappears on the road, running along again. Twilight wipes at her brow as she keeps going.

     Then, the scenery changes. Twilight is again looking around, and her eyes widen as she sees many of the others changing appearance. She doesn't even notice that her own mane and tail have burst into flames the same color as her mane usually is. Dark purple flames curl up and back from her as she runs, while lighter purple and bright pink tongues of flame puff up in the midst of the other flames. As this is happening, a dark metal chestplate forms on her, along with metal cuffs, all sporting spikes, and a long cape of dark purple appears around her shoulders while a helmet made for a unicorn appears on her head.

     This is a very unusual look for Twilight, and it is only after she has noticed Rainbow Dash's change that she decides...okay, it is kind of cool. She smirks just a bit as she continues running, now as a hellsteed in dark armor.

Pegasus (189) has posed:
    Normally, Pegasus has white plating. As she dashes and jumps, she spreads her wings, but doesn't fire the jets. She's trying not to cheat. She does at least dodge the falling stars rather than smash through them.

    Then things get metal. Pegasus laughs, flicking her wings out as she changes to a gunmetal gray color instead of the normal silver and white. When her wings spread, the feathers are a splay of short blades instead of feathers, making a slick noise of moonsteel on moonsteel when she spreads them.

    "Enjoy yourself, Lest!" She calls out. "We're not going to let anything happen!"

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    Every footfall, every storming hoof, every tire tread leaves a trail of flames on scorched earth, as the moon rides high in the night sky over the scorched planes. It's probably best to not look down for each jump, for beneath the road is nothing but molten magma, which means a fall will end every badly as the chargers smash their way through spiked wheels and race down the burning trail of skulls.
    "It's perfectly safe." Amalthea replies, her voice a horrible wailing scream. "As long as no one falls or crashes!"
    So this is actually fairly dangerous. But the strange running procession is joined by a riotous screech, skeletal metal fish leaping and screaming out of the lava below. They are not dolphins. They are not FRIENDLY, but not aggressive either as they follow the rest of the way.
    The scenery shift is abrupt and sudden however, a large wall of ice jutting from out of nowhere. It is really high and steep, and crossing onto it means a sudden SNAP chill as the air turns into a blizzard, the path dotted with immensely huge christmas lights and candy canes, gingerbread houses big enough to house people can be seen off in the beyond.
    Amalthea isn't looking so metal anymore. Instead she's wearing a green sweater. And has antlers duct taped to the side of her head and a red lightbulb flickering on her nose.
    "Hey guys. Remember this?"
    It's the land of Kringle, festive eternally throughout the year. "Once we get through here, things are going to get weird. --Halfway point, Ariel!" Amalthea notes.
    Things already ARE getting weird, christmas gifts floar in the air, wrapped in festive wrappers. If you smash into one, it'll open up and actually have something nice in it but bewary of opening your gifts early this year!

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Darting and dashing again and again, the act of travelling the Rainbow Road has become a matter of almost automatic movement for the swordswoman of silver hair. She almost expects the oncoming change in scenery to be some sort of desolate, cold place full of silent splendor, contracting the dark aggression of this place and the bright peacefulness of before.

    It is to her eternal surprise that when her boots hit snow-covered path, they are red lined with white fur. And she doesn't notice the Santa hat on her head until several paces into the new land.

    There is a brief glance in the direction of the others, Kimiko in particular. If anything EVER looked like even the vaguest hint of embarrassment from Setsuko, it's the expression she wears now.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    "Never been here! Is there something I should know?!" Rhapsody calls out at the sudden change in weather is. A glance is given to Amalthea, she stares, then turns her attention back to the road just in time to JUMP when she really needed to jump. "Almost bad!" So close.

    Halfway? "Halfway?! We're making great time, you'll pull it off Ariel! Keep up the pace!" Rhapsody calls out, trying to give the young unicorn some motiviation. "We should have came here a few months ago! Unless you did, and I missed it, in which case, CARRY ON!"

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley had found herself going through the whole Metal Region without much of a change. All the color sapped out of her for the duration, and what looked like blood dripped from the corners of her mouth as she flew along with everyone else, seeming to keep up perfectly fine. She smiles as they all fly along, enjoying the harrowing experience now that she has gotten into the swing of things.

    A blast of cold hits her in the face. The only warning is, first, the dip in her flight path and the gasp and wheeze she makes from the painful sensation. Despite trying to fight past it, the cold makes her pass out, and she falls out of the air and lands on one of the patches of land, leaving a furrow in the snow.

    Ainsley is cold-blooded. She's not going to be okay if she's left behind like that. Even if she has been dressed up with festive antlers and bright red robes.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Despite her appearance, Ayako does look down at everyone to make sure they're all okay. She's hiding it by figuratively looking down at them, with her arms crossed and a smug expression on her face, though. What? She's acting like a Demon Lord right now. It is dangerous, after all.

    And then the scenery shifts abruptly! Ayako quickly changes her clothing and appearance again to match! She's dressed in her blue winter clothing now, looking like a snow fairy. Well, a really big snow fairy, but still. "Wait. Waaait. Things aren't weird, YET?" She giggles brightly. "Now I'm looking forward to what lies ahead!" And then catches a present before it crashes into her. She doesn't open it, though. It's not Christmas! That would be rude! She does pocket it though with a, "Oh. Thank you, wintery land!"

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    The twin streaks of flame left through the air in Kimiko's passage cut off rather abruptly in cold air. Her armor flashes into being over her, at least from the waist up. She's protected by her magic, but the several layers of armor--particularly the padding beneath the chain--can be rather warm. It does not look particularly festive, the reasons for this being uncertain.

    Kimiko is hesitant to smash straight through giant gift boxes, or to otherwise break them. She looks to the others, now holding off on showing off and taking the paths of less resistance--and looking in particular to share a glance with Setsuko, if only for a moment before she twists again through the air, avoiding rather than destroying a massive gift box.

    This causes a jingling of bells, but it's coming from inside her armor.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Oh god this place

    Kirika is absolutely horrified as she feels a cold snap hit her like a truck. Her demonic appearance disappears thankfully, but she is clearly not prepared for a drive in weather this cold. Next time she's springing for some damned biker leathers, that's for certain. At the least she seems to have a sweater and a tacky santa hat to keep her somewhat warm, however.

    Her bike has reindeer horns and the front light is bright red now, and there are Christmas lights EVERYWHERE.

    "Didn't we just get out of winter?" she groans to herself, glad there's no lava to worry about at least, but she has other things to worry about.

    Her bike smashes through one of the gifts, and Kirika squeaks in panic as she's momentarily blinded.

Ariel (219) has posed:
Ariel remembers this place! She giggles as she plows through a snowdrift, looking mostly normal again... except for the santa cap on her head, which appeared out of nowhere. "Weird, you say? It's nice! I haven't been on a tour of this world even if it's for half of me!"

Ariel is still moving fast, but this is partially because she's cheating. The little unicorn is running /on/ the snow, not through it, with her hooves barely dusting the surface as if she weighed next to nothing.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber's Corvette is now drawn by reindeer, weirdly enough. They're not REAL, and in fact everything on his car from the steering wheel and forward has been replaced by reins and a pair of reindeer that dash through the trail and pull Psyber along.

    "This better fix my car when it's done, Amalthea! It was a gift from that woman who took your swearing!" Psyber shouts, tugging the reins on his new Carriage-vette and trying to steer it along the path properly.

Maya has posed:
SO things are metal as hell right now as she keeps going at a high speed soons he casts another spell as she gets wings made of fire, and does not fly but uses them to help with some crazy jums this doesn't last long as soon they are now well in Kringle land, she in a more sneable christmas outfit and her wings seem to be made out of snow at this point as she moves along.

Rainbow Dash (43) has posed:
    Ordinarily, the cold doesn't bother weather pegasi much. But the abrupt shift from super hot to super cold hits Rainbow Dash like a brick. She yelps, forelimbs wrapping around her chest out of instinct. "What the hay! What place goes from crazy lava land to crazy winter... land...?" She trails off, glancing around her. "Hooold on, this place looks familiar..."

    As Dash glances around, there's the sound of jingling bells. A collar of bells is wrapped around her neck, looking festive in red and gold. Reindeer antlers are perched atop her head, sticking out amongst her mane. And on the end of her nose, there's a red light glowing.

"Oh come on!" Reindeer Dash goes crosseyed glaring at the glowing nose. "Ugh, this place again? Watch out for giant candy canes, guys."

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako quickly spots Ainsley going down. It takes her a moment to figure out what's going on... but once she does, she quickly flies down and thrusts her palms forward. "Winter Warming!" And a warm mist forms around Ainsley and stays around her to heat her back up.

    Ayako's floating broomstick zooms over to Ayako as she jumps back onto it and scoops up Ainsley from the snow, seating her carefully onto the place just in front of the brush and behind her. She's fallen a bit behind everyone else, so a stream of water blasts out from the brush to catch them back up! As they fly, Ayako checks on Ainsley to make sure she isn't seriously hurt. "Hmm... Ainsley... are you okay?"

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight Sparkle gasps as that cold air hits, but horses are pretty well equipped to handle cold, even without help. Still, she starts to use her magic to summon a scarf. Until she realizes that...she is wearing one! And somehow a little string of twinkling lights has wrapped itself around her horn. And a candycane striped leggings have appeared on her legs!

     Twilight giggles a bit before realizing...Ainsley is falling! Twilight skids to a stop as Ainsley lands in the snow. "Ainsley!" she cries out worriedly. Reptiles are cold-blooded! Twilight runs over to Ainsley quickly and finds Ayako already working on her. And picking her up! Twilight runs alongside Ayako, watching Ainsley.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    "Motherfucker!" Amalthea calls back to the half-angel in some mild surprise. "That thing's a gift from HER?" Well it looks like Amalthea has her cussing back, as the reindeericorn storms along the path. "Consider this your crash course, Ariel."
    Literally considering the giant ICE BOULDERS in the way.
    For the record, when Kirika bashes into the gift, there is a very lovely kimono inside. Someone must have been thinking of her.
    Nevertheless, Amalthea said to stop for nothing, though she casts a glance back at the first sign of Ainsley's distress. Ariel is the one who must run the road here, so Amalthea can double back if necessary. However Ayako and Twilight have her student taken care of in hand and hoof. So ever onward this odd race continues.
    "Looking pretty seasonal there, Setsuko." Teased lightly as she leaps over a fallen but massive candycane.
    Now is where things get weird. Again, another strange and nonsensical transition as temperatures warm and snow melts to green grasses. But the foliage makes no sense. Now every segment of the road is broken into floating platforms of land, small continents of forest, some of firs and evergreens, some of bamboo thickets, some of lushly wooded forest land, others of swamplike mires.
    "We're on the borderlands to the Star Plains."
    This is where changes might make no sense.
    Because Ellestaria is now riding a massive, metal, wolf, complete with shaggy rainbow mane.
    Amalthea looks about as excited as a golden retriever, black tongue lolling out the whole way.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako continues flying forward, being careful to evade the giant ice boulders. After all, she's carrying a patient right now! She continues to warm up Ainsley... being cold-blooded must be horrible during Winter! "Come on... wake up..."

    But of course, since she's carrying someone, she has to look back forward. It wouldn't do to get Ainsley in trouble if she crashed into something. Err... well. Things are starting to just simply not make sense. But she has something for a situation like this! Ayako quickly splits into two nine year old twin girls. They look like young Ayakos and are dressed in identical clothing-except for the colors! One is dressed in red and the other is dressed in blue. Not to mention, the red one is in front of the broom, eagerly and brightly glancing about. The blue one is behind her sister and is keeping an eye on Ainsley, a more serious and quiet look on her face. It's the twins, Aya and Yako!

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    At this point, Setsuko has given up trying to decipher what sort of land they're entering or what it might do to her. She will simply run, and take the changes as they come. There are many things she might have expected this new, wild place to turn her into; a tiger, a charging warhorse, some kind of fast and darting predator or mighty beast of some sort.

    Once again, this world thoroughly surprises her in what it does to her.

    At this point, the demigod has no choice but to fly. The form she's assumed is much less useful for darting and leaping, but it's perfect, if anything, for winding its way through the skies. Glimmering blue scales gleam in the sunlight, sending motes of reflected light flickering across the landscape, and making it even more difficult to miss her long, winding form gracefully soaring along above Ariel and alongside Kimiko.

    The demigod of war has become a great, azure eastern dragon.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika is very confused at the kimono, but she won't look a gift...thing in the mouth. Stuffing the kimono into her bag of holding, she then blazes along the road, doing well enough to not get hit by boulders considering her skills with motorbikes being...poor, at least in terms of handling that is.

    As she enters this new realm, everything changes.

    Glowing black fur with red streaks are seen as a blurr of speed streaks across the road, and Kirika's form becomes that of a massive fox padding across the road nimbly, managing to keep pace with the rest of the group easily.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
And now things have gone super weird! The scenery continues to change, some people are changing form, and before she even realizes it, Rhapsody's actually surging down the Rainbow Road, on all fours, in her true form! (GASP). Part of her is shocked at this fact, but the other part of her shoves the first part aside. SHE IS GOING TO ENJOY THIS DANG IT! With the decision made, Rhapsody's charge down the road surges, legs sending her higher and lower along the fragmented road as needed. Oddly, she's not using her wings at all!

Psyber (253) has posed:
    How did this even happen? Psyber isn't even IN the car any more. Instead, he's a semi-giant who is using the car as a skateboard. The huge half-angel pushes his foot against the ground to get some momentum going as his Board-vette makes a stereotypical skateboard sound instead of the rumble of an engine it was making moments ago.

    The next time Psyber encounters an obstacle in his way, he does a kickflip into a totally sweet railgrind to shatter the obstacle before landing and continue to car-board.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    There's no apparent change to Kimiko when they pass into this new area, though her helmet promptly disappears, just for the sake of widening her vision. She takes a precious moment to look away from Ariel and back toward Ainsley, but sees that that is being handled, and trusts that it really will be. Ayako is a healer, isn't she? She's pretty sure that was mentioned at some point.

    The changes happen rapidly, and Kimiko dodges and dashes as needed, still keeping to a bit behind the star of the run. It's when they pass through a bamboo forest that the first change of her appearance is visible, with her armor morphing into into layers of small, square segments, covering her shoulders, chest and back, tiny studs holding each into place. A glance down has her make a confused sound, muttering, "Qin dynasty..."

    But it doesn't last. An icier clime has her armor changing again, this time including a long robe over chain, open in the front but covered over the back by a full-sized wolf pelt. This seems to meet more with the Puella's approval, though it must be too hot for those Hellfire-like islands, with the way the air keeps changing.

    And then Setsuko is beside her, and... Kimiko blinks, then smiles.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley doesn't wake up immediately when warmed up. It's gradual, as Ayako flies along to catch up with the rest of them. She carefully reaches to grab the water girl, baffled by the smell of fresh water in front of her. And then there's a moment where she looks shocked, and looks between the two of them. "As long as we don't hit anymore cold spots, I should be fine," she assures Ayako and Twilight, and then leaves the flying broom and flies under her own power.

    Once the group hits the next part, she goes from normal form to 'some manner of priestess' as her ordinarily modest clothing turns into a weird feather skirt and headdress, and the air around her begins sparkling for whatever reason with yellow and red motes of light. And she has grown a tiny pair of wings. She apparently doesn't need a top! God bless being a reptile, in this instance, no modesty worries.

    "This is fun!" she shouts in clear Spanish. "Besides the freezing part."

Ariel (219) has posed:
A glance back reassures Ariel that Ainsley is all right. That's good, because she'd started to slow down at first. This means she has to put on a burst of speed to rush through an ice boulder, shattering it into snowfall.

Four legs kick off, but only two land... with two large feet. A bright green rabbit is what is bounding off as the terrain and everyone else changes again. Yeah, that's right, Ariel is a rabbit now, and she's bounding in leaps and double leaps through the terrain, letting out a little squeak as large, loppy ears flutter with every bound. The various platforms make it a pretty good form for this, don't they? It's like a Sonic game or something.

    Gotta go fast!

Maya has posed:
Maya calls out to Amalthea

"This has had to have been one of the more crazy but enjoy able things I done in ages, Amalthea."

Maya dropped out of the holiday look that's where things get strange idea. The next thing Maya knows she's what could be argued a magical girl costume her hair has got even longer, it's also glowing blue now. She's covered in bows for a good but and has a skirt, thankfully there are biker shorts under it, and thigh high boots. Maya just doesn't know anymore and she's also holding a rod with seven rings about it. Magical Lyrical Maya Defender of Septerra?! Maya would have been frozen in shock years ago, now she just laughs and keep moving!

"I think this one just made my list, Amalthea!"

Maya's however clearly happy, and enjoying herself.

Rainbow Dash (43) has posed:
    With the land of winter left behind and her crazy holiday get up along with it, Rainbow Dash breaths a sigh of relief. "Yeah, had enough of winter. Bring on the next one!" She flashes a grin, wings twisting in the back to lift her higher.

But that grin is different. Fangs show underneath Rainbow's lips, making it a much more fierce grin than usual. The muzzle is shorter and feline, ears rounding out. The mane is the same, but that blue coat becomes sprinkled with spots that go from red near the face, orange at the shoulders, yellow at her midsection, then green, blue and purple down sleak hips and a long, feline tail that ends in a rainbow tuft.

    "... Okay," Rainbow Cheetah says. "Diiidn't expect that one." Wings continue to beat for a few paces, but for once, Dash has the urge to run. She hits the ground on broad paws and narrow legs that flex briefly, before she bolts off with incredible acceleration. "Whoa, check out this run speed!"

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight Sparkle is running along, keeping an eye on Ainsley and being festive, and then...she is a vampire, who is trailing sparkles as she runs. Twilight blinks in surprise when she notices the change in perspective and the pale human skin. Of course, she can't see her red eyes or her flowing black hair with a single purple and pink stripe running through it. "Wait...what just happened?" she asks before running her tongue over her sharp fangs. Still, she keeps running, even as she watches just about everyone else change. Perhaps most impressive is Rhapsody going full dragon, but Rainbow Cheetah also grabs her attention. Twilight takes a moment, then just giggles and shakes her head. "This road is rather chaotic."

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    Amalthea weaves through Psyber's legs as he carboards along the path, before a bounding leap- and then a double leap lands her on the tail of the great blue eastern dragon. Paws scrabble on scales briefly before the metal wolf sprints along Setsuko's back before bounding off her head, dog-paddling at the air, tongue still lolling out.
    So unicorn. Very doge. Much run. Wow.
    But then the forests and trees die away, the earth on every platform fading to cratered rust colored dust. When Amalthea lands, she's carrying Ellestaria in her arms, bridal style. Just like that the fun and games are over as true forms return and now the true reason the Rainbow Road gets its name becomes apparent...
    The sky empties of clouds, revealing a pattina of stars and constellations, familiar and alien, a pure view of hundreds upon hundreds of thousand stars dappling the late morning skies, two absolutely massive planets rising in the distance, one ringed and one a swirling gas giant of vivid color. Floating continents and mountains loom in their shadow, waterfalls flowing endlessly off their edges to the hollow craters off in the beyond, the fall and spray of water painting the skies in endless color.
    And then comes the song... A haunting, eerie, and massive sound echoing beside the path as an enormous blue whale floats serenely by, watching the runners with one eye, as a school of gigantic seahorses, each the size of a city skyscraper swim through the air in an orbit around it.
    Of course, the first vestiges of soft oranges and yellows beginning to show on the western horizon says Ariel has best hurry.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley's form reverts as quickly as it had changed all of those times, giving her only a moment of shock from the difference. She quickly catches up the rest of the group, flying through the air with a soft brush of wind and the howl of a breeze following along with her. Her arms are held out at her sides, despite not needing to do that to steer herself.

    "YOU CAN DO IT, ARIEL!!" she shouts, when she realizes that time is getting tight, "Goooo!"

Ariel (219) has posed:
Just like that, everyone is back to normal. Ariel lands on all fours again, and this time she's pushing herself. A toss of her head and a light laugh are sent back at the encouraging words. "Thanks, Ainsley!" A spark alights at each hoof, and the pace of the little unicorn doubles as she puts in the energy she's been saving into a final gallop. It looks like it's time to make the final stretch.

Yet she still has time to giggle and laugh at the seahorses, at first. She calls out, "Nice to meet you!" Dangerous or not, Ariel was born to run, and it's been a long time since she could really throw herself into it. Sparkles may be involved.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Aya, who happens to be the red clothed twin, squees with glee as she flies forward and takes in the sights. Especially taking in the sights of how everyone is changing. "Hee! This is just plain weird fun!" Yako, who happens to be the blue clothed twin, solemnly nods her head slowly in response to Ainsley. "I see." She smiles a very small smile that nonetheless is very warm as Ainsley leaves the broom.

    Of course, Aya recklessly does an aileron roll as she continues to fly with the group. Yako sighs softly and shakes her head as she quietly watches everyone.

    And then the scenery changes once more. Aya claps her hands together cheerfully. "Whoa, pretty!" Yako quietly notes the time and the changing colors in the sky. "But... we're starting to run out of time..." The two think for a moment... and then both nod at the same time. The twins vanish in a puff of mist and Witch Ayako resumes riding on her broomstick.

    "Go for it, Ariel!"

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Back to normal, for Kimiko, seems to mean her armor disappearing, revealing just her normal... magical girl outfit. For her, that is normal.

    She turns, and spots the whale the moment she hears it. That is--certainly a thing, and for all it seems too big to do so, it must be moving very quickly to be going past them. She turns again, toward the morning light, and then zips off from Setsuko and lower--but Ariel is already sprinting forward. It's not as if she needs a warning that time is running out, but the magical girl still flanks one side.

    "Nearly there," she adds, this time needing to focus on her speed, to avoid anything that'll slow her down. Nearly there.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    For the time that the robowolf spends on the great blue dragon's back, it holds steady, not even winding as it soars through the air anymore. A stable section of 'track' for just a little while. And then it flies a long loop around Kimiko, before dipping back down closer to the ground, just in time for the changes to release their hold. Feet hit the ground without missing a beat, and then Setsuko is running as if she'd never stopped. Her eyes only briefly go to the horizon, confirming the encroaching time, and then to Ariel herself just long enough to confirm the faster pace. And then the demigod turns on the speed herself, determined to see the young unicorn to the finish line, so to speak.

Rainbow Dash (43) has posed:
    When the stronger, swifter legs fade away, Rainbow Dash stumbles over her own, old legs. She goes tumbling, rolling on the broken part of the land. But as soon as she skids to a stop, her wings flare out. In an instant, she's back in the air again, leaving a trail of colors in her wake. "Whoa... Now THIS is a rainbow road!" Wings beat harder, Dash speeding just along the land.

    "Come on, let's do it!" She says, grinning as she quickly makes up for lost time. "Move those hooves, Ariel!"

Maya has posed:
Maya fades back to normal junker Maya at this point and she's having a good time, so far as she runs along with eveyrone she watches Ariel goe and she calls out.

"Come on your almost there your not going to let us out pace you, are you!?"

Maya's clealry in a very good mood tday as she takes in the sight before her.

"Amalthea the view here is amazing!"

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight smiles as Ainsley assures her that she is alright. Then, Twilight is in awe as she watches the metal wolf run along the beautiful blue dragon above her.

     Then, poof! They are back to normal and...Twilight is in even more awe as a gigantic blue whale and just as gigantic seahorses swim by. "Oh my...this is amazing!" Twilight says, though she is panting from the long run and sweating a bit. "We are almost there! Let's finish strong, everyone!" Twilight calls out, trying not to get too distracted by the scenery. Which is not easy. Planets and blue whales and rainbows? It is a miracle Twilight has not stopped by now.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber has had a strange journey tonight. From car, to heavy metal car, to sleigh, to carboarding, and now back to car. When Amalthea passes through his giant legs, Psyber lands on the ground and then abruptly is back in his car as if nothing had ever changed.

    The half-angel takes in the sights with a quiet sort of contemplation as he goes. He's not the kind to outwardly show genuine amazement, especially lately, but he does appreciate the sights. The car he's in probably trails at the middle or back of the pack, watching the others as they go about their runs.

    The half-angel takes a few moments to take another cigarette out of his pocket and light it before tapping it into the ash tray.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    All this travelling, and now Rhapsody is also back to normal, on her skates, in her jacket, and rushing on after everyone, Ariel included. "Keep it up!" she calls out, blue mana pumping into the blades to keep her moving that much faster, and jumping that much farther. "You got this!" The view, here? Incredible. "Whoa.."

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Fox turns into a vixen riding a motorcycle, and Kirika goes back to riding along the road once again. "About time." she mutters, before she gazes out to the stars. "Mm..." She definitely appreciates the view, but she needs to stay focused on the road lest she crash.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    Giant whales. Massive seahorses... And then the dolphins return once again. Sweet squeals of glee sounding off as they splash up and leap alongside the platforms and paths Ariel takes, as if escorting the tiny unicorn for the last leg of the road.
    Because it is the last leg of the road, the starry vista beyond almost endlessly painting the distance in starlight, as the seahorses and whale sing and blurble in reply, as if further cheering on this strange, but fast paced procession but...
    It's not that dangerous. Aside from the occasional fallen star in the road that's easily bashed aside, or the occasional Star Giant... Star Giant?
    STAR GIANT! HOLY SHIT.
    A bipedal mass of rocks, at least fifteen feet tall, with a glimmering star for its very head, at least six of them roam upon the group, beating their rocky chests in implied threat. The stars that make up their heads glow, coronas of rainbow light fizzling off the five points before each unleashes a prismatic rainbow beam. It's astoundingly threatening in appearance as the colorful rays dance and lash along the path, but anyone caught in the roiling wave of color and light will... Find it harmless. Warm. Almost gentle and pleasant feeling.
    Eventually the road comes to an abrupt halt at the ledge of a cliff, directly facing off to a vast sea of flying continents, smaller isles, and sprawling prismatic vistas as far as the eye can see, the rising sun finally peeking into sight, it does not last long as it slinks behind one of the giant planets, the eclipse, the half-light of a now hiding sun setting the sky ablaze with a fire of color in a ring from behind its hiding place, a complete aurora of soft blues, greens, swirling yellows dazzling among the stars and distant planets through the whole sky.
    At the end of the cliff edge... Are laid out several blankets and picnic baskets, in clear display of where the run is supposed to stop at a point overlooking everything.

Ariel (219) has posed:
This is pretty intense, isn't it? Ariel charges right ahead, though the star giants and the incredible view are a little distracting. But she kinda has to, because she has a job to do, and it doesn't just mean she enjoys running through the shimmering lights that scintillate off of her decorative plating(thanks, Lest!)

So on approach, Ariel is weaving and bounding, hooves thumping on the ground and then putting the brakes on abruptly. She skids toward a halt as the edge approaches, but before she's completely stopped she shifts into her humanoid form, ending up tumbling end over end and entending to land in a graceful skid, to show off to all the encouragement she's getting from the others.

What actually happens is she ends up plopped on her head, her legs sprawled on either side, upside-down and in an awkward pose at the end of the road, right between two blankets.

"Uh... um. Thanks everyone."

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
Giants! Cliffs! PICK-I-NET BLANKETS. With blast of red, then a blast of blue, Rhapsody goes UP, then OVER, and then crashes into the picnic area, stumbling a few steps, ending up on her rear, but at least sitting up rather than upside down and rightside left. "Woo! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!" Pant. "Great job, Ariel, fantastic job." pant. "That is one hell of a road."

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Amazing view aside, Kirika is rather tense as the giants appear and beat on their chests. It takes her a moment before she realizes they're pretty much harmless, as are the rainbow beams as she catches one straight-on.

    She's about to let loose with a surprised yelp before finding the beams harmless and pleasant sounding, and she continues to ride towards the end.

    SKidding to a stop, Kirika unfolds the kickstand and breathes a sigh of relief, removing her helmet and grabbing her sword as she hops off and wanders towards one of the cushions. "Well, that was fun." She says, only mildly sarcastic even if her relief is quite palpable.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako continues to fly along the road, smiling cheerfully and waving when the dolphins return. And then Star Giants. Eep. She quickly flies to evade the rainbow beams... and then whews softly when she notes said beams are more pretty than threatening.

    The flying broom slowly comes to a stop as they get to the end of the road. Ayako inclines her head to the side gently when she notes the blankets and picnic baskets... just for a moment before smiling softly. And then blinks her eyes slowly as Ariel ends up tumbling and... ends upside-down. She giggles softly and shakes her head. "Eh heh... you did it, Ariel!"

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    The Star Giants are worthy of some wariness, but Setsuko's keen instincts tell her they've nothing to fear from the creatures. So she continues on, right up until the end sees Ariel take a rather ungraceful tumble to stop herself. "That was quite the journey," she agrees with Rhapsody, slowing to a stop more easily - quite possibly with the subtle help of her ability to fly. "And I should thank you for having me along."

Maya has posed:
Maya is far from the first one there but she skids in and is looking pretty tired at this point. She then dees the giant but it's too late, wait the colour it's not hurting her, she seems to be all right that that. She moves on to the last leg of the trip and she now just comes to rest here at this point as they hit the end of the ride she flops down on the gorun amrs behind her back to support herself.

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     The end! Twilight Sparkle made it all the way to the end! Even the Running of the Leaves isn't this long! When Twilight reaches the picnic baskets, it is behind everyone else. She is panting tiredly, but seems proud to have made it. She clops over to one of the blankets and flumps down on her belly, trying to catch her breath. "...M-...made it..." she pants, smiling as she watches the rainbow beams and the sunrise/eclipse.

     She looks around at the others, then smiles. "Good work, Ariel! And everyone!" she says before lowering her head to try and catch her breath again.

Rainbow Dash (43) has posed:
    Through fire, flames, winter, weirdness and laser beams, Rainbow Dash makes it to the end of the road. But she's not first; Despite her competative nature, she keeps her speed just behind Ariel instead of its full power. Sometimes it's more than just about winning. Sometimes.

    Rainbow touches down just barely a second after Ariel tumbles to a stop. "Awww yeah, way to go Ar-i-el!" She cheers, throwing a hoof up in the air. "Way to rock and roll that road!" Then Dash wobbles slightly, and flumps back on her haunches. "Uuh... Heh. I gueesss even I could use a pit stop after that."

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    Eventually Amalthea comes to a skidding halt of her own, though she manages to keep upright when she does, leaving a pair of furrowed drag marks in the dust, in her wake. A slow, deep, breath and her body taks the opportunity to capitalize on the break after that endurance-testing run, plating snapping open in several places to vent accumulated heat, exhaust, steam, and coolant all at once, before shifting back into proper place.
    "Phew..." A little tug and he helps Ariel upright, while flomping down to sit on a blanket and stare off the edge of a cliff at the eclipse for a moment as everyone starts to settle down. "Just like it was all those years ago..." Murmured quietly, before ruffling Ariel's hair lightly.
    "They say you see it once and you never forget it. The sunrise at the end of Rainbow Road. Honestly it's something everyone should see, not just little unicorns. But..."
    There's the softest flash of a grin.
    "I think you beat my record."