655/Laugh While They're Dizzy

Laugh While They're Dizzy
Date of Scene:	22 September 2014
Location:	Divided Equestria
Synopsis:	Pinkamena attacks Twilight where and when she least expects it. Right on her front door.
Cast of Characters:	108, 178, 189, 239, 264, 470, 475, Eryl Fairfax

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Magister Twilight (475) has posed:
    Invitations were sent to both sides, possibly because it was still not known that Twilight was a Confederate. This was a show of strength and security, mainly. As part of that security, the Warpgate did not open up into Canterlot itself, but an area nearby. Carriages were waiting for those who answered, drawn by strange unicorn ponies with crystalline orbs implant within their sides. It is these carriages that bring the visitors to Canterlot's edge, the elegant city surrounded by a bubble of faintly shimmering purple light. An archway is built into the field, guarded by two serious-looking sentries. Also unicorns, but in humanoid form.

    It is here that Twilight awaits, flanked by two more guards. "Welcome to Canterlot! Or, well, you will be welcomed very shortly. For the time being, the shield is still up and no opening has been created within it. This barrier is what assures us reasonable safety from Pegasus or Earthborn attack. It keeps out non-unicorns who do not have special permission to enter via this gate."

    The Archmagister, who is also in humanoid form, turns about to gesture at the field on either side of the gate. "I will be opening this in a moment, but feel free to test it before you enter."

Noh (178) has posed:
    Noh had caught wind of the invitation of course. And she had been planning to visit the world anyway- Especially after Pinkie! But also because something about Twilight's voice had been different. So, really, upon dismounting the carriage her green eyes are looking about brightly. The dark-skinned dhampir is all curiosity man. Today, in an attempt to fit in, she's practiced with her Familiar form to manage just a lion tail and a pair of lion ears, but other than cat-like irises, clawed fingertips, and a black triangular nose, she remains mostly humanois. .. Cat-Pire? Something like that. The small girl has a huge spoon strapped to her back, large enough to be a pole arm, and she's got a camera hanging from her neck along with her usual bells and baubles. She bounces excitedly. "Hello!" She says, to the guards. "Is okay, I bring the picture maker? Want to taking pictures of scenery, showing my Anza at home!"

Polite Words (239) has posed:
    Helping keep it under wraps may be that one of the more active confederates in the area is generally not a Known Anything. She's dressed up for the occasion, managing to find reasonable dress shoes to go with one of her nicer suits. And she's wearing the perfect rifle to accessorize.

    It hasn't been bedazzled. Violence Behind Polite Words is more a classic black kind of girl.

    She'll look over to the gate at the greeting, seeming to consider taking Twilight up on the offer before finally doing so, rather testingly pushing a hand out towards the barrier. She doesn't really want to find out it's horribly painful in face-first fashion.

Winnowill (108) has posed:
Standing near Twilight, in flowing black robes, is a pale woman with a nubby horn atop her head and long, silken black hair and tail. Those who have been here before may recognize the 'unicorn pony-girl' as BLACK SNAKE, someone who is often seen near Archmagister Twilight for some reason or another.

At the moment, the slender and elegant 'unicorn' is just watching, with an aloof sense about her, as if assessing the new arrivals. She certainly doesn't look like Winnowill, since Winnowill has never shown her true face in public.

Eliot Ness (264) has posed:
    The few people who know Ness normally might be surprised at his appearance tonight. He looks rather different from normal. Instead of his normal detective outfit, he's dressed much differently. The investigator is wearing an ivory-colored suit with matching vest along with a ruby-colored tie and white dress shirt underneath. His shoes match the suit, a white leather color. Most surprisingly is that he's not wearing his hat for once, his hair instead carefully combed back and gelled into place, allowing his hazel-colored eyes to be visible for once. He looks very different from normal.

    He's standing fairly close to Twilight, behind her and between the two guards flanking either side of her. His hands are folded calmly in front of himself and he's mostly being a quiet escort, "Feels odd to be so dressed to the nines. I am used to my streets, but I wanted to look copacetic if I was going to be escorting the big cheese." He comments to Twilight in a semi-hushed whisper.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    The ReGenesis corperation received an invitation to send a representative to the ball! To be honest, they were surprised, being so new and having done little of import within the context of the Multiverse. However, it would be rude to decline, and they did have a representative that came with his own suit...

    Eryl emerges from the warpgate, fussing over said suit. It was rather worn, and he had had to do some minor, clumsy alterations to make it fit better. He silently hoped that no one would notice as he rode in the carriage to Canterlot.

    Such a marvel. His eyes widen in wonder at the buildings, the security offered by the bubble of light. Listening carefully to the Magister's speech, he approaches the bubble carefully, placing at palm against it and lightly pushing. His eyes widen, assuming his hand fails to penetrate, his 'Original Face' coming up with hypotheses on how such a phenomenon works.

Pegasus (189) has posed:
    Pegasus is... dressed up? She's wearing a brilliant green dress, though not a particularly fancy one. It's altered enough for the mechanical wings to have an opening, along with the small engines tucked at each wingbase, but obviously flying would result in some messy results.
    The Construct is a little leery of all the unicorns, but she's been here in this world before and /is/ curious about this. A light rap on the shield tests it before she steps back, the mechanical pegasus-girl tilting her head to Twilight. "I had heard the pegasi in your world were very aggressive, but I didn't know you went to such lengths."

Magister Twilight (475) has posed:
    The shield is solid, though it does have a very slight 'give' to it. It also tingles slightly for those who touch it, but it's just a mild energy bleed. Nothing dangerous or even significant. The guards at the gate are causing the purple aura to split and recede to either side of the gate. Twilight claps her hands. "Amazing, isn't it? A marvel of Canterlot!" She turns to Ness, "Thank you for your consideration. Unfortunately, Prince Shining Armor is unable to join us, though we may pass near enough to see him. Perhaps he can even speak, though he and the Princess are quite busy."

    Twilight herself just steps through the shield as if it isn't there, leaving the gate for the others. Guards fall into step on either side of the group, as an escort and likely a precaution. None of the ponies in this city - most of them in humanoid form - seem to have a problem with this, though many do give an odd and curious expression to the small group.

    "Naturally," Twilight explains, "We do have to maintain a police force here. Largely they are inquisitorial in nature, looking for Cult activity, but fortunately it is a relatively innocuous presence. A few of our enemies do have unicorn troops, but we are still deep in our own territory." She gestures to an older, severe-looking unicorn standing on one corner, wearing light armor and carrying a spear. He nods a greeting, then goes back to watching boredly. To her credit, despite the police force, Canterlot itself seems fairly relaxed and even friendly toward the rare guard present. It doesn't have the feel of a police state, unlike some of the frontier towns some may have seen.

    As for the tour itself, Twilight is first leading along the outer streets, which look out past the shield. These are obviously the more affluent areas due to the view, though a few small but pleasant apartments are here as well. Canterlot in general seems pretty well-off, but she isn't shying away from showing some of the less-wealthy areas. Just not up close yet. "I'll be heading to my home, first, to provide a good start."

    Said home is, as it turns out, not the largest home in the area. Oh, it is quite large and very close to the Royal Palace, perhaps why she chose to start here. It also has a patio area that looks out of the shield, showing the rolling hills in the distance. Sadly, it also shows the ruined railway that used to lead to Canterlot.

Noh (178) has posed:
    Noh's tail twitches in curiosity as she watches the shield hold; and then as the tour steps forward, she falls in line, curiously looking about, keeping one fluffy neko-mimi ear canted in the direction of Twilight as she speaks, but mostly, the curious little 'cat' is, well, curious! If allowed to, she snaps pictures - one of the dour looking Unicorn guard, one of the shield while walking backwards to take it, one of some of the pleasent enough looking apartments in the less wealthy area from a distance. As they approach the Archmagister's home, she takes a lot of pictures because it is one of the largest homes she has ever seen! .. Then again, Noh is used to living in a vargo wagon in the middle of the European Wilderness in a time era of ancient gypsies, so.

    Her tail switches slightly as she catches sight of the railroad. Her hand shoots up in a polite, yet gradeschool level manner of trying to get attention, and then she asks, "What happened to the train, Miss Magister?" Curiously, "I have no hearing about your world much before, I am, sorry if is bad question," She says.

Eliot Ness (264) has posed:
    "Greetings all, I am Eliot Ness. Though most here call me Federal Agent." He bows ever-so-slightly in greeting, "I'm a Federal Officer who helps the Archmagister while the heat is down on my own world." He gives a polite tilt of his head to the Archmagister when she thanks him, "Oh applesauce, maam. No trouble at all."

    When she turns to walking, he follows closely after. His gait and awareness definitely show him as law enforcement and hyper vigilant. He has a purposeful walk, though still takes time to look around the area. He rarely, if ever, gets to come to Canterlot. His own office is in Hoofington on her world and he deals mostly with the 'lower classes'.

    Most guards get a nod of his head or a wave in greeting, though he seems rather distant with the two other guards flanking him.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl sighs as 'Original Face' dubs the shield some kind of hard-light barrier. The sooner he can get back to Eden, the sooner they can patch in something that will let it take magic into account. He falls in with the rest of the visitors, smiling and nodding to all the new faces as they step through the gap into the city proper. "Greetings, one and all. I am Eryl Fairfax, diplomat for the ReGenesis Corporation."

    Upon entering the city itself, he begins to look around at the citizens, smiles and small waves to all. He had noticed the horns that some seemed to have. The Magister had mentioned 'unicorns...' But then she mentions 'cults' and he decides that is more important to focus on. It would explain the armed police on the streets and the need for such a barrier. He cannot help but shake his head. Anyone who would want to destroy or harm such wonders of civilisation...

    But! They are heading towards Twilight's home. It certainly looks very cozy. "You have a lovely city here Miss Twilight. On the behalf of the ReGenesis Corporation, we thank you for the invitation," he says.

Pegasus (189) has posed:
    As Pegasus walks along, she nods to the others, "Pegasus, of the Union." No last name for her... not yet. She isn't taking pictures, and in fact looks distinctly uncomfortable as she walks along. Her wings twitch regularly, and she has to occupy her fingers by holding her dress up slightly for easy walking. The mechanical pegasus has never liked supernatural creatures, though she's gotten better about that lately. Still, the presence of so many unicorns make old instincts and memories flare up, as if she expects to be set upon at any time.
    "How often is Canterlot attacked, Archmagister?" Pegasus finally asks, doing a vague sweep of the defenses with her eyes. "I wonder if my niece could get through...?"

Polite Words (239) has posed:
    Polite Words won't introduce herself, instead settling in and walking along with the group, keeping quiet for the moment. It's a bit hard even for elites to really notice her if they don't focus, actually, and she looks around as though she has seen the city she's touring before, even though that is not actually the case. She'll listen closely to what questions the others ask, though, and how they introduce themselves.

    It wouldn't do to be rude, after all.

Winnowill (108) has posed:
A few might notice that Black Snake comes in through the gate, not by walking through the shield. Perhaps out of politeness. Unfortunately, since she is supposed to be a native, she can't really ask anything out loud! When introductions are given, she does give her 'name' though. "Black Snake." That matches the embroidered mark of a coiled snake ready to strike on the hip of her dress.

Magister Twilight (475) has posed:
    Answers to questions! "The railway was a result of the war. House Stormwing, led by Rainbow Dash, would often attempt raids upon it... but it was Applejack's forces that finally managed to destroy it. Fortunately, by the time that came about we had set up alternate means of resupply. My brother is quite experienced in military matters, and was able to foresee the need for multiple sources of supplies." Noh may not know that Twilight has a brother, but the Archmagister doesn't go into more detail about that.

    "I cannot take credit for Canterlot, it has stood for nearly a thousand years. I doubt even our enemies plan to destroy it entirely... well, perhaps Lady Fluttershy, but she does not count," the woman points out as she resumes walking. "It is perhaps the most advanced and peaceful of the remaining cities, that I know of. You are welcome to admire it and, perhaps, visit later." That last was to Eryl, who seems suitably impressed and curious. Twilight likes curiosity.

    To Pegasus, she answers, "Twice in recent memory, not counting the Changeling Invasion. One managed to do some damage. Fortunately we have kept most of it cult-free... I am beginning to think they are an even greater danger than Stormwing." She shakes her head with a sigh.

    The tour swings around, going wide from the palace instead of checking it out. While it clearly is expensive to live here, this is a more middle-class area, with smaller businesses and the like going about their day. Mostly closing up, but if anyone wants bread or fruit before the shops close down, this is a good time. The street cuts across part of Canterlot and ends up moving alongside the mountainside, once more passing close to the barrier. "When the days were peaceful, the Barrier would not be here, and the city had more than one entrance." She gestures to the path nearby, curving around the mountainside. This looks like some sort of merchant area that is seeing much less use of late, though at least one building is being renovated into some cheaper apartments.

Noh (178) has posed:
    Noh frowns a little at this, but nods - Then responds to everyone greeting one another with a smile. "I am Noh Body," She simply says. Nobody? Perhaps; Or perhaps- But no. Her tail swishes a little, as she looks sadly again to the railroad, and takes another picture. (Noh does NOT know about Twilight's 'Brother', not even the other Twilight.) She continues walking, listening to things quietly- snapping a picture of the Palace from a distance as they go wide of it, before blinking at the smaller businesses. She smiles- breaking away from the group briefly to pay for a bag of tomatos from a fruit and vegetable vendor, and to get pictues of the vendor's stall! She rejoins the group, blushing embaressed as she plucks a tomato fromthe bag and begins to eat it like an apple while they walk. Once they reach the mountainside path, though, she gulps down the rest of the tomato quickly, to take another picture.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    The augmented diplomat frowns slightly, 'Original Face' saving multiple new phrases as Twilight speaks. 'House Stormwing' 'Changeling...' However, now is really not the time to be asking for definitions. His guide has other people to talk to. Maybe he can find a library later. He smiles and inclines his head at the offer of future visits. "I would love to, Miss Twilight."

    He sniffs the air as they walk along the street, taking in the smell of fresh bread and fruits. His core was currently 89 percent charged, so there was no real need for nutrition. But he smiled at the capacity to make such things and sell them. Maybe one day, he'll see it happen on his own world. "I am sure that peace will come once more Miss Twilight, as long as people work towards it." He offers a kind smile and nods resolutely.

Eliot Ness (264) has posed:
    Ness is mostly quiet, simply keeping pace behind the Archmagister as he walks. Whatever thoughts or feelings he has is concealed behind a neutral expression while he calmly says, "You have a lovely city, Archmagister. Is your Inquisition headquartered here as well, or are they located elsewhere in the Kingdom?" He inquires. He's only ever worked with them once or twice, but he was curious about it.

Pegasus (189) has posed:
    Pegasus frowns a little at all this news. Of course, she knew about House Stormwing... but Twilight didn't know that. Did she? "How many of your cities are this happy and peaceful, Archmagister? Do you ever have truces? Because if it's been constant for ten years, I can't imagine that the other cities are quite this um... peaceful and orderly."

Winnowill (108) has posed:
Admittedly Winnowill/Black Snake was curious. She couldn't say so, but she'd rarely seen cities this large and sprawling without pollution. And a palace like that! It was almost as glorious as the one she knew... almost. "Hmmmn." She's trailing along with Ness and Twilight for now, though. Soaking up every word without asking her own questions...

Polite Words (239) has posed:
    Polite Words smiles at Pegasus' question, finally speaking up, though she still doesn't provide any kind of name. "A little bit of war can be quite good for a country, really. Keeps everyone focused, right? So I'm sure that the citizens of this city are all determined to make it the most peaceful, orderly place imaginable. It seems quite nice to me."

Pinkie (470) has posed:
    Speaking of that mountain path, it looks like there's a group on the way in. Ponies and pony-people, sixteen in total; wearing travel cloaks, obviously unicorns from the horns peeking out from under hoods. Some in armor seen around on the city guard, some in lighter travel clothes, approaching from the path. When they reach the barrier there's a brief discourse between the leads of the group, and the guards stationed at the border, before they're let in...
    Then it's chaos. Sudden giggling and laughter, and terrible screaming as one of the guards is gutted. Another tries to sound the alarm but a halberd to the back brings him down before he can.
    Hoods are drawn back, revealing rictus grins and psychotic smiles, as fifteen brightly dressed clowns and clown-ponies start cackling and making a mess, looking to kill everything and everyone in sight, regarless of combatant status. Dancing, giggling, murdering, they cause a violent racket, while one seems to wait outside the barrier. Apparently unable to enter thanks to lacking a horn and only wearing a sinister smiling porcelain mask...
    Pinkamena Diane Pie watches on in eerie silence, the brightly dressed Jester begins juggling black bladed knives while observing the Harl-Equines go to town. After all. Earth Ponies and Earth Pony-People can't get through the barrier.

Noh (178) has posed:
    Ears perk, and the 'Liongirl' lowers her camera in time for the chaos to start. Although she should PROBABLY be trying to help people, instead something about.. the events, harkens back, and, ears laying back, Noh lifts the camera and takes photos of the Harl-Equines-- And then tops, noticing something through the lense of her digital camera. Pinkamena, standing beyond the Barrier. Her tail lashes because.. because... -Because-. She looks left, looks right. Peg is here, and the Magister seems to be properly guarded.

    ... And Noh's 'sanity' rolls to disbleieve her and wins.

    Suddenly, the wirey little living-dead-girl is darting forward up the hill, trying to get to a vantage point where she can raise her camera-- and snap a zoom-picture of the pony just beyond the barrier.

Pegasus (189) has posed:
    While Pegasus is powered by magic - to a degree - most of her systems are complex clockworks and wiring, not enchantments. So the power source may be pretty strange, but at least the cyborg can tell something about the robotic pegasus and what's happening. "Is this normal?!"
    As she asks that, her left arm lifts up, and the dress sleeve tears from the arms of a bow snapping out. The unicorns attacking get a swift response from the baker-pegasus, in the form of her drawing back her other hand... which causes a surge of solar cells inside her chest emptying into the bow arms, a plasma sheath forming in midair and pumping stored sunlight into it. It looks like a bow and arrow, but she basically launches a laser blast at one of the equines.

Eliot Ness (264) has posed:
    "Archmagister, get back!" Eliot calls, stepping forward authoritatively. His hand moves to unbutton his jacket and reveal a drop holster just under his arm. He takes a pistol out of the holster and raises it, "Please stay behind me, Twilight. It would present a poor image if you were hurt at your own tour of the city. As well as reflect poorly on me as a gentleman." He adds. He is, after all, from a time when chivalry is very much alive.

    As Ness moves his arm across her chest and tries to pull her back and behind him, he raises up the pistol in a trained motion. There's a flick of his eyes towards the figure just outside the barrier and then he trains the gun on one of the assailants and fires off several shots cleanly.

Magister Twilight (475) has posed:
    And there goes the neighborhood. Twilight's personal guards fare better than the regular ones, leaping forward with their arms shifting into bladelike bony protrusions to slice at the Harle-Equines. One of the blades pierces a chest, blood fountaining everywhere while the few civilians in the area are already screaming and running. But the shapeshifter guard is swiftly stabbed from the side, staggering away with a coughing noise that vomits an oily green substance instead of blood. The other one fares a little better, a dizzying array of parries and strikes managing to keep one of the other Equines busy.

    Twilight herself looks... startled. Off-balance for a few moments. She takes a few steps back, "They've never attacked in such force before," she mutters, stumbling backward when Ness shoves her back. She doesn't complain, as she clearly isn't a combat sort by nature. Though... she isn't helpless.

    Twilight's horn and eyes glow with a crackle of magic power, and the scaffolding nearby snaps and collapses. Three broken poles lift out, whip around, and launch toward some of the Harles point-first. She's precise enough that she shouldn't have to worry about friendly fire unless someone is doing something really stupid.

Polite Words (239) has posed:
    It doesn't take long for the Sidereal to react, not terribly concerned about the murders going on so much as ever spoiling for a fight. She's particularly fond of fights where she's a little bit away from the actual people with melee weapons while she has a rifle. Not getting stabbed is the best way to get stabbed.

    She'll take a moment to aim before snapping off her first shot, far to the left of where any of the action is. It ricochets off a wall, gaining speed in defiance of both physics and any kind of proper magic system, before trying to embed itself just under the left ear of one of the attackers.

    It's sort of like showing off, only there's a very good chance in the chaos and all that noone notices.

Winnowill (108) has posed:
Winnowill does not like to be touched.

The oncoming surge of wild attacks don't really bother her, and so long as they aren't going after her, 'Black Snake' will just... ignore them. She'll let everyone else fight, watching curiously and icily at the combat.

And if any of them DO get close to her? A mental lancing bolt of crippling, mind-melting pain should be enough. On the off chance that it isn't, her hand will reach out and the flesh will melt away from the jester.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl spots the procession as they were talking their way into the gates. He was about to ask Twilight if they were pilgrims of some kind. But then the violence begins. His eyes widen, both at the shocking display of cruelty, as well as the magic that is going around that is making his 'Original Face' freak out.

    However, he is doing his damndest to not let it keep him from helping. Looking at his fellow tourists, he sees that Pegasus and Elliot have the ranged combat covered. What is needed right now is someone to play decoy, someone to draw attention from civilians.

    But, manners first. Turning to bow his head to Twilight, he says, "By your leave, Miss Twilight." And then he is off, sprinting towards the carnage. Having saved Elliot and Pegasus's positions within his mind, he stays well out of the way of their shots, index fingers pointing at one of the Harl-Equines. As he runs, shots fly from each finger, speeding towards the elbows of one of the attackers. Even in carnage, he aims to disarm. He has the power to be merciful, after all.

Pinkie (470) has posed:
    By far, this is a small force. A tiny assault on a big city. Fifteen of the BEST Harl-Equines the Cult of Laughter has, but even still, they probably wouldn't last long in CANTERLOT in an attack like this. Having Elites present on a tour cuts their lifespan down significantly.
    Though they bounce, tumble, twirl and put on a show of their violence, when it comes to the tour goiers, it's not so easy. No, it's not normal at all as several halberd wielding Harl-Equines hiss and giggle, attempting to skewer Pegasus and earning moonfire bolts fort their trouble, causing them to go down in a hissing gurgle of their final laughs.
    Another goes right for Twilight, two short colorful swords in his hands, but Ness is in the way, and before he can get close enough, the cackling clown is gunned down, dropping with a rictus grin plastered on his face as his eyes dull and cloud over. But there are more, and a pair of horrifyingly skilled blade wielding Harl-Equines put up a fight with the Archmagister's personal guard, one of the killer clowns drops in a spray of red as the other gets that lucky shot on a shapeshifter, while others dive and tumble out of the way of scaffold poles, one too slow, is impaled and stuck violently to the nearby building wall.
    Another drops, a bullet clean through her skull as a spiffy shoe-wearing Sidereal puts a bullet through her brain plate, whole others lunge and curl up screaming as waves and bolts of pure PAIN surge through their systems.
    But aiming to disarm only seems to make the Harl-Equines laugh harder, as Eryl's fire renders arms limp, weapons dropping to the ground... These injured unicorns only seem to squeal with the pain, horns glimmering as they lift their halberds again, crippled but not stopped.
    And yet the Earth Pony clown outside the barrier can only watch. The barrier keeps unicorns out, and the fifteen unicorns- now reduced in number are still running violently wild in a dizzying attempt at murder. Yet with a sigh... Pinkamena takes a step forward. Another. Then another. Until her hand s are on the barrier. And like a mime trapped in an invisible box she paws at it repeatedly before just...

    Shoving her arm through as her voice lifts in a sick lilt. She is singing.

    o/` ~ "Attention attention everyone! I have a few things I'd like to get off my chest! Friends? WHO NEEDS THEM?" ~ o/`

    And then shoulder. Head. Upper body. Hips. Legs. One final step and the killer clown is INSIDE, rasping with hoarse laughter a she slides into a shadow. And re-emerges RIGHT IN FRONT OF NESS.

    o/` ~ "Caught like a fly, in a web of your lies, it's truth be told now, and meet your demise." ~ o/`

    "--Move." Is the only whisper he gets before the black blade in her hand flashes in a jab, and like a living being of darkness itself she melts into the ground- appearing once more behind Twilight to try and ram the blade into her back.

    o/` ~ "Your mentor would probably roll in her grave, if she knew of that person that you had became..." ~ o/`

    For the record, Noh has a perfect vantage to snap shots of the killer clown, before and during her attempt to murder the Archmagister.

Noh (178) has posed:
    Green eyes narrow- Snap, snap - Pictures are taken of the Killer Clown (not from outer Space of course) first as she's beyond the barrier, up close, and then again, and again as she presses through, beyond, and into the barrier, and after the Archmagister. Slitted pupils arenarroed to points as the African girl seems to focus on Pinkamena, tail flecking. Another snap-- and then her attention is brought to the Harl-Equines. She doesn't really bother taking photos of them-- But there's something about that 'earth pony', who somehow slipped the surly bonds of the barrier, and is now coming to claim the Archmagister's soul.

    The Camera lowers, and for a moment, a crazy, whirlwind moment, Noh seems to be-- THINKING? There's a very curious, unexplainable look on her face. Then the Camera is suddenly tucked into her jacket, shoved in, and the bag of Tomatos is given a forlorn look.

    .. Noh then opens it, and pulls out a tomato, before she flings it for the masked Pony-woman. Why? "It is customary, for one to throw Tomatos, at the speakers of bad jokes," she says, firmly. Her eyes however, remain on the strange pony...

Eliot Ness (264) has posed:
    Ness looks stern as the Harl-Equine slumps down after having several shots drilled into him. He steps back towards Archmagister even more protectively, "I agree, maan. This is bold, even for them. I will protect you, though, so don't worry about them bumpin' you off. You're a keen lady, Archmag-"

    Ness cuts off as he watches the girl step through the barrier. He adjusts his footing and then tries to lift his gun only to find her right in front of him. BEFORE she can move, he tries to deliver a straight jab right to that mask of hers. This success may vary, since as the punch swings out, her knife comes forward and presses through the white suit he's wearing.

    The blade slides under his rubs and buries into the breast of his coat. He goes wide-eyed after she pulls it out and vanishes, clutching at the wound. After all, for all intents and purposes, Eliot Ness is a mere man and a stab wound SHOULD be very fatal to him. There's a growing red blossom of a stain on his white coat as he turns and falls onto his back.

    When Pinkie reappears, he holds out a hand towards Twilight and gasps, "Archm...agister."

Magister Twilight (475) has posed:
    Another sharpened pole yanks out and moves to impale one of the jesters, but really Twilight is mostly letting Ness and the others fight. These aren't mooks, but they aren't enough for a seasoned group of Elites like this. "So many unicorns turned by the Cult..." she worries aloud. "Thank you for your aid!" That's actually mostly sincere, too!

    But when Pinkamena just... walks through the shield, singing a song in false merriment. That brings all of Twilight's actions to an abrupt halt and a stare of disbelief. "What... what are you...?" It's a fair question. Pinkie Pie shouldn't be able to walk through that barrier, and that's enough to make Twilight off-guard. Even she perhaps felt it might really be Pinkie, despite her objections.

    It's a little late to think about that, though. The shadow-movement has her at a disadvantage, and the black blade erupts from her chest, mirroring Ness's own injury as a red stain starts to spread through her robe. It's most likely a fatal wound, unless she can get healing immediately. Serious healing like a heart transplant in the middle of the street.

    Clutching her chest, the Archmagister can't really SAY anything. Only fall.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl winces as the Harl-Equine just giggles at two bullets going through their arm, followed by another as it just levitates its weapon. Watching it be held up by nothing is making his systems yell at him. He gives a little sigh. They were clearly deranged, and cannot be reasoned with, but he cannot disarm them. Already some have fallen; will he have to do the same? Kill them to protect others?

    No. Not until he absolutely has to.

    Already, he has a plan. He only has one weapon that might shut down a crowd non-lethally. He backs up from the Harl-Equine he injured, head and eyes moving to identify and lock on to each one. When the masked Earth pony slips into the barrier and somehow appears immediately /behind/ Twilight, 'Original Face' yells at him again.

    No. She has her guards, and he's too far away. Focus on the others. He turns his back on the Archmagister. Then he leans back... as holes are blown in the front of his pants, twelve small rockets propelled into the air from his thighs. Small engines in each engage, guiding them towards the unicorn Harl-Equines. Should they attach, they emit a powerful, incapacitating shock!

Polite Words (239) has posed:
    "Oh, dammit." Emily says to herself, taking a few steps back to get away from where the assassin has started to approach and force her way through the banner, cutting down her 'business partner' and some of the bodyguards; she's clearly at least a little unnerved by how little they seem to care about their losses, though. "Fine. Fine, then. I hate using these. Do you have any idea how long they take to make?"

    And with that, the Sidereal pulls a scroll out of her suit pocket, unfurling it into the air. "Once, there was a Maiden.." The scroll wraps out into the air, a chaotic sculpture around her, before she starts to fire once more. This time, she's aiming for Pinkamena herself, who both manages to seem far more dangerous and is closer to the Sidereal than she's comfortable with. These bullets seem to curve through the structure and around any obstacles in the way, hopefully to actually find purchase in the shadowy assassin.

    Polite Words doesn't really want to have to go hand to hand, after all. She's pretty certain she'd be on the bad end of that.

Pegasus (189) has posed:
    Pegasus has a different priority than Polite. Seeing Ness and Twilight fall, the turret pops from Peg's arm and starts to blast more moonfire at the remaining Harl-Equines, to finish them off. Her sweet tone and gentle nature disguise the fact that Pegasus IS a war machine, and she has no trouble at all killing murderers. "Get to the Archmagister and Agent!"
    That should be pretty obvious. Unfortunately, unlike her sister, Pegasus has no healing abilities. The best she can do is make sure nobody delivers a coup de grace.

Pinkie (470) has posed:
    Of the original sixteen attackers-- fifteen unicorns and one horrifying shadow anomaly, the numbers are dwingling... A dull THUD-crack calls out from Ness' punch, connecting solidly with that rock-solid porcelain mask, resulting in a hiss of obvious pain and a CRACK as the faceless smile is now spider-webbed with cracks and a thin trickle of liquid crimson seeps from the leering smile.
    Yet with her blade protruding from the Archmagister's chest, the murderous Jester cups Twilight's cheek with a bloody palm, "I'm a ghost from the past, Twilight... I told you, the dead always laugh last." whispered before her song shifts- a twisted lullabye as she TWISTS the blade.

    o/` ~ "Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head..." ~ o/`

    But any attempt she makes to severely FINISH the job are interrupted.

    o/` ~ "Hush now quiet now, it's time for you to go to bed--"

    But her singing is abruptly cut off with a grunt, ripping the blade free in a splatter of red as things just get worse.
    Eryl's legs launching a fussilade of shocking payload, bringing down the remaining deadly clowns in a writhing gurgle of spasming limbs and snarls. Those will live-- and they aren't getting away now, as Pegasus and Polite Words take to the fore, moonfire bolts pelting other clowns and Pinkie herself before the Sidereal begins her ritual.
    Pinkamena WHIRLS around to face them, bloody knives in hand with a rasping laugh as she lunges forward. Briefly. BRIEFLY she gets within frightening range of Polite words, before she eats a moonfire blast to the face, mask shattering with a gasp of shock and pain, stunning her long enough for a good shot and bullet to curve and punch her clean in the chest with a choke, sending the murderous jester tumbling into a sprawl with a choke.
    Clutching her own wounds, and hiding her face in one hand before she scrabbles into the nearest shadow and seems to melt clean into it, leaving little more than carnage, bodies, and blood behind.

Polite Words (239) has posed:
    The beginnings of a crimson light are appearing above Polite Words' forehead, but the fight isn't going to go on so long that she bursts out into full-on identity compromising mode; Pinkamena gets far too close, of course, but is blessedly forced to retreat. The mandela around the Sidereal begins to collapse in on itself, trailing after the final shot that she takes at the retreating assassin, shattering the ground beneath where she's gone.

    Breathing somewhat hard, looking rather more unmussed than normal, Polite Words turns back towards where Twilight has fallen, and gives her expert medical opinion. "...I'm never going to get paid for those weapons, I think."

Winnowill (108) has posed:
Hmm. Black Snake sends more bolts of pain into the ones that attacked her, but she did not expect the assassination to be effective. Watching both Ness and Twilight drop was... interesting. She arches an eyebrow and begins to make her way over, as soon as the Harl-Equines are clear.

"Move aside," she says curtly to the others, the slender 'unicorn' dropping down to the side of the Archmagister and Federal Agent. Sigh. "Neither of them will make this easy," she admits. While Winnowill is one of the most experienced healers in dealing with non-elves, her powers still work best on her own kind.

She could care less about Ness, but since the Archmagister wanted him around, it's both Ness and Twilight that she rests her hands upon, a glow softly shimmering around her hands. "Give me some space. They are both badly-injured."

She's an excellent healer, and it wouldn't be the first time she's healed a fatal strike near or even through the heart. She's even done it to herself, once or twice. But two bodies of non-elven physiology at once is taxing even to her powers. Flesh knits together, very painfully, and blood vessels reconnect. It takes several minutes before she can call it done, and by then her face is pale and her brow sweating, breaths coming very deep and labored.

"They should live," she says bluntly. "But they will need natural rest."

Noh (178) has posed:
    Ears flattened, tail lashing, the Lion-girl instinctually tracks the shadows as Pinkie melts away-- Never run from anything immortal, it only attracts their attention, and Noh is not just 'immortal' but has the attention span of a cat, so something MOVING- becomes prey- abut Pinkie is gone. But before she was gone, Noh saw--

    She turns away from the shadows like ripping off a bandage, and goes toward the downed Magister, her face a rare shade of serious and grim. She is not a healer. But- But it appears as Black Snake is... And now Noh must know something.

    "Magister- Quick, please.. The song.. It must have meaning, the song she sing to you- Can you think of it?" ... Perhaps stupid, perhaps futile. or perhaps, like some of her madness.. there's somthing.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    With a satisfied smile, Eryl watches as the murderous clowns go down from electrical shocks and attacks from his allies. He turns back towards the group... and spots Twilight, a blade protruding from her chest and Elliot, slumping. His face becomes even paler, thoughts starting to swirl and churn. Someone got grievously hurt. On his watch. This isn't supposed to happen.

    But, his implants begin to get to work, suppressing his shock and letting him focus. He rushes over, managing to say, "Secure the assailants," to one of the guard. He watches as Black Snake begins to work her magic, watching in awe as their injuries begin to close. He slumps to his knees, relief washing through him. "Thank you miss." It'll be okay. Things went bad, but not irreparably bad. The leader escaped, but her allies have been captured. Even so, Eryl needs a moment to cope, just kneeling there.

Eliot Ness (264) has posed:
    Ness, testament to Chicago Grit that he is, is actually trying to sit up when 'Black Snake' places her hands on him to heal. The hand with the gun is still holding it tightly as he groans in some amount of pain. He may be trying to assess if THIS stab wound is fatal or not. Only a minor lung nick and some serious laceration, he would have survived given care quick enough.

    Luckily that care comes extremely quickly in the form of Black Snake. When the healing magic painfully fixes his wounds, he grunts but doesn't say much else, gripping the ground with one hand and the gun with the other. Eventually he takes a deep breath and hacks some blood up onto the ground. Just a bit of it, though.

    Tired though the injury (and healing process) made him, he still manages to shuffle over towards Twilight and put a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head at Black Snake as he manages to grunt out, "Not leavin'. Hitman on the lam. Wanna stay with."

Magister Twilight (475) has posed:
    By now the guards are rushing in for cleanup, and Eryl's suggestion is... frankly, a good one. They move to start binding the jesters, though they're looking pretty serious right now. The civilians are long gone, at least, so miss all the carnage.

    The Archmagister is not really very conscious right now. Oh, she's awake, but talking is a bit beyond her right now. So it's left to the surviving shapeshifter to resettle into humanoid form and address the others. "I think it is best if we call off the tour for now. We can arrange temporary accomodations if needed."

Noh (178) has posed:
    "... I agree," Noh says, with a frown. So many questions.. Her tail swishes, and she shakes her head- "I am fine, no accomodation. I request, escourt out of city? I am.. I need, go elsewhere." A pause. Feigned, but possibly hard to tell for a lie: "The blood, it is make me want do things I should not, it is better I not be here."

Polite Words (239) has posed:
    Emily looks down, frowning at the mess. Not because it bothers her that much, of course. "I can make my own arrangements. I assume the guards will let me through the barrier?" She asks, wondering how far out of the city she'll have to go before she finds a space she could have parked her car. "Unless I'm actually needed here, of course. Are you expecting more security issues?"

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    With a shake of his head, Eryl seems to have recovered, standing up once more. The front of the upper legs of his pants has been shredded by his 'Unmoving Tongue' rockets unfortunately, but it paid off in the end. Looking to the shapeshifter, he nods his head. "Understandable. No accommodations are needed for me, but could I request a new pair of pants, if possible?" He gestures at the frayed holes in his own.

    Looking down at Twilight, he is unsure if she is even aware enough to understand anything. But, his conscience demands that he say something. So he bows deeply to her. "My apologies that this happened to you, Miss Twilight. Perhaps if I had stayed with the group..." He pinches the bridge of his nose and sniffs before continuing. "I wish you the speediest recovery possible." Looking at Elliot, he bows to the agent as well. "I am sorry that you too are wounded, Agent. I do hope that it heals quickly and cleanly."

Pegasus (189) has posed:
    "You didn't do anything wrong," Pegasus reassures. "You managed to get some of them captured, that's probably better in the long run." The construct flexes her wings. "I can take Noh back, in my pegasus form. I don't usually let people ride, but I think we've had enough of a night unless you need extra protection." She glances at herself. "I'm not carrying my armor and weapons though, I'll need a bit to recharge if I'm going to be useful."

Eliot Ness (264) has posed:
    Ness shakes his head at Eryl, "'s all copacetic," He says to Eryl, waving a hand, "Line of duty and all that, I'll be on duty and in new glad rags by tomorrow," He says, putting on a tough guy face as he pushes himself to his standing position.

    "I will get her home. It is... well, right nearby that the dame lives," He notes, stooping over to scoop up Twilight and brace her across both arms unless someone particularly stops him from doing so.

Winnowill (108) has posed:
Winnowill actually gives a small, frowning look to Ness. "I have no real care if you live or die, human. You're all so fragile anyway. But the Archmagister seems to think you are useful, so I will warn you against doing what you suggest. Both of you need rest. You should go home. Rest for several days and eat well. You will heal without problems if you do not strain yourself."

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl smiles a little at the reassurances of others, nodding his head to Pegasus. "Yes, hopefully they can manage to get them to talk. They seem... unhinged." Anyone that can laugh off a bullet through each elbow is clearly not in the ideal state of mind. He smiles at Elliot, the word 'copacetic' sailing over his head, but he understands what the agent means to say.

    He starts to object when Elliot picks up Twilight, but Winnowill takes the words right out of his mouth. He nods in agreement. "If you like sir, I can carry her and you can walk with me. On my word, I will take the utmost care with her." He places his right hand over his chest, raising the other one palm-out as he swears this.

Magister Twilight (475) has posed:
    Belatedly, Polite's car can easily be around the bend just outside of the city gate that she came in from. The carriages take a road down that way.

Eliot Ness (264) has posed:
    Ness gives a level eye to Winnowill and has some more 1920s slang, "Listen Mrs. Grundy, injured or not I am doing my duty." He says, "I can get rest later, right now she's the hot ticket to punch, and I need to be there to stop trolley-hoppers." He runs a hand through his hair, still straining a bit.

    He at least relents to handing her off to Eryl, "It shouldn't be far. I will beat feet with you and then I can take it from there," He says to the man with a smile.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Goodness, so much slang! 'Original Face' does it's damndest to extract some meaning from it all. 'Hot ticket to punch' likely means something like 'the most important matter?' Anyway, as that is happening, Eryl returns the smile; his arms reaching out to slooooowly take Twilight from Elliot's arms. His mechanical arms lock up once he holds her, remaining utterly stable so that she is not shaken too much. "Lead the way Mister Ness."