Scene #1291: Purple Rites

Owner	Pose
Mortimer Balman	Mortimer had been hard at work getting everything ready for Twilight Sparkle's ritual idea- it all seemed cromulent. Bolster the spirit and mind against corruptive influence, add in her little Chaos-tearing spell. Should be simple. ..Right? Of course the problem with that swiftly dawned on him while taking Ulbrecht for walkies around Ponyville- frame of reference. Ulbrecht had no real concept of what 'humans' considered epic and awe-inspiring, and even if he might, he was not being raised on /Fenris/. The motifs and mores, the bitter struggles of the Fenrisian people- these would have no meaning to the puppy. Perhaps, if he was being raised in the Fang, with some young Astartes warrior, that might work. But even then it might not, because he is still a /wolf/ first, and only a sub-sapient one at that. The answer became clear to Mortimer quite quickly: neither he nor Karian were qualified to provide the sort of inspiration that Ulbrecht would need. Only one being of immediate trustworthiness and familiarty would. Falstaff. The old brute was the only being in Equestria who had a mind similar to the Thunderwolf's. This had briefly presented another problem- Falstaff could not talk, his mind was too broken by the ages and whatever traumas or struggles he'd suffered since long before joining Mortimer's crew. This necessitated the need for a Telepath to make a line between them. Switchbait could do this, though it would be heavily taxing on the butterfree, but he agreed to do so nonetheless. And there would be a need for extra magic to help bolster Switchbait while he was working. And not only that, safeguards would be needed! The immediate area would need monitoring by those who could attack any wayward Daemons that might see the ritual and try to interrupt it- Nettle could do that, but not alone- and so the old warpony had sent out requests to other ponies to show up if they could to assist. Not just the local ponies to either provide magical protections to all parties involved, but even to Jinxel- apparently Mortimer believed her bad luck could be used against the horrors of the Warp- and even non-magical ponies like Rainbow Dash, to help fight off anything that might try to tear its way through into Ponyville and get past the magical and wraithly wards that would be protecting them. Hopefully Karian would show up to help with that, though none of them could be sure he'd find the time. You can't be too careful after all. Mortimer's living room seems to have been.. Widened somehow- walls have been folded out of the way to provide greater space, furniture moved to other areas entirely. Only thing left were the bookcases, some lamps, and trophies. Not Mortimer's war trophies but rather trophies taken from other places- ones that signified Hunting and Chasing and things like that. A deer's head mounted on one wall. Mammoth tusks and dragon bones crossed on another. The skull of some nameless horror long since forgotten sitting in the middle of the floor, with Falstaff resting a paw upon it. Arcane runes drawn and even carved into the surfaces according to whatever patterns Twilight Sparkle would have specified, to the most painstaking degrees doable by humanoid hands and tiny paws. Nothing to do but wait for everyone to show up, now. Mort was leaning on a wall with Reder and Nettle sitting on his shoulders, Switchbait was hovering in the air with his big compound eyes closed, meditating and gathering his psychic strength. Ulbrecht was nervously chained to the floor for his own safety, kept calm solely by the assurances of Roll's flippery hugs and Falstaff's grunts.
Jinxel	Aaaaaaw. :( Morty wants Jinxel to help save a cute little puppy from evil! How could she possibly say no? Of course, Jinxel seems to have missed the message that this puppy is a gigantic bloody Thunderwolf, but it wouldn't be the first or last time she's handled an animal bigger than she is. Toph's Badgermole cub comes immediately to mind. Making one of her rare appearances nowadays in Ponyville (after all, it is winter and there's a huge heap of snow currently piled up in the Everfree), the bad luck pony arrives at Morty's house and quietly knocks on the door, "Mortimer, it's me! Are you home?"
Karian Icefang	Sure enough, Karian did arrive. Except he was....larger then he was normally. Now he looked like a walking mountain of armor. He wore his Terminator armor, the most powerful equipment an Astartes could earn. At his side, as always, Ygdril. As he approached the house, he eyed Jinxel. "It would seem mort invited more people over for this then I expected."
Twilight Sparkle	Twilight had been informed of Mortimer's change to the plan, and she wasn't sure about it. Of course, it didn't really affect her role in the ritual, but she was wondering what sorts of affects the changes Mortimer made would have to Ulbrecht's state of mind. She trusted the old soldier, of course, but if there is one thing that Rainbow Dash taught her, it is that awesomeness rarely needs translation. Fireworks do not have to be explained in order for others to appreciate them. Backflips and barrel rolls are just as impressive to someone who has no experience flying as they are to someone who does, perhaps even moreso. Despite her reservations, Twilight is doing her best to let her trust in Mortimer lead the way. As Jinxel and Karian stand at the door to Mortimer's home, there is a light stomping in the snow. A look would reveal it to be...Twilight Sparkle? Yes, the book pony is decked out in cerimonial armor for spellcasters of the royal army. Plates of interlocked metal flow down her neck and back, forming a scale-like pattern, and a tabard with her QT-mark on it hangs down her sides and over her flanks without covering her actual mark. A helmet covers the usual areas a warhorse's helmet would cover. And all of the armor is pearly white with golden borders. Her horn pokes up through the helmet, her mane hangs off to one side from under the armor, and her tail is left free by a slit in the tabard. It must not be heavy, because she is having no trouble walking. As she approaches, Twilight smiles to Jinxel and Karian. "Hello Karian! And Jinxel! I didn't expect you to be here. It is certainly nice of you to join us!" she says as she stops beside them.
Mortimer Balman	It is, perhaps oddly, Reder who answers the door and opens it for them all. "<C'mon in you guys. They're about done settin' up in there. ..Heh, nice duds there, Sparkleflanks. Anyway, in, in, you'll catch your death of cold out here.>" An obvious crappy joke, and the 'tortle hopped away back to where the living room had been all gussied up. Not a lot had been changed from Twilight's plan really- the method was all the same, only the means of getting things across. "Hey fellas. I'd say make yerselves comfortable.. But really, that's probably a bad idea given the circumstances, yea? Here, Jinxie. Yer gonna stand over there, where Twilit'll be, on one side- did you understand what we wanted you to do? And you Karian will be on the other side- if /anything/ happens, /she/ is your first priority. Not me, not Ulbrecht, not anyone or anypony else. Just Twilit." Switchbait opened his eyes, which were now glowing softly. His voice echoed slightly, only the echo was purely mental. "<Our minds are ready.>" Mortimer rubbed his forehead at that proclomation. "That's.. Good. Nettle. Get yerself ready. Soon as Twilit starts casting, you're watching from the other side.." The shuppet's grin got unnaturally wide, jagged teeth seeming to just form in rows. "<Gladly, Master. I wish you all the best of luck~>"
Jinxel	When Twilight arrives, Jinxel turns her head and perks up emmensely, "Twilight! It's wonderful to see you again!" She then tilts her head slightly to the side at her choice of garb, "I've never seen you where that before..." Before she can continue on though, Reder answers the door and she turns her head back to follow him inside. As she enters, she fidgits slightly as nervousness gnaws at her gut. And that's before she sees the 'cute little puppy' that they're saving, "Oh my... I wasn't aware he was so big..." She sweatdrops a bit as she trots over to her assigned place, then stamps her hoof on the ground as black wind spirals around her and entwines around her body, before coalescing into the form of her black leather armor and large battle fan, "O-okay... I'm ready..."
Karian Icefang	Karian nods, footsteps thuding as he walks over. He nods towards Twilight, and then gives a look to Nettle. "Be wary...especially about the other side." He says. Ygdril pads over and makes a soft noise about how his fellow wolf was bound.
Twilight Sparkle	Twilight gives Jinxel a big hug before looking down at her armor. "Yes, I felt that wearing inspiring clothing was important for this attempt at curing Ulbrect." she says, then looks at Jinxel. "Oh dear...did Mortimer not tell you?" she says as they walk inside. Twilight smiles a greeting to Mortimer and all the pokemon, then moves to her position. As before, a metal ring with a large purple gem held by spokes inside it is at the focusing point of a large glass lens. Although it wasn't needed last time, Twilight didn't want to force chaos into something that would not contain it. If a demon did emerge again, she knew she had all of these friends around to protect her and Equestria. When Jinxel seems a bit intimidated by Ulbrecht, Twilight smiles warmly. "Don't worry. Ulbrecht is about as dangerous as Pinkie Pie." Twilight says, giving Jinxel a pat on the shoulder. Then, Twilight lowers herself down onto her belly, her legs folded against her. "Are we ready?" she asks, smiling to the others.
Mortimer Balman	Reder tries to lead Ygdril away from the scene. "<Easy buddy. He's gonna be okay. Sarge, Sparkleflanks, Lucky, and the ol' Cyclops there'll make sure he's okay. Trust me. C'mon over here, okay? You're gonna get in the way. Sit over here with me.>" Nettle's grin continues to widen until her head has almost split itself off, she looks less like a sock puppet and more like a wraithly lanolier with blood red eyes now. "<This is our- /my/- innermost sanctum, Wolf Lord. The Dead of Poqmori are ill inclined to suffer the trespasses of the Damned..>" She lets out a sinister chuckle and begins fading from sight. Mortimer takes a deep breath, then exhales.. Chuckling himself, at Twilight though. "Heh- thought I had? Sorry, Jinxie, musta slipped my mind. Yea, that's about right. Perhaps less than Pinkie, he doesn't have emergency party supplies stashed all over the place." As if on cue, the gargantuan puppy begins thumping his tail on the floor at Jinxel, briefly struggling against his chains to try and paw at her like a puppy wanting to play would. Falstaff let out a "Grrrmph." And the puppy stopped, sitting down and flattening his ears to his skull. Switchbait floats between the two beasts and closes his eyes again. Small glowing spores float from his wings- sleep spores, a very weak dosage- which seems to relax the two a bit. Arcs of psychic electricity crackle in the space between the three, and his eyes snap open again. "<We are ready.>" Is that an echo, or is he speaking in three voices at once? "<Mountains. ...Forests.. The endless waves of the oceans.. Lights shining like bonfires in the sky..>"
Jinxel	... Daaaaaaaw, what a cute, if very large puppy. Jinxel will have to remind herself to give him a good belly rubbing once this is all over with. He looks like such an adorable little thing! n_n Oh, right, the ritual. Pulling her attention back towards the task at hand, Jinxel readies herself, with her fan held up at her side, really to bop whatever evil spirits or demons come popping out over the head. Cause everyone knows that the best way to deal with evil hellspawn is to hit it over the head repeatedly until it stops moving.
Karian Icefang	Karian nods towards Ygdril, settling him. He walks over, sitting next to Reder. Karian watches, one eye taking everything in. "You'll be fine. He is just a puppy, after all. It would be different if he were my wolf." Then, he blinks and Nettle is gone. "Strange....but intruiging creature."
Twilight Sparkle	Twilight has no spellwords to chant. She just takes aim at Ulbrecht, then looks around with just her eyes at the others gathered. "Is everyone ready?" she asks as her horn starts to glow. She waits for an affirmative from the others before she actually starts casting. Mortimer would be familiar with this process. A purple ray of light similar to a flashlight beam shining into fog radiats from her horn and onto Ulbrecht. "It's okay, Ulbrecht. This will be just as harmless as last time." she says, then blinks. "Er...well...no, wait, no one was harmed last time except the demon, so that is accurate." she says, mostly to herself. Then, the ray intensifies, and shimmers of many different colors start flowing from Ulbrecht along with the purple ray that is flowing into the focusing lens. Those rays are in turn being directed into the gem. "Okay you guys. Start your storytelling. I'll intensify the spell as you go."
Mortimer Balman	Falstaff's eyes snap open and his jaws move, but no sound comes out. His horn is glowing the same colour as Switchbait's eyes. Said butterfree's mandibles clatter rapidly, but only a few words pass through his palps. "<Hunters.. Watchers.. Harbingers, we are.. Of Nature's Wrath..>" Ulbrecht's eyes open to stare upwards, jaw hanging open noiselessly as he stares at whatever images the old Absol is thinking right into his mind. Everyone else is just watching, and waiting. So far, so good. No troubles on the horizon. The presence of the Warp can be felt, but only faintly- and only because Twilight Sparkle is literally trying to pull that presence out. A dull, weak flickering. But no active malevolence, nothing like when the Daemon tried to rip through.
Karian Icefang	Karian watches for the moment, intruige by how this was going. Poor Ygdril, meanwhile, watched on with a mix of concern, uncertainty, and a bit of fear in his eyes. He nudges Reder, trying to get him to explain what was going on. "Let Falstaff finish first. It may be best for me to speak last, out of concern with what my words may bring."
Jinxel	Shifting uncomortably from hoof to hoof as she stands there at the ready, Jinxel merely waits as worry gnaws on her insides. She isn't psychologically equipped to really deal with this sort of thing, and the sense of foreboding is starting to eat away at her as she half expects something to leap out of Ulbrecht's head and attack them at any moment! Part of her wants nothing to happen, because demons are scary! But another part wants it to just get it over with that put an end to this suspense.
Twilight Sparkle	Twilight notices Jinxel's nervous shifting, and offers her a gentle smile. "Relax, Jinxel. Try and think happy thoughts. Rainbows, friends, that sort of thing." she says, not mentioning that fearful thoughts could tip the scale somehow. Instead, she keeps her spell going. The beam brightens as Falstaff describes what it means to be a powerful protector and warbeast. "Remember, inspire him. Bring out his courage, his comraderie, his strength." Twilight says, directed at Falstaff. As the spell brightens and the power increases, the swirling of those multicolors in the flow of magic increases. Whatever chaos is loosened from Ulbrecht is channeled into the gem behind him and encased there. "Come on everyone. Even if we cannot relate to Ulbrecht exactly, we can still encourage him." Twilight says to the group.
Mortimer Balman	Mortimer scratches his head. "The question is, will he understand it..?" Puppies, after all. Still, he at least tries to.. Think, happy thoughts, in Ulbrecht's direction. At least until there's a very loud, unpleasant, and distinctive crunching sound coming from the wall, the one where the deer head's been mounted..
Karian Icefang	Karian looks over and starts walking towards it. "Seems the warp is trying to bleed into reality. Focus on Ulbrecht. If something leaps out, I will handle it."
Jinxel	Jinxel stops shifting from side to side as she turns towards Twilight, then sweatdrops a bit, "Oh, sorry. Just a bit nervous I guess..." She takes in a deep breath to calm her nerves and tries to think happy thoughts at Ulbrecht! Like chasing after thrown sticks and squeaky toys! Wait, he's so big that he could tear a squeaky toy to shreds by gnawing on it. Maybe they should get him a tire instead. Jinxel's musings is interupted by the loud crunch, causing Jinxel to tense up and slowly look towards the deer head on the wall.
Twilight Sparkle	Twilight's concentration is weakened by the sudden crunching. She flinches, and the ray of magical light wavers a moment before she gets it re-established. "Wh-what was that?" Twilight asks, panting softly after the effort of maintaining the spell after being startled. She looks around with her eyes, but she can't shift position without risking the spell and the entire ritual. "Is it another demon?" she asks, a bit of sweat dripping down her brow while her mage armor sparkles in the light of her magic. She takes her own advice, though, and leaves whatever may come to Mortimer, Karian, and Jinxel. She tries to focus her thoughts on cleansing Ulbrecht, on making him a pure, complete, happy, untainted puppy.
Mortimer Balman	The moment everyone looks up at the deer's head, it's quite noticeably changed. The eyes are a dull milky white, the horns look frayed and broken, and the face has been twisted so grotesquely that half of its muzzle has been peeled back to give it a sinister death's head grin with rotting teeth and gums. Another crunching sound and it twists to an unnatural angle and stares Karian dead square in the eyes. And then.. It starts laughing at him. Cackling mindlessly and flailing around wildly. And then the lamp starts laughing too, the light flickering as it hops up and down and screeches a godawful laugh, like an elderly valley girl who's heard the funniest joke of her life. And after that, the books on the shelves, the visible pots and pans hanging from a railing in the kitchen, the fridge, the skull that Falstaff's foot is firmly planted on. They're all laughing too. Something is just gosh darned hilarious about this whole situation. Neither Mortimer nor Reder appear to act. They seem frozen in place, as though statues.
Jinxel	... God damnit, now Jinxel is gonna have nightmares for weeks! I hope you're happy, evil douchebag demon troll! Raising her battle fan up next to her, the bad luck pony turns her head from laughing creepy thing to laughing creepy thing and shivers, her body tensed up and ready to swing at the first available target that comes at her.
Karian Icefang	Karian narrows his eye, but ignores the laughing. "If it's going to be like this..." He says softly. He brings a hand up to his chest, near the Crux Teminatus mark, and cracks his neck. "If you won't show yourself, I will force you into the light, and banish you back into the hell you crawled from." Then he begins to speak in Imperial High Gothic, intoning a universal prayer he learned from his time amongst the Deathwatch, and reinforced by his training as a Wolf Priest, or Chaplain. "A spiritu dominatus, Domine, Libra nos. From the Lighting and the tempest, Emperor deliver us..."
Twilight Sparkle	Twilight hears the laughing. She sees the strange and disturbing changes happening to the room around her. She takes this as a good sign. She has disturbed something, and it is trying to discourage her and her friends. "Stand strong, everyone! There are no demons that can overcome us if we stick together!" she calls out through panted breath. She is still casting her spell, but even in the best of cases casting for such a long time is exhausting. She even tries to strengthen the spell, channeling a bit more magic into it to try and force the taint from Ulbrecht. "Falstaff, keep going. Ulbrecht, stay strong! This demon is no match for you! You can overcome him!" Twilight calls out, doing her best to maintain the courageous attitude she has tried to foster in Ulbrecht and her friends.
Mortimer Balman	And just as swiftly as it started, the laughter stopped. Mortimer and Reder suddenly regain their mobility. "<..What was that? Sarge what just happened. Why do I feel like I just f->" Reder does not get to finish his agitated response to sudden paralysis before the windows of the house suddenly explode. Gnarled, dead roots smash them inwards, sending shards of glass flying through the air before they explode into sparkling little bits of harmless dust. The roots look suspiciously like they'd belong on that one undead tree Mort keeps near the back of the house. The one which is supposed to be cordoned off from the rest of the copse he has around his property. Said roots are, to note, flailing viciously and trying to interrupt the ritual- ideally by flailing at Twilight Sparkle, in specific. Mortimer and Reder try to dive at them but they are swiftly sucked away by the roots, roaring angrily and swearing a litany of curses best not repeated for decency's sakes.
Jinxel	Say it with me now. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" And like a taut bow, Jinxel reacts with surprising swiftness as she screams out and sweeps her battlefan through the air and unleashes a blast of slicing air at the flailing roots, without even thinking as she aims to reduce them to firewood! Along with all the wallpaper... and probably some of Mortimer's furniture. Oops.
Karian Icefang	The Wolf Priest spots this, but rather then do his usual charge, he draws on an item he rarely used. A Crozius Arcanum. All but slamming it into the ground, he lowers to a knee, and calls upon all the faith he had within. His voices rises up in staunch defiance, literally screaming into the warp itself. "I cast thee back to the hell from hence you came, Deamon! In the name of the Immortal God-Emperor of Man, Savoir of Mankind! Release your hold upon this noble wolf, and this home! In the name of the Imperium, the name of the Primarchs, I CAST THEE BACK TO THE WARP!!!!!!!"
Twilight Sparkle	Twilight's eyes widen as she hears that crashing. "C-celestia?!" she exclaims, and her armor shatters before a light coalesces down her body, forming into her Harmony Armor. Her book appears at her side, then quickly floats up above her and starts spinning, and a shield of light forms around her, deflecting the blows from the roots if any make it close to her. But, even with her Harmony Armor now assisting her, Twilight is starting to look tired. She is panting steadily and sweating, but her expression is one of determination. She is NOT going to let this terrible demon...daemon...whatever...take Ulbrecht! Or anyone else! "You cannot defeat us, you Ruinous creature! The last of you who tried met his demise simply by gazing upon us! We will not be overcome by you!" she shouts as she keeps casting.
Mortimer Balman	Mortimer and Reder unceremoniously hit the floor and start shredding the roots that are trying to smash and crush them, even as the blasted things have been sliced off. Curiously they seem to be having trouble hitting.. Anything at all. Even though they could well reach everyone and everything with ease, they barely managed to do much. And then the light of the Crozius emanates, and spreads forth. A psychic wave shakes the household, and the sound of a tree being lifted by its very foundations and then crashing into the roof is heard. The lights all die out at once. The eyes of the ritual participants cease to glow, and Switchbait slowly flutters to the floor, panting exhaustedly. Throughout the entirety of the house, only a single source of light can be seen- the gem on Twilight Sparkle's metal ring, giving off a dull but angry glow, swirling colours writhing inside like a maelstrom.
Jinxel	Huff, huff, huff. Hugging her fan against her chest for support, Jinxel looks around the darkened room, then asks in a shakey voice, "Is... is it over? What happened?" Ooooh, if only her magical armor could shed some light on this situation... literally! But being a gift from Nightmare Moon, it's kind of the opposite of light, being all dark like the Mare in the Moon.
Karian Icefang	Karian looks up when he hears the tree being lifted and hitting the roof. "Is everyone allright?" He asks. His voice is slightly hoarse, but he doesn't let that hamper him. He was glad, in that moment, for his one remaining eye. Thanks to the light from the gem, he could see as if it was bright as day, or just about as well.
Twilight Sparkle	Twilight Sparkle lets out a yelp as that tree shakes the house. It's all she can take. Her spell breaks, as does her shield, and she collapses on the floor, panting heavily. She isn't sure what happened, but... "..did...did it work...?" she asks, lying on her side and looking around the room. She can't see the gem from this side of Ulbrecht. But, she feels like it worked. All of that shaking and chaos had to be death throws of a daemon. As she hears Karian, she calls out. "I am unharmed, but...did it work? Is the chaos contained in the gem?"
Mortimer Balman	"Uggh. Damnation, that hurts.." Mortimer grumbles as he gets back up to his feet, and tries to stumble over toward the circle. "I don't know- you're the 'psyker'. You should be able to feel it.. Switchbait! Switch, where are yah?" Reder tortles from not far away, "<He's out like a light, Sarge. Telepathy is just too much of a strain on him. He's only good at 'kinetics for long term action.>" Ulbrecht whines a little and can be heard shaking his chains, trying to get free. "Oh bloody hell, one moment." And then fresh light fills the room as Mortimer's head /bursts/ into bright flames to provide light- almost blindingly bright at first, but then it adjusts down. "I don't /feel/ anything.. Do you feel anything Twilit? Karian? ..Jinxie, are you okay?"
Jinxel	Jinxel squints her eyes as the light from the flames pierces the darkness, then sights a bit and releases her grip on her battlefan and lets it float over to her side, "I'm fine Morty..."
Karian Icefang	Karian shifts slightly. He keeps the crozius in his grip, using it's light to help illuminate the room. "That was most definately a deamon fighting to keep it's grip...You needn't be a psyker to feel that. I'll check the gem." He says, walking over towards it. Ygdril pads over, sniffing the air and checking over everyone else like the good wolf he is.
Twilight Sparkle	Twilight Sparkle finally musters the strength to get back to her feet, and staggers weakly toward the gem. "It...it looks like it worked. But, I'm afraid even I do not know a spell for sensing magical radiation. I would have to use my device for it." she says as she peers at the gem. "But...it certainly appears to have captured something. Can any of you tell if the chaos is purified from Ulbrecht? Or if there is chaos inside the gem?" Twilight says, then looks around.
Staren	Well, they cleared that dungeon faster than expected! After logging out of ALO, Staren decides to come visit Twilight, because why not? Only, when he gets there, she's not home, and Spike points him to Mortimer's. He's heading that way when he hears the crash... He gallops up the road, and then stops and stares when he sees the state of the house. Moments later, Staren, in his natural form adorned in his protoabstractum power armor, slams open the door and takes in the scene. But... nothing seems to be /happening/ just this second. "Is everyone alright?!"
Jinxel	Jinxel lets out a sigh as she's helped to her hooves, then with a single stamp, she dismisses the black armor and battlefan before trotting over to where Ulbrecht is still chained up, "And how about you little guy? Are you alright?"
Karian Icefang	Karian looks over to Staren. "We attempted to remove chaotic taint from a Thunderwolf pup. It put up a fight..It appears we won though." He says, voice somehow sounding more hoarse then it had before. He looks over to Ulbrecht, and takes a knee in front of him. He slowly extends a hand and lightly pets the wolf on his head and between his ears. "Rest easy, Ulbrecht. You stood strong against the darkness and emerged from it unharmed. A feat many fail to do. I don't know if you can understand me, but hold onto that strength. Never forget this, or your heritage. Be proud of this accomplishment, and know that you have friends who will always be here for you."
Twilight Sparkle	Twilight blinks as Staren bursts into the room. She smiles tiredly, happy to see him but still exhausted. "I am glad to see you, but unfortunately you missed the action." she says before she looks at the gem. "...I...um...what do we do with the gem now? A seed of Ruinous Power seems like something that should not be left lying around. But, it might be safest to store it somewhere on Equestria. Perhaps Queen Celestia's vault...unless you think we can destroy the seed?" Twilight looks to Karian and Mortimer for answers, then smiles to Jinxel. "Thank you for coming, Jinxel." she says, moving to join her in helping Ulbrecht free of those chains.
Staren	Staren blinks. "I missed it?" Then he seems to relax a bit. "Well, as long as you're all okay." He approaches the group.
Karian Icefang	Karian thinks. "It is best to keep it somewhere safe. Deamons can not be destroyed in the normal sense. They can only be banished for some time. Storing it in the vault, with strict orders to NEVER DISTURB IT would be best." He then looks over to mort. "I hope you have some chili or tea....the last time I released a prayer with the crozius, I blew my vocal chords out for a few days."
Mortimer Balman	Nettle's edges ruffle a little at Twilight wondering what she should do with the shard. "<Take it to your Queens. Cast it into the depths of Tartarus. Or.. Give it to me. There are places I can hide such things where they will be hard to find. ...And pains I can inflict upon those who will not otherwise face retribution should they ever return from whence they came.>" Wicked as she is, Nettle has a very strong sense of what is Proper and what is Improper. "There's no out and out /daemon/ in there though, is there..?" A long pause before Nettle speaks again. "<No. It is not a daemon. It is a shard of the corrupted psychic energies of the Warp that the Wolf Lord's enemies delight in spreading across humanity. It is a hole, inside of a prison. A window into a gaol, if you will..>"
Jinxel	"Anytime Twilight. By the way, sorry I haven't been around lately. The snow in the Evertree is piled two meters high in some places, so sometimes it's hard for me and Bramble to dig out way out," Jinxel says as she turns back to Twilight, "I'll try and visit more often though."
Twilight Sparkle	Twilight gives Staren a hug and a nuzzle when he approaches, having to rise up on her hindlegs to give his human form a proper hug. She nods at Karian's and Nettle's suggestions for the gem. "Yes, the royal vault at Canterlot is the only vault secure enough for such a dangerous item. But, now we know that the taint can be removed without killing the corrupted!" Twilight says happily. She dismisses her Harmony Armor, and her ceremonial Celestial mage armor returns. "I would say this has been a great success." she adds, then gives Jinxel a hug. "Don't worry about it, Jinxel. I would love to see you more often, but it can wait until Winter Wrap-up." she says before looking around at the others. "Thank you all for your help. I could not have done this without you." she adds, smiling brightly.
Mortimer Balman	Nettle slowly floats over to sit herself on Twilight's head. Peering down at her. "<If that is your decision, then my suggestion is that you leave tomorrow for Their Majesties' palace so that it can be secured in the vault post haste. I will accompany you and aid in keeping watch over the wretched thing until we leave. It should not linger here any longer than it absolutely must, unless you intend to appoint my Master as its guardian.>" Mortimer groans, "No. I've already got enough mess to clean up after and I promised some folks I'd babysit soon. I'll pay for yer trip if you need it, Twilit. And.. Friggin' dangit. ...Jinxie if you wanna, let me get the room cleaned up a bit, you can crash on the couch for the night so you don't have to go home in the dead of night in all this snow." Ulbrecht, now freed of his chains, appears to agree heartily with Mortimer's suggestion, as he is in the process of pouncing Jinxel so that he can nuzzle and lick her face. He will then repeat this process with Twilight Sparkle unless she can abscond swiftly. "Staren be a good lad, go wake Alter up out of his torpor in the shed and have him bring an axe and a broom. Got a lot of cleanup to get done.."