The P-Files, Part II

"I'll try not to lose any sleep over it."

Chitin responds to the Balrog's tirade calmly. She blinks when Mini-Rock hugs her, looking down towards him for a moment. Not really sure how to respond, she reaches down with her wings, patting his back in an awkward hug.

Blushing, the little Rock smiles...

-And next to Gleeda, Buck sniffles. "I-I promised myself I wouldn't cry..." he mutters to himself, taking out a handkerchief and dabbing at his eyes.

Then, finally letting go of Chitin, little Rock turns back around and gallops over to his other selves – the lot of them grinning as they share a knowing look at the smallest of their number.

Giving the others a firm nod, the littlest Hard Rock closes his eyes as all his other selves do the same. There’s a flash of light and a sound like the riff of an electric guitar – and seven ponies become one.

“WHAT NOW?” Rock calls over the Balrog’s ranting as the light fades from around his full-grown form.

"I'M GONNA SUCK OUT YER SOULS THROUGH A STRAW!!!!"

“YOU EVER SEEN JOCKEY CHAN ADVENTURES?” Roll yells back.

"YOU PONY FOALS WILL RUE THA DAY YOU EVA MESSED WITH THA BALROG!!! RUE THE DAY!!!!"

“NO. WHY?”

"I'LL ROAST ALL YER BODIES OVER MY OPEN MANE!!!"

“WE’RE THE ONE’S DREAMIN’ RIGHT?”

"YER ALL GONNA PAY!!!"

“YEAH.”

"PAY, YOU HEAR ME?!?!"

“-THEN WATCH THIS!”

Roll snaps her hooves – and she’s struck with a bolt from the blue. When the smoke clears, she’s wearing a suit of high-tech, blue and white battle armor, hovering in the ether with a jet-pack on her back, a leg cannon on one hoof, and a beam saber in the other.

Spoiler:

Looking herself over, she grins, nodding back to Rock.

“Ooh!” the dark green and lime coated pony nods in return - finally realizing what Roll meant. Then, grinning, Rock rears up on his hind legs, and slams his forehooves to the blue. Armor materializes all around him, armor you recognize to be of the same design as the Rose Knight Armor from before – only much, much more intricate (and shiny). His forehooves lift off the invisible ground, his hindquarters following soon after; as twin back-banners – each sporting the Rose Knight insignia – materialize at his flanks, and a quad-necked guitar appears in his hooves.

Spoiler:

A mic materializes in Hard Rock's golden helm, and after a moment spent adjusting it, he gives his guitar a test strum and clears his throat.

"-Ahem. I'd like to dedicate this performance to everypony who came out tonight to save Roll and me." Rock looks out over all of you as he says this - as across the bluescape, the Balrog stomps it's feet and flames roar up from what's left of the tar pool. Rock glances ahead at the nightmare, then returns his focus to all of you and nods with certainty, "Whether Rose Knights or not - you're all heroes in my book. Here's to new friendships and strong conviction. I believe in you-"

Roll nods, "-Me too."

"-And no matter what fire and flames may come our way..." Rock turns his gaze again to the Balrog as the mountainous volcanic titan glares back, and with a gleam in the pony's eye, he adds, "-We'll carry on."

Setting his face in the single-minded grin of a lunatic, Rock's tongue lolls out the side of his mouth as he raises a hoof – summons a guitar pick – then sets pick to strings, his hoof moving so fast it looks to be in four places at once. Smoke rises from his guitar – then it simply bursts into flames – even as Hard Rock begins playing a song of such rhythmic power, it sets your pulses racing - and immediately, you all feel a change coming on…

Spoiler:

Whisper watched as the pair transformed and looked to Roll and said, "Well, if you're not gonna do it then... I will!" Then Whisper vanished in a beam of pinkish energy that flew up off-screen with the Megaman teleport sound. The same sound came again a moment later as a beam of pink energy came down from off-screen. When it hit the "ground", Whisper reappeared wearing robotic armor/dress (complete with helmet) that was largely pink-red and wielding some kind of strange metal broom.

Teleport, first sound:

Outfit:

"Fancy."  As he nods to the rest who've been transformed.

"I guess its my turn.  Ladies and gentleponies.  I now pull my greatest trick ever, and make myself disappear!"  Coffee sweeps his cape over himself and vanishes as it hits the floor.  Next to it, a box with question mark symbols pops out of ground, and out steps Coffee transformed.  He's wearing an orange cloak and top hat.  An obsidian blade, shimmering with all the stars in the galaxy, hovers beside him, resting in his telekinetic grasp.

Nameless yells along with the beat, roaring in triumph. His flames glow brighter and brighter, consuming him. When they finally die down, he is wielding a bright silver sword, glowing with a powerful light. He is wearing a talisman shaped like his cutie mark, seeming to push back the darkness around you.

Gleeda rawrs a primal sound as divine lightly stirkes her turning her armor from a simple looking "rose-knight" into the griffon looking like a the mythical Griffon Valkyries of legend.

Armor looks like this just with a rose-knight theme still showing on it too:

Chitin closes her eyes and arches her back for a moment before rearing up on her hind legs as a column of rose-red flames erupts from under her. Through the flames you can see a black silhouette of her as it morphs and shifts. The armor breaking apart into vines and wrapping around her as they take their new form. Suddenly opening her eyes and extending her wings, the column explodes outwards, the cinders morphing into a storm of rose petals that gently fall around her as she stands in her new shining green armor. Leaf-like plates and vines along her chest and legs with bright red rose decorations.

Stuff:

Spoiler:

“-I’LL RING YA BODIES OUT SO GOOD, THEY’LL OOZE FEAR LIKE CHOCOLATE SAUCE! I’LL DICE YA UP SO FINE, THERE WON’T BE ENOUGH LEFT TA MAKE ICE CREAM SPRINKLES!”

-The Balrog bellows, so caught up in his rant, he hasn’t even seemed to notice as you all transform before him.

“-YOU LIKE CAKE?! I’LL GIVE YA CAKE! AN’ I’LL MAKE IT – WITH YOUR BUCKIN’ SOOOOOOOOOOULS! HOW'S THAT FOR BUCKIN' CAKE?! JUS’ YOU WATCH! I’LL GRIND YA BONES TA MAKE CAKE BATTER! I’LL USE YER TEARS FER FROSTIN’! I’LL MAKE A CAKE FIT FOR THA KING A' TARTARUS' BIRTHDAY AN’ I'LL INVITE ALL MY FRIENDS TA THA PARTY!

…

Oh yeah, I don’t have any friends…

-WELL, I’LL INVITE ALL MY… LACKIES!

YEAH!

…

LACKIES!

WE’LL SIT AROUND GORGIN’ OURSELVES ON SOULS, CAKE, AND COOKIE DOUGH WHILE WATCHING CHICK-FLICKS AN’ CRYIN’ OUR EYES OUT, LYING TO EACH OTHER AN’ SAYIN’ THAT WE’RE STILL PRETTY! AN’ THEN- AN’ THEN WE’LL… um… yeah...


As the Balrog’s mental trash talk trails off, his flaming red eyes flick back and forth between Rock in his rock armor, Roll in her power suit, Whisper in her… cyber… maid… outfit…?, Coffee in his sword mage garb, Nameless in his light mantle, Gleeda in her Griffon Valkyrie glory, Chitin – the alicorn warrior princess of red roses… And then his eyes finally come to rest on Buck – just as the griffon finishes his own transformation into a flame snorting, chain-swinging, rip-roaring, black leather and spike clad griffon ghost rider on a steel horse with two flaming wheels instead of hooves (and who even appears to share some similarities with the Balrog’s own look actually if truth be told).


-But taking all this in... the Balrog’s brow drops low and his shoulders slump.

“Aw crud…”

Those two words echo in all your minds.

-Then the Balrog scrambles into motion - hurriedly raising a massive black clawed hand and fumbling around for a moment as if struggling with a stubborn lighter - he then summons another colossal flaming scimitar, thrusting it before him and waving it around at everypony frantically like a protective cross to ward off evil.

“-Alright! ALLLLL-RIGHT! YOU FOLKS THINK YA CAN GO FIVE MINUTES WITH THA CHAMP, EH?! THINK YA CAN STEP IN THA RING WITH THA OL’ BALROG HISSELF EH? WELL THEN…”

The Balrog pauses.

“Well… then…

"Uuuuuuuh…”

Clenching his fist and grimacing, the Balrog grumbles into your minds, “Aw screw it.”

Taking a deep breath, he rears back, beats his chest and roars –

“BRING IT ON!”


As Rock starts up a new verse to his song, you all prepare yourselves, gearing up for a fight of epic proportions…

Spoiler:

"Far too noisy.   Let me steal some of your thunder."  Coffee doffs his hat, flips it upside down and out pops a yellow lantern.

Show Me Yah Hooves!:

Stats:

Coffee flips a switch on the lantern and it starts to hum and glow brightly. He slides it like a hockey puck over by the Balrog, sapping some of his dark aura.

Spoiler:

Stats:

Gleeda grins feeling a bit of a high coming on from the start of combat... Next she targets the Balrog with all of her training's tracking skills in a way to see all of the enemy's weak-points to hit for a little more damage. Next she starts to enter her bloodlust state of mind... The Magical Valkyrie Armor reacting to her bloodlust by superchargeing her whole body with electricity that Gleeda quickly discharged by firing at The Balrog's Weakpoints FOR MASSIVE DAMAGE! well it a good deal of harm none the less. Finally she kissed her bow after the fact which sparked the griffon in a revitalizing way...

Combat Turn:

status:

As Coffee Mug’s puny little lantern had started sucking up the Balrog’s aura, the nightmare had raised an eyebrow, looking annoyed – that was right before Gleeda blindsided him with a bolt from the blue, aiming straight for one of the lava leaking cracks in the Balrog’s obsidian skin.

Now as Gleeda’s lightning hits home, you sense some resistance from the nightmare’s rock hard hide, but the electricity flies straight and true, piercing the Balrog’s flesh and cutting into his burning core. The Balrog roars in pain, “OOOOOOOOOOOUCH!” as magma bubbles in the open wound – then erupts in a miniature volcanic reaction of fire and light, spewing molten lava back in Gleeda’s direction. Though the griffon princess’s able to avoid the worst of the damage, the flames singe her feathers and leave her seeing spots.

Spoiler:

Holding his injured side with one clawed hand, the Balrog grips his flaming sword tight in his talons. “Why you little…” he growls, “I’LL SWAT YA LIKE A FLY!”

Turning on Gleeda, the Balrog sweeps back his blade, then brings it crashing down. Though Gleeda’s able to sidestep the flaming sword and avoid most of the damage, the shockwave from the weapon’s impact is enough to shake the blue beneath her and Nameless’ hooves and talons.

Spoiler:

The Balrog then breaks free of the yellow lantern’s suction, but continues to clutch at his side.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

"Oh yeah! That's what my dreams are made of!" Gleeda taunts after the attacks with a laugh. "It's no fun if the fight's without any bite!"

(OOC: Just talking here still nameless' attack turn... Or Chitilin can do her 1d12 attack thing)

Nameless' shakes off the shock, and charges at B. Rog, drawing his sword and plunging it  deep into him. As it breaks the skin, it glows brightly, covering Roggy in a silvery glow, and transferring some of the darkness to Nameless.

Combat Status:

((Reminder, to shake off ANY of my effects, he's gotta roll 17 twice.

At Gleeda’s words the Balrog had leered with his ebon skull face and fangs, “I’ll give ya some bite…”

-Then Nameless jumped in, and though his blade had cut deep, he quickly realized (perhaps with some amount of shock) that the Balrog’s stone skin was just as thick as Nameless' sword was long. His attack actually hadn't even pierced the Balrog's hide.

Spoiler:

But even piercing the Balrog’s obsidian skin, the larger nightmare had merely looked down at Nameless, amused instead of pained – that is, until Nameless channeled his hex into the larger monster.

Now, as the silver glow spreads across the Balrog’s massive body, his muscles immediately begin to waste away as the fire in his eyes dulls and the rock hard layer of obsidian covering his body begins to sink back, revealing more and more of the fiery magma layer beneath.

The Balrog raises his shriveling talons to his face, his eyes going wide with outrage. “Biiii-scuuuuits… you lowborn scum… How dare you curse me… ME!”  

The Balrog closes his eyes in concentration…

“You honestly think this can overwhelm me with this?”  

He balls his talons into a fist, and the silver glow across his body begins to funnel into his closed palm…

“I… am… Archnight…

"I… have… a… FANCY… TITLE!”

As the last of the silver glow poolS into his closed palm, the Balrog opens his eyes, clenches his fist, and roars, “I… AM… SUPERIOR!”

When his fist clenches, it’s as if he snuffs out a candle. The silver glow vanishes instantly, and the Balrog’s muscles immediately reform as the fiery gleam returns to his burning eyes. His black hide remains sunken beneath the magma layer – but even as you notice this, an eruption of lava from the Balrog’s fresh wound blasts Nameless at point blank – the smaller nightmare only just avoiding the brunt of the molten flames, but coming away temporarily blinded by the bright flash of fire.

Spoiler:

Chuckling as he flexes his talons, the Balrog seems to grin (it’s hard to tell with the skull-like face). He looks over the lot of you and nods, “Pardon me fer a moment folks.” Rearing back, the Balrog raises his free hand high into the air, summoning what looks to be an old… fiery… stogie?

“-Smoke break.”

Raising the flaming cigar to his black fangs (since he doesn’t have lips), the Balrog takes a long drag, then rears forward and opens his fanged maw wide – “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” he exhales deeply, expelling a wave of roaring flames that rush from his mouth to strafe the blue – catching everypony (even Coffee’s lantern) in the inferno and setting your fur and feathers alight.

“BWAHAHHAH!!!” The Balrog chomps down on the stogie between his teeth, freeing up his hand yet again as his laughter fills your heads, “OH, HOW I DOOOO LOVE A GOOD SMOKE!”

Spoiler:

"Cough, cough"  Coffee's body starts to glow and his wounds start to heal up even as they torn apart.

Caffeine Limitbreak(Training Certificate - 2000 Gold
Trinket
When you purchase this item, choose a trait that you meet the prerequisites for. While you have the Training Certificate equipped, you are considered to have the chosen trait. You may equip more than one Training Certificate at once.
All that coffee has done strange things to your system.  Your body changes into overdrive when afflicted by something...

  Plague Eater
   You have regeneration 4 while you are suffering from a (save ends) condition.

"Your lame fight banter pains me more then your attacks do..." Gleeda snarks though the pain of being on fire...

As Balrog reacts to the others, Whisper's armor changes to a green dominant color and she waves her broom-thing and suddenly everyone is surrounded by protective bubbles of water(?) that negates some of his flames. Also everyone feels minty fresh. Except for Balrog, who also surrounded by a bubble, just feels irritatingly moist and bogged down. Then her armor returns to its default red-pink color.

---

After asking Josh, coins were flipped for Balrog removing the save ends.

Sleight Of Hand - Immediate Interrupt [5/battle]
Trigger - A coin is flipped and you dislike the result
Effect - Re-flip the coin and take the second result.

1st use against Weakened (save ends): Tails.
2nd: Heads. (He does not save.)

@Cardbo: In case you're wonder why it wasn't the dazed.... apparently the "reactions" mentioned are trait based effects and not Reaction combat talents at all. So as far as we know dazed doesn't do anything to Balrog.

And now for Whisper's actual turn....

Combat Data:

For Gleeda, The fire seems to fully go out... Then five seconds later... The Griffon Princess is lite ablaze, again... "Oh just my luck..." She grumbles how things are so far.

save throw:

For a moment it seems like the fire would continue to consume Coffee, but it suddenly goes out in a final burst of light coming from his body.  "Spicey."  The lantern, however continues to burn.

Spoiler:

Status:

Nameless jumps into the bubble, feeling the flames surrounding him go out. Everything is blurry, but at least he isn't on fire.

Save:

"BWAHAHAHAH BWAHAHAHAA BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA - Wha?"

The Balrog eyed the giant bubble encasing him in water - then spat out his smoldering cigar and leveled a glare at Whisper.

"YOU!"

Save:

Chitin grits her teeth as she's set aflame, for the few moments she is before they're doused. Taking a deep breath to steady herself as the pain goes away. Clearing her thoughts on musings about how minty-fresh her breath feels right now she turns a glare towards the Balrog and smirks. Her daggers float to a ready position beside her, their blades reflecting a myriad of colors before they're quickly enveloped in a sheath of pitch-black magic again.

Her grin grows as she opens her wings and flies right up to him while his attention is on Whisper. "Forgot about me?!" She barks out with a laugh as she brings her two blades  down in an X-slash across his chest. Even as they blades leave his body, they leave glowing green trails where they cut that burn and sting like thousands of insects are crawling inside constantly stinging at it.

"Or are you too scared to face me now, you overcooked slab of Nothing?" She calls out with a mocking laugh as she comes down for a landing beside Whisper. A bit of the magic wrapped around her blades flaring off and seeming to be absorbed into the sockwhite robo-pony-maid.

Combat Data:

Turn End:

“-I like her style,” Roll grins, directing her words at Rock, her props at Chitin, “The griffon’s not too shabby neither – and that guy?” She points her beam sword at the Balrog as he roars in frustration.

“GaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAH!”

“-He’s just hilarious.”

As Roll muses, a gout of flame erupts from Chitin’s X-shaped gash in the Balrog’s chest, blasting back at the Changeling Alicorn Warrior Princess. The flames never reach her through Whisper’s bubble prison, but the flash of light does blind Chitin nonetheless.

Spoiler:

Gritting his teeth, the Balrog then slumps his shoulders, fuming bubbles out the corners of his mouth (still being inside the one much larger bubble, mind you). Surveying everypony assembled before him with his malevolent red eyes, the Balrog’s voice grumbles in your heads, “I loath you all so much…”

Meanwhile, hovering on her jetpack in the blue, Roll doubles over with laughter; Buck, sitting on his steel horse, chuckles a bit to himself; and even Rock snickers as he continues to play his quad-neck.

The Balrog glares at the three of them, his red eyes going wide, his arms at his sides – his fists clenched and shaking. Streaks of steam begin rising up from the nightmare's bubble as his magma form begins to glow brighter and brighter. “I loath you all…” he growls, “So very… VERY… MUUUUUUUUUUUCH!"

With that, the Balrog tosses back his head, spreads his arms and wings wide, busts Whisper’s bubble, and roars defiantly up into the blue – his entire body burning like a giant, living torch.

Spoiler:

As the Balrog turns his gaze back on all of you – Roll sobers up, putting on a decisive frown as Buck revs his horse. Only Rock keeps his grin as he switches to a quick new tune:

Spoiler:

“-I’m going in,” Roll notes to nopony in particular, before rearing back – then bursting forward on her jetpack.

“BUCKIN’ STRAIGHT! RIGHT BEHIND YA!” Buck yells as he pops a wheelie and shoots forward on his own burning wheels, leaving a trail of flames in his wake as he follows Roll’s lead.

Together they rush at the Balrog, even as the blue dreamscape all around begins to shift, shimmer, and re-solidify, forming into sci-fi city streets filled and skyscrapers as Rock breaks into a new tune…

Spoiler:

Current Combat Notes:

Coffee rears up on his hind legs a glowing white sun with a black corona appears between his hooves.  It flies off into sky, and shines a harsh light until the Balrog, causing his injuries to burn. At the same he lifts his Spell Blade and shoots a stream of stars at the Balrog.

Moves:

Coffee switches the lantern back off and on again with his PK, where it again starts absorbing the Balrog's aura.  "Sometime all you need to do is powercycle it.".  Coincedentally, the flames on the lamp seemed to have died off.

Lantern Moves:

Status:

As Coffee’s black and white sun shines in the sky, the Balrog grimaces, shielding his eyes with one fiery arm – but as his wounds begin to burn, another eruption of blinding fire and flames rockets from his body, clipping Coffee Mug and leaving the unicorn seeing stars.

Meanwhile, the blast from Coffee’s sword bounces harmlessly off the archnight, and as Coffee flips his lantern back on, the Balrog looks at it again with half-lidded - and annoyed - eyes...

“You gotta be kiddin’ me…”

Spoiler:

Current Combat Notes: