Dimensional Chronicles

The padded walls of her cell mocked her, so fragile yet she could not destroy them. The cold, engraved iron, bound to her body nullified her power and bound her wings.. And Raphael chilled her soul. It was torture, plain and simple, they were trying to break her mind, but she wouldn't let them. She was the judge, she was the cleanser; it was her job to break these heathens, not the other way around. The impudence, she would not stand for it, she screamed, pounding on the door.
"Let me out, you filth!" No response, typical, they only responded during the blasted counciling sessions. There were no windows in the room, no clocks, no way to tell time at all.
"Give it up kid," Beelzebub drifted about the cieling, looking bored, "they aint gonna do that." He started bouncing on the walls. "They're scared stiff. Anypony wanna play charades again?"

"You and your blasted charades," Raphael growled, "what will it be this time, a violated child?"
"How would you know?" Beelzebub stuck out his tongue.
"Because it's always the same thing with you, all anyone has to do is think; what's the worst possible thing that could go with those movements." The ice on Raphael's voice was starting to chip away, leaving red hot anger behind.
"Oh, and you're any better?" Beelzebub took a step towards his counterpart. "You're always, Rightfulness this and Duty that. Let your tail down bro, have a little fun." Beelzebub's ever present grin faltered for a moment before returning even stronger. "Or does your great God hate enjoyment as much as he does mine?"
"You go too far, scum!" Raphael snapped, jumping onto his crimson counterpart, hooves pressing down on his neck as Beezlebub wheezed with laughter.

"Shut up, both of you!" Andromeda howled at the two combatants, causing them to break the glares they were throwing each other. "I can't believe you two, here we are, in a cage and you turn on each other like bloodthirsty animals! Help me get the buck out of here or so help me, I will buck you both to hell!" Raphael stepped off of Beelzelbub's throat, straightening his mane, which had begun to stick up at odd angles.
"Killjoy." Beelzebub muttered, pushing himself up from his prone position.
"I apologize, our scarlet friend just has a way of bringing out the worst in me." He shot a glare at Beelzebub.
"Well you better get it under control!" She was enraged at this point, not only was she trapped more completely than ever before, the beings she turned to for guidance were losing it too. The door opened behind her, but she didn't notice. "I can't believe I ever listened to you two, how do you ever agree on anything? Much less give a life or death judgement! I bet you couldn't ev-"

"Morning Dew?" Andromeda froze, slightly surprised that the essence of fury wasn't dripping from her eyes.
"I thought I told you ponies," She turned, eyes like coals of hate, "not to call me that." The nurse backed away a step. This was a new one, she was a unicorn mare, her coat was white, her mane blue and the mark on her side was a small stuffed bear. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have the heralds of heaven and hell to straighten out." Andromeda almost turned back around before she realized that this meant the door was open. "On second thought, if you would kindly step aside I won't have to kill you."

The nurse muttered something under her breath before backing through the door and stepping to the side. Andromeda was lightly surprised by the fact that that had worked, but spared it no second thought as she dashed for the door. As she stepped through she imagined that she could almost smell it, fresh air, flowers, the ashes of the guilty. There was a slight creaking sound behind her, like stretching fabric. Something grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back onto a soft surface, she felt her forelegs bound to her sides and she was brought down to lie flat. After a moments confusion she realized that she was strapped to a gurney... again. The nurse was standing over her, no anger was apparent on her face, no fear, only something that resembled disappointment.

"The doctor will see you now." The nurse monotoned. Oh, this was going to be her next therapy session.

Gavla was in heaven, or rather, a battlefield, stepping over the unconscious bodies of Canterlot's elite. Three troops of guards had found her, two troops were down and only the unicorn was left from the last troop. Still, eight out of nine wasn't bad. Her armor was designed much in the same manner as the pegusi's, all sleek lines with a pair of ridges running down her back to match her mask. But, seeing as this was her personal set, she had opted for a little flair. The breastplate was stamped with the three virtues symbol, Vamprah's mask on either side of it looking to her sides.

"I'll admit it, I'm intrigued; just who are you?" Gavla chuckled. "I mean really, you've lasted about three minutes, that's a new record." The stallion chuckled weakly.
"But surely, this is nothing compared to the warriors back where you come from?" Gavla frowned, disappointed. This was the first time the stallion had spoken, he had a boyish voice, she had been expecting something more deep and intimidating.
"I can see why you don't talk much, but no, you're not even as good as the average matoran."

Gavla noticed one of the guards at her feet was stirring, she couldn't have that. She gave him a solid crack on the head, slightly denting his armor and forcing him to go limp. The stallion twitched, his mouth curling into a snarl.
"Don't do that." Even with his juvenile sounding voice he managed to put a bit of menace into his words, Gavla grinned.
"Or what little boy?" She kicked the downed guard again. "You gonna stop me?"
"Bet on it." He growled, charging her, his armor crackling with energy.
"Good." Gavla jumped aside, letting the stallion run past her, he wheeled around, making sure to keep his front towards Gavla. "Come on, boy, that can't be the best you have, I gave you those claws for a reason." Gavla picked up one of the fallen guards. "Or would you rather I broke a few of his bones?" The stallion reared up, his horn shining for a moment. A wave of purple flame erupted from the light, barreling towards Gavla, ducking down she managed to just barely avoid the flames. When the heat passed she looked up to see the stallion's shoulder a second before it made contact with her mask, sending her sprawling back.

Gavla rolled back onto her hindlegs, holding her claws at the ready. "You're serious. I like that." Her claws swirled with shadows. "Let's play!" She rammed the claws into the ground, sending waves of darkness howling at the stallion, his horn flickered, pulling up the rock in front of him to halt the shadow blades. The rock exploded, debris pelting the stallion, a rather large rock knocked his helmet off, revealing a white coat and blue mane. The stallion scowled at her. Gavla took to the air, peppering the stallion with shadow-bolts, kicking up dust around him. A dome appeared around the spot he was standing, cutting through the dust and continuing to expand. Gavla dove towards it, claws held forward. As the iron tips made contact with the shield a sound like shrieking metal filled the air, the dome shattered. The look of horror on the stallion's face made her grin wider. She swooped down onto the stallion, pinning his neck. "I think I like you." She lifted a hoof, her claws balled into a fist.

"Captain, Shining Armor!" A stallion's voice sounded somewhere to her left, followed by the crack of cannonfire. Aw shi- She felt the Rampart Blaster's shot impact her side, blowing her off of the stallion, Her mask scratched against the stone ground, digging her claws into the ground slowed her skid, allowing her to look back up. The earth pony that had shot her had another unicorn on his back, a pegasus circled above them. The earth pony ran to his fallen captain, what had she heard him call the stallion? Oh right, Shining Armor. She was hardly given much of a chance to recover as the pegasus came barreling towards her, she rolled to the side, kicking the pegasus in the gut as he passed. The pegasus careened into the ground, landing with a clatter of metal. Gavla was on him even before he had a chance to right himself. She delivered a solid blow to his neck, causing him to choke and desperately crawl away from her.

"Sandcroft!" It was a mare's voice this time, a horrible screech filled her ears, Gavla grabbed her mask, trying to protect herself from the agonizing sound. She snarled, looking back towards Shining and the other two guards. Digging her back legs into the ground for a moment, she launched herself at them, shadow enveloping her form. The earth pony reared up, taking the full brunt of her charge into his chest-plate. He staggered, sliding back as the shadows exploded outward, blowing Shining Armor back and knocking the mare off his back. He brought his hooves back down in an attempt to pin her.
"Bad idea, that was a bad idea." She heard him wheeze. Gavla brought her head up into his stomach, winding the stallion and forcing him to back off. She was immediately assaulted by two bolts of magic, she drove her claws through both, the heat from them was intense, even through her armor. Jumping up she responded with a pair of shadow bolts that made their mark with a crash, sending both unicorns sprawling in the dust.

"Let's cut loose, shall we?" Gavla spat onto the ground, her blades sliding out from her hooves. She ran towards Shining Armor, who materialized an ornate blade to counter hers with, standing firm against her. Sounds of metal clashing filled the air for a moment. Gavla attacked like a mare possessed, bringing both blades down on the magical construct. She drew an arm back, ready to stab, Shining pushed her back, forcing her to fall short. Gavla attacked in rapid succession on either side, which he barely countered, she knocked his blade aside bringing up one of her hind legs to deliver a solid kick to his jaw, sending him sprawling as she spun back into place.

The pegasus, Sandcroft, and the earth pony seemed to have recovered in the time it took her to dispatch Shining. They were charging from both in front of and behind her, Gavla jumped, causing her opponents to veer slightly to avoid colliding. Gavla brought down the flats of her blades on them, forcing their heads together. They slumped down to the ground, out cold. Another blast of sound impacted her chest, knocking her from the air. She landed on all fours, digging her claws into the ground to prevent herself from sliding.

"Hey."
"Oh, hi Vamprah, feeling any better?" Gavla looked up at the mare, she was limping, vulnerable. Gavla grinned.
"Not really. I managed to wake up, but that's about it in the mobility department." Gavla flung herself at the mare like a pouncing cat, claws forward and spread. The mare jumped to the side, stumbling slightly but managing to dodge the pounce.
"Well at least you're up." Gavla stalked towards the mare, head down, letting her shoulders roll in a manner reminiscent of a large dog. The mare started scrambling back to her hooves, but fell back down when she attempted to place weight on her injured limb.

"Is she alright?" Gavla looked down at the wounded foreleg, sliding the plates back with a quick burst of magic, it was swelling up rather badly. The mare jerked back, pulling her hoof into a more protected position under her body.
"No, apparently not." Gavla stood back up straight, casting an analysis spell in an attempt to spot further injuries. The scan came back clean, but the leg was bad enough to warrant concern. Gavla nodded quickly and lit her horn, letting the charge build up in her horn for a moment before releasing it into the air. She was going to wait until she had disposed of this mare too, but it seemed like a good time to call in the medics.

Gavla sat down, scratching under her mask. "What's your name?" She said bluntly. The mare twitched slightly, surprised at the sudden change of attitude.
"Vinyl, Vinyl Scratch."
"Well Scratch, you worked rather well with your unit today." Gavla smiled at her. "Even if your timing on that last burst was just a second o-" A mass of pink energy slammed into Gavla mid-sentence, blowing her into the grove that was the rest of the garden. Vinyl stared after the armored ex-matoran for a moment before looking up at the source of the blast.

"You witch!"

Luna sat in a garden, it was a strange garden, there were windows hanging in the air. Some ornately carved, others plain, and others cracked and decaying. The rest of the garden was strange as well, she didn't recognize most of the flora, and the ones she did recognize had been twisted and enlarged. There was something she was supposed to be doing, she was sure of it. But at the moment she couldn't remember what it was, so she shrugged and decided that whatever it was could wait. Standing up, she walked over to the closest window. Its molding was silver, beautifully crafted to accent the fourteen stones set in it. The stones seemed to go around the molding in an order, as each was numbered. They were all clear as pure water.

As she watched, the image on the other side of the window came into focus and the first crystal turned white as snow. A large bipedal being in a suit, he walked alongside others like him for a time. Then he walked away from them, into the arms of an apparently female figure dressed in blue. Another followed behind them as they struck out into a black expanse. As they traveled through the darkness, two more figures joined them after a bout of shouting by the being in the suit. Once they set off again they encountered strange creatures, many of them hostile, but the man in the suit and his companions seemed to always come out on top.

After a time, the first figure that had followed the man turned back, leaving the man with the other three figures. They walked for a bit before coming across another figure that had fallen. The man in the suit helped the new figure to its feet and brought it with them. After a bit longer they stumbled across themselves, standing completely still and a new figure. The man shook his head and walked past the still versions of themselves, leaving behind two of the figures that followed him and gaining one. It was noticeable that after this he started slowing down, which he seemed to be grumbling about.

The process continued, gaining and losing companions, the one he had helped up left with a new figure and another joined him. They walked for a bit longer before the strange creatures that inhabited this dark path struck at them again, this time much more viciously. A new figure joined them but was swiftly dispatched by the creatures, along with one of the figures that had been following him. The man slowed down even further, trudging along. The last figure left him and for a time he was alone with the woman in blue. She reached out a comforting hand, resting in on his shoulder, but he didn't seem to notice. She shook her head and took him by the hand, leading him down another dark trail. To a spot where two figures, a boy and a girl, sat. the man seemed to brighten a little, moving a bit faster. They traveled for a while longer until they met a new creature, it was an uncanny one that seemed almost like a perversion of the figures that had followed him up til this point. The man fought them off, but he fell afterwards.

The boy and the girl ran to him and Luna feared as she watched this man take his last breaths, that this story was coming to an end. But the man changed shape instead, springing to his feet with new energy and life. Luna chuckled at him as he ran circles around his shocked and confused companions. The second crystal turned a golden brown. The woman in blue handed him a new suit and a pair of pants and after he changed into them they were off again. This cycle continued, companions coming and going, he changed shape six more times, more crystals changing colors as he did so. The third crystal turned a calming blue. The fourth was a set of four colors to match his scarf. The fifth jewel was a deep purple. The sixth was a strange mixture of several conflicting colors that seemed to vie for control of the others. The seventh was a dual sided jewel, one side white, the other a shallow black. And the eighth was a light pink. The only constant was the lady in blue, who had begun to guide him at every opportunity, a smile on her face.

During his eighth incarnation he and another figure she recognized crossed paths, as he had done many times before, with the group he had been with before he found the lady in blue. But this time they were going to do battle against one of the creatures the man had encountered before. The strange creatures were like odd squids, piloting great metal bodies. They were masters of hatred and death. The man joined the fight against them with gusto, this time dragging the lady in blue along; while the other figure ran. The fighting lasted impossibly long, other creatures, of terror beyond imagination, joining the fight. Then one day the man looked upon the leader of his people and backed away in horror. The lady in blue took his hand again and led him away from the fight, from his people and the death.

And she handed him a lock. The man stared at the lock for a moment before nodding solemnly, he turned walking back towards the fray, as he approached things suddenly became still and the man spoke, the first words she had been able to understand since she looked into the window.
"I'm sorry." The weight on his voice shocked her at first, but as she saw what he was doing, she came to understand. The man placed the lock on the ground, closing it with a look of sorrow. The battle started again, but now no one was dying, every fatal wound was healed, every victory undone. The combatants were locked in an eternal struggle. They had been locked in place, never able to go forward, never able to go back. And the man walked away, changing shape once more. The ninth gem was deepest black.

The man let the lady in blue take him again, they continued down their original path, helping other figures when he could, and watching when he couldn't. Until he came across a girl, he tried to drive her away, but his efforts were weak. He was lonely. A single line carved its way into the black jewel. The man and the girl traveled, letting the lady in blue guide them and the man was happy. Then, from the darkness emerged one of the creatures his people had fought, one of the things that had tainted his race. It was old, alone and hurt, but it was still one of them. He raged at it, attempting to kill it with the harness it had been strapped into, only to be stopped by a group of other figures. The lady in blue attempted to comfort him, but he didn't seem to hear her.

The creature managed to escape its captors, attempting to get to the girl who had given it the strength to do so. It contacted him as it carved a swath of destruction. And he screamed.
"Why don't you just die!" The creature did, by its own means, a bit later. After the girl told it to.

They started off again, and he was happy as they ran through the dark, more lines were carved into the black gem. Until the creatures returned again. This time the girl destroyed them, reviving a friend in the process. Before the energies she had used to do this destroyed her, the man took them into his own body. A final line appeared on the gem completing the image the others had formed, a rose. The man changed form again, the tenth gem turned a pale gold, but this time he slept. Standing still while the others moved around him, the lady in blue lay next to him, sleeping as he slept. Another figure dropped a small canister between them. Painful strands of gold left them both, allowing them to awaken, and they started down the road again.

The girl still followed, this new form was much more energetic and excitable than the last one. Luna watched as they traveled and laughed together, all the while a terrible shadow hung over them, a single crack in the worlds. The crack erupted, pulling the girl back through. The man clung to her with all his strength, but the hole was stronger and while he held fast other creatures were being let through. The Perversions and the Murderers did battle around them, threatening to destroy the other figures. The lady in blue placed her hand on his, looking down at him with sorrowful eyes and he understood. He let go, letting her fall back into the hole that ate the monsters. But at the last moment by some glorious providence she was saved, she was still pulled away from him, but she would live.

The lady in blue took him by the hand again, leading him to a window. Through the window he could see her, his rose, but the window shattered before he could complete his goodbye. Then another woman, like a fiery storm, fell onto his path. This woman was only with him a short time, but she managed to cheer him up a bit. He kept walking, he found another girl and she followed him. Together they faced more of the Murderers, only this time they were trying to coexist, but fell despite the man's best efforts. Four, seemingly harmless, figures chased after them and the man ran, dragging the girl with him. Once the four figures caught up with them, the man turned against them, locking them each away in an eternal prison. Then the one who ran approached. The man tried to welcome him as a friend, but the runner instead lashed out, unleashing untold destruction before falling at the hand of a figure he had kept beside him. After this, the girl left and the fiery woman returned.

Instead Luna turned her gaze to the lady in blue, while the man interacted animatedly with the others that crossed his path, the lady in blue was almost like a silent sentinel, something that the man had decided was simply supposed to be there. She led him with a smile when he let her and followed where he went otherwise. When he was sad she attempted to comfort him, when he was angry she tried to calm him down, when he was lonely she was there for him and when he was happy she watched and smiled. But the man never seemed to notice. He treated her well, with a great deal of tenderness, [even going so far as to kiss her hand at one point] but never seemed to truly acknowledge her.

He had changed forms again while Luna was focused on the lady in blue. The eleventh jewel was a scarlet red. He finally took notice of the lady in blue, acting almost as if she hadn't been there the entire time. The lady in blue was ecstatic, running and jumping and generally making a fool of herself around him. He was confused at first, not quite sure what was happening. Then something seemed to click and he swept her into a great hug, laughing and dancing with her for a short time. Then something appeared, a blue box. It seemed familiar, but Luna couldn't quite seem to place it. The man and the lady in blue looked at the box for a moment, sorrow etched into their faces. They turned back to each other and their faces softened, sharing a look of contentment they stepped apart, still holding hands they walked into the box. After a moment the man and his two latest companions stepped out, but the lady in blue didn't, instead the box changed into the lady in blue.

Luna realized that that was what the lady in blue looked like to them, a blue box. Luna continued to watch the lady in blue as she dragged the man around the path. She seemed to be a bit jealous of another woman that would appear from time to time, her pouts were slightly amusing. But once the other woman left they were alone, they walked together, for the longest time they were alone. Just the man and the lady in blue, his blue box. Suddenly they stopped walking, on the ground there was a full length mirror, on the back there was a name. River. The man turned it around, the lady in blue tried to take him away from it, but this time he didn't move. He was reflected in the mirror, but around him the world was falling to pieces, people were screaming and dying and it was all his fault. It didn't matter that the ones dying had attacked first. He saw himself step out in front of armies and they ran, he saw all that he was, all that he had been. And he hated it.

His face contorted in rage he smashed it, driving his fist into it again and again where it reflected his face. He cried, slamming onto the mirror even once it no longer reflected anything. The lady in blue grabbed his hand as he pulled it back for another blow. This time it stilled him, she wrapped him in her arms as he cried into her shoulder. Luna could hear the woman's silent plea.
"Let me take him somewhere good, let him start over, please?" The sound of grinding metal reached Luna from behind the glass, it grew louder until she could tell it was in the garden with her.

Authors note: Suck on that, writers block.