Discord could see Frozen straining to restrain himself, and was about to give him the nod when one of the Unicorns cried out and cast a spell; in an instant, Frozen, Discord, the Changelings et al were exposed; their disguises blown away as if by the wind. Arzeroth's hideous features twisted with fear and rage. "Treacherous vermin! Kill them! Kill them all!" He retreated to the far end of the tent, protected behind a shield cast by the two Unicorns. Denied the use of his magic proper, Discord had to conjure a sword and rely on his (limited) martial prowess to protect himself. As the Minotaurs engaged with the Changelings all around him, he found himself facing off against his own personal hulk of muscle and hair. He laughed nervously before dodging the beast's first swing.
Frozen growles angrily, when he discovered he could not use his magic, so he grabbed a halberd from the wall and took a stance, parrying an incoming blow from one of the minotaurs.
(Sorry if I was being unclear; I didn't mean to restrict Frozen's magic, Discord can't use his only because he never could in this realm. The Unicorns are just casting a regular forcefield-style deal. ) The Changelings, due to their superior numbers, were holding their own against the Minotaurs, two of them even taking the initiative and ducking outside to guard the door in Minotaur form, to prevent unwanted interruptions. Arzeroth, not seeing the immediate victory he was expecting, growled with irritation. "Go you fool! Make them suffer!" He cried, shoving one of the Unicorns through the shield and into the fray, weakening the shield.
(no worries!) Feeling some of his magic returned, Frozen fired a bolt of ice through one of the minotaurs. Disregarding his own safety, he lunged at Arzeroth.
Arzeroth roared with frustration as the Minotaur fell and Frozen burst through his shield. He croaked a few words in some dark and forgotten language, and the entire tent was filled with swirling, near-impenetrable shadows. As obscured as his form already was, the only clue as to Arzeroths position now was the sickly green glimmer of his blade, gliding almost gracefully around the room as he cut down Changelings and circled Frozen. "Pathetic creature; you actually believed you could take my home from me? Do you have any idea how long I've ruled this place!?" He mocked, through the darkness. "It isss a pity though; I had thought of such plans for you, but now my existing play thingsss will just have to bear the burden. They are remarkably hardy, but I think after this, I'll have the energy to break them. Ssslowy."
Frozen's pale eyes glowed in rage, "You will never get the chance to harm them, or anypony else, ever again!" He shouted orders for the remaining changelings to flee and allow him to face Arzeroth alone. Better one to die than many..
Arzeroth laughed, somewhere in the darkness. "A noble gesture, but do you really think it will save them? Worry not, I won't kill them, not yet; not until I can make you watch. They are of no use to me; without their Queen, they're as good as dead, and I broke her, just as I will break you!" Blade gleaming, he lunged out of the darkness at Frozen's back, but a dark shape slammed into him, sending him sprawling at Frozen's hooves. The blade was nowhere to be seen.
Frozen shaped his magic into the form of an icy trident and held it to Arzeroth's throat, "What was that about breaking me?"
Arzeroth laughed; this time it was a nervous, sleazy laugh. "You won't kill me," he said, his eyes betraying his fear, "You couldn't kill my Captain of the Guard, I saw! You can't kill me, you have morals... a... a..." He searched for the word. "A conscience!" He spat the word out, like an insult. The shadows were dispersing now, and the Changelings were coming into view, picking over the bodies in the tent; maybe a third had survived.
"That was justice," he said, "this is personal." Frozen mercilessly skewered Arzeroth, again and again, until he felt him go limp. He stood there, expressionlessly, soaked in blood.
As the light went out in Arzeroth's eyes, there was a change in the Changelings; their ears started to twitch, and they looked around, as if feeling some long-lost presence once more. All except the two huddled over Discord, lying near-motionless on the floor, Arzeroth's blade buried in his shoulder. One of the two Changelings walked over to Frozen and tapped him on the shoulder. "Uh, Szir? Szir?"
The Changeling stepped back slightly apprehensively. "Mazter Dizcord Szir, he'zz hurt!" He buzzed, pointing at the fallen Draconequus.
Discord groaned; the wound itself was not severe, but the area around the knife was starting to turn black, and the blade was lightly smoking. He opened his eyes slowly, and seeing that Frozen was ok, he smiled slightly. "Son..." he rasped, reaching towards Frozen shakily, before a grimace of pain crossed his face and he lapsed into unconsciousness. "What do we do now?" The Changeling asked, softly. (Hope I'm not being too presumptuous here, but I do have a plan XD )
(not at all, go ahead!) Frozen's eyes widened, but he presumed discord's words were from delirium. "This might hurt a little," he said, as he grasped hold of the knife and cooled the area around the wound so the infection would spread slower. He quickly removed the blade and applied pressure and cold, "Get mistress Mett," he said, "swiftly, his life depends on it!"
"But, szir, what about zeir army?" The Changeling asked, looking out through the tent flaps, "Zey don't know whatzz happened yet; what if zey try and come in?" Across the other side of said army, Met and Xarame's makeshift clinic was being put through it's paces; a few of the attacks had gotten close enough to the walls to expose the Unicorns to enemy fire, and the enemy had started to let loose with their own trebuchets. Just as she was finishing a healing spell on a teal Unicorn's leg, Met felt something, as if a great weight had been lifted from her. She gasped and looked at Xarame; "Xa-Xarame?" She said, tentatively. The Zebra looked up, surprised, before realization filled her eyes. "Can it be? Are we finally free!?" Tears welled in her eyes. Met nodded, filled with disbelief herself. A moment later however, she sensed something... Her hive! She could hear them once more! But... something was wrong; The Wildcards, so few voices left, and Discord himself... She cried out. "Xarame, I must go; even from the depths of hell Arzeroth stabs at us!" Stepping outside, she could see the command tent, but how to get there? She could think of only one safe way. Sickened with unutterable loathing, she took Arzeroth's form and rose up, flying swiftly towards the tent. She said nothing to those around her as she landed, and she could tell that the two Minotaurs standing guard outside the tent were her own, so she pushed her way into the tent...
Frozen didn't even look up as she entered, being too busy trying to keep Discord alive. He was thinking over what he had said. What he meant by Son?
Met dropped the disguise as soon as she entered, shuddering in disgust. Seeing Frozen and Discord, she rushed over, slowing briefly at the sight of Arzeroth's body. "What injury has he sustained?" She asked, looking at Frozen.
Frozen showed her the knife, "The wound is corrupting," he said, "I am cooling the area around it, but it is only slowing the spread." He sighed, "he's delirious, he called me son. He must be having a fever dream.."
