P-Jay

The pathway out of Equestria and towards uncharted territories was a slow one; the map of presumingly unknown origins was drawn and signed by a peculiar traveler, signing his initials 'K. L. Lovelace' near the bottom. On the map, he pointed out the locations of various caves, temples, and other ruins to be explored. But of course, far to the west, he wrote a cryptic message. 'Beware beware, to the traveler unaware; this forest of red houses a barbarian who'll take your head!' Of course, minimal research would tell any filly with access to a respected library that the forest was reknown for belonging to Valran... As the two made their way deeper into uncharted territories, there would be a sword stuck in the ground here...A shield, broken in half there...In the distance, a forest would be peacefully blossoming. But of course, just as the map foretold...It had a strangely red color.

(https://mlpforums.com/topic/160754-lost-fables) 'Among fables scattered through the land, few stand out as legendary. Few and far between, the beings behind the tale are regarded as forerunners to modern-day miracles. And although it wasn't uncommon for their methods to be somewhat unreasonable, one must remember they lived during darker times.' 'A few of them are known as Valran the barbarian, Illem the old stone king, and Alastor the executioner. But they've long-since died from causes unknown, gone missing in their respective area of legend. Their corpses undiscovered, their treasures forgotten. Perhaps, to an aspiring relic-hunter, these are troves waiting to be reaped?' ~Nameless scholar's diary Equestria was as it always was. Sunny, peaceful, full of sunshine and daisies. It was such yesterday, and it would be so tomorrow, but this was only true for towns, cities, and settlements--anywhere ponies had thoroughly explored and colonized. Elsewhere, however, in darker, unexplored territories...Malice lingered. Monsters beyond Manticores, magic beyond corruption, and fables beyond imagination. It only depended on who would prove themselves bold enough to go find them, to discover landmarks and lay claim to new areas...

He walked to the center of the arena, and settled for sitting down in the center, in an almost meditative-like stance. He began to simply wait, with a patient aura about him; his cloak obscuring most of his being, wooden jewelry painted with dull colors, a shepherd's staff laying next to him...

Firebeak settled to sit against the broken mast post, drinking from his jug. He had an annoyingly satisfied expression on his face, even if it looked like every movement hurt him in turn. Every breath, a wheeze. Clearly this griffon wasn't in any condition to fight; physically or otherwise. "...Heheheh...Are ye now...?" He taunted, looking at her as the ship continued to sink, "well now, who's fault is that?" A figure stared at the poster, quiet and stoic, reading over the poster a few dozen times. Nodding to himself, he began to slump towards the arena with a slow, easy pace...

@@Blitz Boom, @@Seamore Sandwich, Phantom floated aways from the both of them, content to be quiet and observe. Clearly trying to make up his mind whether or not he wanted to take such a chance; if he was successful, he'd get a soul--if he wasn't, nothingness. And nothingness was scary. "...Um..." He made a cheesy grin, putting on a brave face, "it's just like a roller-coaster...I'm gonna go ahead and say yes before fear tells me to say no." "I'm in, and...I'll follow you guys to the other side."

Yamanu paused, and nodded, raising his staff. A moment later, a mask appeared on his face, seamlessly, as if it were there all along. Beginning to walk towards Shadow with a slow gait, he used the staff to aid his walking; the curious aspect being he betrayed no hostility in the slightest. As if he were simply walking towards the store in the morning, as he approached him. When he was but a meter away, his staff snapped outwards once more, as the mask on his face glowed--shinning with a violet light. Immediately, Shadow would feel the air itself weigh down on him, as gravity began to build to an almost unbearable level. This stranger was not taking it easy on his opponent in the slightest, seeing as to a normal person caught unawares, such a hefty spell might leave them with broken bones and organs failing... Of course, seeing as this was only the first strike, Yamanu didn't expect it to work flawlessly. Such a 'threat' would find some sort of way to counteract the gravity... The mask from his face already changing, to an expressionless, iron one...

"...Hm..." He looked left, then right, focusing his sight on the door leading outwards. "...No-one that's disarmed, or made you surrender?" He reached up, scratching the back of his head, lowering his hood, revealing a hair that was pitch black, save for a few sandy-white streaks. Mostly tanned skin, with piercing green eyes. "Well, I must say, that's quite the claim...But as someone great once said, 'a man who never makes mistakes, is a man who never tried anything new.'" He reached for his staff once more, a few markings along the wood beginning to glow softly. "...Now, I'm not saying that you haven't fought powerful beings...But I am saying a toddler who steps on ants all day long, can make the same claim as you." His smile turned into somewhat of an arrogant grin, "how's about we make a deal...I wish to spar with you. You're free to accept, or refuse. But in the event you last more than a minute against me in combat..." "...Well, I'll decode that text inscribed on that relic you've got there. I think you'd be quite intrigued as to what exactly it says..."

"...If they're not allowed to be here...Why are you so liberated in comparison?" He made a small smile, holding his staff in his ungloved hand; deciding to holster it on his back once more, exhaling softly...And as he did so, an uneasy pressure in the room, previously unnoticed, lessened. It felt like the room had previously been filled with an invisible water, only just now beginning to be drained. Such a powerful presence, could it be it came from the mage...? He tilted his head. "Sadly, I don't own a television...I'm quite new to this town, see. I only came here to scope out a possible location for a guild...But I have a sneaking suspicion I'll need to build popularity first, for anyone to consider joining." He paused for a long moment, taking in the relic, the blade, and the general layout of the area they were in. On one hand, he had yet another suspicion that this character--Shadow--had obtained the item, but on the other hand...It was far from any of his personal business. He was here to have but a casual chat with a fellow mage, after all... "...You are a threat to anyone...And no-one has the power to stop you...That's what you said, right...?"

He made a bemused expression, tilting his head slightly. "Firstly...It's really a matter of deductive reasoning...If you genuinely found it enjoyable to scare those kids, and you felt no remorse for actually doing so...It's obvious you've done it before. I'm not sure how many times, but, you've caused trouble, that much I'm sure of..." "Secondly...You lied when you said I was mistaking you for someone who caused trouble...You just did scare those kids, after all. That's twice you've lied to me, now..." "Thirdly..." He paused, "my name is Yamanu...And you're not someone I've been looking for. I'm just watching...As if you were entertainment, in a way." He paused, looking at Shadow's reluctance to sheath his sword, and sighed, slowly reaching behind him to pull out his staff from behind his back. "...I don't commonly interject like this, truthfully...But I suppose I simply couldn't resist interacting with you. You're so...Intriguing." Another smile. "You'd do well to put away your weapon. I just might begin to consider you a threat...You wouldn't want that."

The person tilted his head, the mask's strange apathy staring back at him. But you could feel that this character was disbelieving towards Shadow. Getting up slightly, walking towards him slowly, deliberately... "...You..." He muttered, "do you believe me to be hostile...? How curious..." He reached up, touching the current mask on his face. Taking it off, to reveal a rather caramel-colored skin tone, and a stoic expression; one that didn't harbor any malice towards Shadow...Yet, didn't convey a trace of kindness, either. Of course, this was from the limited view of his face--his cloak's folds still shrouded much...This, combined with his accent, would be all too easy to figure out that this particular person hailed from Egypt. He set the mask down, securing it to his belt, almost subconsciously as he approached. "A portal to escape...A sword for combat...I feel a strange need to indulge in what you believe me to do, but alas...That would be a misuse of my magic." A pause, before he seemed to smile. "...Of course, assuming you don't attack me. That would be a poor choice on your part...I'm simply here to say, that every action bears a consequence...Including lying."

An eerie silence filled the building for a long moment after Shadow was done laughing; the creaks and groans of the foundation being the only source of noise indoors. The far-off sounds of the teenagers could be vaguely made out in the distance--clearly, Shadow had scared them to the point where it wouldn't be quite that ridiculous to assume one would need a change of underpants once they arrived at their respective homes... But even as everything felt silent, Shadow would feel another presence within there, as if there was another hidden character. It would be confusing to discern exactly who or where the new arrival was, but all the same, Shadow was not alone where he stood. Yet another pause of silence, before a voice called out from the other side of the room--a character adorned in concealing clothes, with a staff and satchel hanging over the attire, was watching silently. A mask, permanently contorted into a face of hard apathy, sat on his face, hiding whatever true emotion this mystery character might be feeling. Another pause, as he stared at Shadow, before finally saying something. "...You've been causing quite the amount of trouble in this town today, haven't you...?" He asked softly, with a tone that suggested he was foreign from this land. "Pranks every hour, all of them involving some sort of...Questionable humor..."

....That's some kickass coloring tho. Really well-done, I applaud you sir.

The wind was kicked up as a figure walked into the town. Sporting an attire that one could only associate with a sage, he moved slowly, walking directly into the abandoned part of the area, to look around. He exhaled, pulling a crumpled piece of paper out from his pocket, unraveling it to look it over. Pausing for a long moment, he exhaled, and looked up with a small smile. "...I've found it..." An small, almost lowly, empty guild faced back at him, as he gave a dry, nonchalant smile back at it. Tossing the paper to his side, satisfied that it did indeed exist, he turned to leave; slowly making his way through the town, towards the job board. Of course, he didn't belong to any guild, and that certainly needed to change soon if he were to make any real money. But...Where? Which guild? After all, he'd been part of good guilds, bad guilds, and worse guilds. It was rare to find one that would suit a person such as himself... He supposed he would simply put out an application, to be small news to the neighboring guilds of the area, as well as take on a few of the higher-ranked missions...Perhaps that would draw the attention of something that might help kickstart his goal... Standing outside the 'neutral' job board, taking a single mission from the S-class category...He left behind a note, with only his name written on it. 'Yamanu Ichtaca'

Phantom floated back slightly, thinking to himself. "...Well...It's risky...But this might be a chance to get a soul..." He frowned to himself, "on the other hoof, this might just be a one-way ticket to nonexistence...Geez, I love these kinds of situations, don't you?" He chuckled weakly, seemingly losing his ability to float, landing on the ground with a gentle bump. "...Seriously, though...I don't wanna give this a go if it's not...Exactly, 'stable' for me."

Phantom's anxiety had rapidly been rising, from the first implication of him passing into the real world. A strange, vaguely concerned smile was stretched on his face, floating ever higher away from the two. "...Wait...So, you can bring me into the real world...But you don't know much about the portal itself...And you don't know what'll happen to me." He choked out a chuckle, "movin' a bit fast here, aren't we...?" -------------------------------------- A figure approached Ponyville. Hunched over, a cloak concealing most of his being, a simple shepherd's staff curled around a stripped hoof, he looked simple enough--if it weren't for his almost exotic appearance. The cloak itself was patterned with elaborate markings, as well as adorned with wooden jewelry; one could grasp that something about the attire was special, from the simple vibe it would give off. As if it were a one of a kind, masterfully crafted, with no flaws to speak of. Even if the colors, fabric, and even the pelt it covered looked depressingly dull. The staff itself looked boring as well, bland even. He took a breath, and began to trek into the town slowly...

@Seamore Sandwich @Blitz Boom Phantom was content to watch. Observing, realizing whatever relationship these characters had, and steadily coming to the conclusion that the real world is far, far stranger than any dream he's experienced. Thinking to himself, 'okay...Sentient tree...Supernatural being...That might have regeneration powers...Charley...Vivid...Damn, this is too much information to process. I'd rather just chill out at The Door until--' He blinked at a particular line--one about a portal he might be able to go through, that'd connect him to the real world. "...Wait what's happening now--?"

*looks at my cat whom I named Dab*

Firebeak removed his claw slightly, his 'buff' he had received from the one's who summoned him waning fast, leaving his body completely unable to move...And his head feeling as if it had just been forced through a meat grinder. He stretched his wings, feeling one of them refuse to move, as well as his leg locking up. The ship continued to sink, leaving him with no way out of it. So, he decided to do what any pirate would do: sat down on the deck, and brought a flask to his beak. Drinking, as the water approached him. At this point, he didn't care if Luster was critically injured or not--he'd wiped that smug mentality from her, and that was good enough for him...

Phantom had floated around the two lazily, looking between Vivid and Charlie with increasing interest--even if his presence seemed to be forgotten. But even though he seemed to be merely spectating, he was thinking hard. 'Beast? Weak spot? Jeez, if feels like the waking world is more crazy then dreams...Considering what I've seen before, that's saying something.' He decided to be quiet for the time-being, choosing to nod sagely once Vivid replied with her take on what reality is--but he certainly didn't leave just yet. In fact, he seemed eager to follow every time they would take a step...

"Even still, those objects have something I don't--mass. They're real. They exist, in the waking world, and I'm here, a shred of someone's dream, doomed to--oh, hello!" He made a cheerful wave, looking at the new pony that had sprouted. "Considering this is Vivid's dream, I would normally assume he's not real, but then again, you're not exactly a normal pony..." He sighed with a sheepish smile. "What even is reality?"

...jeezes cheetos you found my old art dump. i haven't updated this thing in like half a year man...honestly, there's some fond memories here. namely, this was my stuff back when i was more or less first starting out. XD ... i guess im just saying, dont think this is me at my peak, im way better then me half a year ago-- *shot*