HigurSan

@@Reaver, @@Little Red, Ironeye Sungazer "Centaurs," she'd reply to Red. "Powerful ones. I thought they'd given up when I got far enough into the desert, let the bandits chase me down instead. Guess they just went back for a bit to get something." She glanced over at Tyra, who was looking distinctly put upon. "No big secret why they'd be looking. All this unwarded magic flying around would be like ringing a big ole dinner bell." Stepping away from Strider, she hopped up on a boulder and turned to look north. She'd not be able to actually see them yet, they were still perhaps a day or more away. But that was for normal ponies travelling. She didn't trust that they might have some alternate way of travelling, and even if they didn't they'd been able to keep up with her for an astonishing amount of time. "Need some way to tell the bandit actors," she mused. "Don't want to leave them hanging in the wind."

Ironeye Sungazer As Strider turned away, she looked down at her drawing. She could feel the presence of the Element like a fishing hook had sunk into her brain and was trying to drag her towards it. Ever since it had rejected her, the whispers in her skull had gone quiet. In their place floated multitudes of spells. They felt alive. It would make sense. Magic, that used in spells at least, came from living beings. As a byproduct of life, it gaining life of its own would be reasonable. She could feel them trying to seek release, to be cast, to fulfill their purpose and find peace. There was too much build up of ambient magic. If Tirek didn't get a hold of it soon, it would start leaking into the physical world. But she couldn't cast spells now. She needed to hide. When she looked up at Stider again, the world looked different. Colors that didn't exist swarmed across her vision. In the distance, she saw and felt an aura of immense malice. Standing up, she moved over to him. "We need to move. They're already drawing close."

Ironeye Sungazer "The danger she faces will be her own doing," she replied with a frown. "Too nice to pass for a bandit. As for the artifact..." She drew a diamond shape on the ground with several tendrils emanating from the center. "I think it is... sampling. Not just any pony could wield it, when the Sun Princess ruled. Even though it's options are limited, with so few who can use magic, it will choose carefully and wait for one who will bare it as it wants. It seems it dod not like me, and I doubt the gathering of so many unique ponies was an accident."

Ironeye Sungazer "I was not in this forsaken wasteland because I wanted to see the scenery," she replied with heavy understatement. "You know of Tirek the Centaur Lord, how legends say he locked the old guardians of the world in Tartarus. My ancestor was said to have witnessed it personally, and was sent away by the Sun Princess against his duty to protect her to the death. Perhaps this decision was guided by great foresight, because after draining the Princesses and Elements he turned his gaze on all who possessed magic. He has an insatiable hunger for it. Even now his servants scour the land for meager scraps of magic to curry his favor. My family and birth home were victim to their predation." "I do not doubt that in time he will turn his gaze even on Discord and the Changelings, consuming until he destroys everything. Currently he seeks control of the ambient magic that runs through the world, but it eludes him at every turn. I can feel it's resonance vibrating like the playing of a poorly tuned string instrument. Undoubtedly he, or his servants, will sense such powerful magic being used in the same way. They will seek us out and hunt relentlessly." She looked down at the spell she was working on. "I fell another burst from the Element. It has provided me some clarity. I know spells, though crude, to mask my own magic. This... is a safe haven spell. If cast, it will mask all in the vicinity in... I do not know the words. But we would be safe, for a time. However, we need to be in the right place at the right time. I think it is further south, but cannot say more yet." ((For the spell, think pocket dimensions crossed with the Hobbits dwarf secret door.))

((Dunno where I said that she was muttering. I thought I said she was drawing diagrams atm.)) @@Midnight_Aurora, @@Unicorncob, @@Chip Circuit, Ironeye Sungazer "I understand enough of it," she replied neutrally, doing her best to dampen any hostility that might creep into her voice. "Not worth trying. Wrong place. Wrong time." She tapped one of the center runes on the diagrams. "Only thing giving me trouble is this. I've seen it before, just don't know what it signifies. It seems to show up a lot on certain kinds of spells. I've never tried them. They always use so much magic that it'd be like sending up a beacon." She hooded her eyes. "And I imagine that whole bit with the Element earlier has already painted targets on our backs." She shrugged at the mention of the book. "I'd rather have the book itself. I'm not... the best student. And however old you are..." She looked Amore in the eye. "We wouldn't get more than a couple of days before bad things boiled over. Just the way things are." Her eyes turned out to look into the night. "I've been alone for... most of my life really. There were a couple of ponies who took care of me early on... But they stabbed me in the back in the end. That's been the case with everypony I've ever met. All I had and have is my magic." Her baleful eye turned on Amore again. "And, regardless of your reasons however valid or selfish they might be, you're keeping that from me." She stabbed the dirt with the stick, ruining the sigil mentioned earlier. "I can't get over that. Best I can do is keep enough distance so that we can get to wherever we're going, whatever there is planned. After that... I don't know." Her attention turned to Tyra. "It's a spell, a schematic for one. Kind of. Not complete. Can't be cast. Missing components." She craned her head to look at Tyra's picture, eyes narrowing as she tried to make out what it was. "It's... a centaur? That big one that's mucking everything up? He breathes fire, or something like that. I think." She levitated her stick and scratched out his eyes with X's, before giving a wry grin. "Would be nice if it was that easy, put everything were ponies could... just have a life I guess." She glanced up to look Tyra in the face. "So, why are you with the parade here? I'm curious how this lot got together." She listened as Lunar described the city. "Sounds like the entire area would be improved, if somepony just dropped a big fireball from the sky on it. No point in poisoning the water, if -that's- what they're doing to it."

Next thing you know we're going to have Bandit New Guinea... Right next to: http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/teamfourstar/images/e/ed/Shirt_teamfourstar_spaceaustralia_MED.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20111211060614 Watch out for Space Dingos.

@@bronislav84, @@Yoshi89,@@Love, @@EquestrianScholar, Princess Luna She could feel her sister getting closer. There wasn't much time. The best she could do was try and move on what little head start she had. "Thank you Spike," she said with a thin smile to he little dragon. "Apologies for the sudden intrusion, and lack of forewarning. I've been in a bit of a hurry and it seems to have slipped my mind." She didn't mention that her plans had been somewhat altered from their original form as it was and that she was basically improvising at this point. "Hello dear Twilight," she continued. "I've heard so much about this castle of yours! It seems to live up to the stories. Oh! But I'm getting ahead of myself. I have something urgent that I need to talk to you all about. There's so many rumors flying about that one can hardly tell what's the truth, about our expected guests that is. Come, let me tell you all about it." When she entered the castle, her guards semi-unconsciously took up the rear of the group, ushering everyone inside and making sure that the gate was shut. Four took up guard positions at the front while the remaining six trotted ahead to go in front of their Princess. When they reached the room with the large table, they fanned out to positions spread out against the walls, forming something like a six pointed scars. The three unicorn guards projected tightly packed beams of light from their horns, meeting at a center point above the table. Particles of color spread between the beams, forming a three side rainbow pyramid. Gradually the swirling aurora focused, melding into a perfectly flat back screen. When Luna and the others had fully entered the room, the screen shifted to a light blue, then the Royal Seal of Equestria. "As you all know, there have been many rumors flying around lately regarding the beings known as Humans," she started off. "Their species does not exist naturally in Equestria, and until recently no one had heard of them. As such, the information available to the majority ponies is just wild speculation. Recently, a cabal of unicorn researchers working on new portal spells uncovered a route to a new inhabited world quite different than our own. Living there are a species of creatures known as Humans." The Royal Seal changed into a semi-sheer projection of the planet Earth. "In their own world, they are at the top of the food chain. Though not especially strong, swift, or imbued with keen senses, by use of created tools they have come to master their environment." The projection shifted to show a model of a human man in his early twenties. "They have two arms and two legs, and have hands and feet instead of hooves as we do." The image started doing different poses and common movements, such as flexing in different directions, walking, and running. "In this, their body structure is more akin to monkeys and apes than our own." "However, their bodies are mostly hairless, with the except of their heads and certain select places." She didn't bother to have the image show those. "They are also significantly smarter as a whole than apes, though as is normal in all species an individual's intelligence varies widely." The shape changed from a human to a myriad of tools and manufactured goods. "With this intelligence they have created vast amounts of items used to do that which they cannot easily on their own. With tools both big and small they have gained mastery over otherwise hostile environments, grown more food than could ever be collected naturally, and built vast sprawling cities in which they live packed on top of each other." "In some ways, their use of tools and technology is not so different than our own. But there is a major difference, in that they do not know when to -stop- using them." A panorama of a major urban area changed to a scene of a desolated town and burnt forest. "Human populations grow at a rate that the natural environment cannot sustain. So they routinely take up more and more land to live on and grow food, leaving previously fertile areas utterly exhausted. Their level of technology use has grown to the rate that many will grow to adulthood entirely dependent on devices, unable to live without them. This is just the beginning of their many flaws, some of which are too wrong for me to mention." "Greed, jealousy, pride, and anger run rampant through human society. Though such things are known to us ponies, they take these evils and thrive off of them." Scenes of weaponry through the ages starts flickering through the image. "Not for a single year in human history has there been a period when they did not wage war on each other. Famines caused by greed have wiped out entire societies. Every month hundreds of species go extinct due to pollution, loss of habitat, and lack of care." By the time Celestia would have reached the door, Luna would be wrapping up. "They even commit the ultimate of crimes, and are more than willing to render the entire world lifeless to satisfy their desire for revenge." A flickering scene of a small city and rolling countryside settled onto the projection. There was a bright flash, the image shook, and the scene was filled with a giant cloud of dust rolling up into the sky. One of Luna's guards would open the door for Celestia, ushering them in. "I have been told that the humans that will be brought here are amongst the best of their kind, not prone to the inherent flaws that run through their species. But I do not trust them. I never will. I've seen what they do to their own home, and will never let them bring that here."

@@Chip Circuit, @@Little Red, @@Midnight_Aurora, Ironeye Sungazer Today... hadn't been the best for her. Well, not hurting all the time was a nice bonus. But the lack of constant pain was nice. It did leave her feeling as if something was missing, but not in a way where she'd want to regain it. Instead, it was like a tumor had been removed from her brain. In a way, that was an entirely accurate description. Suddenly her mind was completely her own, not dampened by the need to compensate for the overwhelming agony. Now thoughts were arcing back and forth across her mind at lightning speed, smacking into each other and making new thoughts on new trajectories. So she was still having a hard time to focus, but it was because of the exact opposite reason than what she had before. Before it had been hard to think. Now it was hard -not- to think. To calm her self down, be began drawing in the dirt with a stick. But what resulted was not at all random chicken scratching, even if she herself didn't entirely know what the drawings represented. She had never had a proper magic education. While she had control, it was only by force of will. In the past, most unicorns had some magical ability. Though many had barely enough power to cast even minor spells, there were routes of education by which even the weakest unicorns could produce fantastic magic. This was the literal school of thought called Wizardry. It relied on sigils, stored magic energy, spell books, and rituals. Speak this set of words with enough stored magic energy nearby, and a reliable effect would be produced. Draw this rune on the ground, it would collect and store ambient background magic which could then by siphoned into spells. Wizardry was, at a word, safe. Any unicorn could do it, if they were taught the right words and symbols. What Ironeye had was something far more dangerous. Every generation, a few individuals were born with an excess of magic. Seemingly be pure accident, these ponies naturally produced vast magic reserves that often rivaled the combined might of several senior Wizards with absolutely zero training. Called Sorcerers, these ponies could harness magic by pure force of will, bending it to their desires with ease. But ponies' minds are fickle, their emotions indecisive. Many Sorcerers perished at an early age, their young bodies unable to handle the flow of magic, or their lack of proper control causing them to cast massive spells which ultimately backfired, often leaving the entire are uninhabitable. Twilight Sparkle had been a Sorcerer, one of the greatest to ever live, right on par with Starswirl the Bearded. But where most perished, she had survived. Her innate talents had been held under control long enough for the Princess to find her, and take her into her care. But now there were no Princesses, no masters of magic who could teacher young ponies to control their minds and magic. The ambient magic of the world, normally drawn into the black hole that was Tyrek, zeroed in to the few individuals of great power left. It hung around them like a dense fog, seeping into bodies like a reverse leech. On her person, Ironeye had dozens of crystals filled to the brim with raw magic. Spells left uncast for centuries crowded into her mind though she had never learned them, seeking release. At her home, she had filled every piece of parchment and open bit of flat surface with vast scrawls of diagrams and incantations, trying to get them out of their head to relieve the pressure. What she was drawing now, thankfully, was at least familiar. It was a ward spell, though the complexities of it she did not entirely understand. She could make out bits about light and darkness, and something about division between the two, but that was it. It reminded her of some of the cloaking spells she had learned, but seemed to differ in that it was used for a -very- specific place and time of day. Further than that, she had no idea. ((For my imagining of sorcerers, imagine an extremely high water pressure system (with magic as the water). With few conduits/magic users, the magic will try and get out through the remaining openings, meaning those magic users that are left. For the analogy, there's only a couple of options left to the user. They have to be strong enough to resist the pressure, lest they burst (sometimes literally), or they had to constantly release it in some way. Additionally, if that flow can't be handled, it will likely whip around like a fire hose with no one holding it.))

@@Reaver, Ironeye Sungazer "Don't poison the water," she said in agreement with Radiant. "When I said make the hideouts unlivable, I didn't mean straight up making it toxic. If your plans succeed, other ponies will eventually want to move in. They won't be bandits necessarily, just those who want a place to live. Go after the food supplies instead. Even if its poisoned, it'll rot eventually. New food can be brought in. New sources of water can't." She took on a contemplative expression. "Whatever plan we choose, it can't be something that takes a ton of time to set up. The longer we're there, the more likely we are to be discovered. As to a particular poison... I'd choose something slow acting, that they won't instantly notice. By the time it kicks in, they'll all already have it. As for non-lethality... hallucinogens and strong anti-constipation medicines. Mixed together, it'll make them absolutely miserable and unable to trust each other."

@@dragon4111, @@Midnight_Aurora, @@Ranger22, @@Star Racer, @@Rainbow Dash, Steeleye Sungazer He'd been keeping an eye on the weather monitors for the past few minutes. It'd be bad if something crept up on them in this fog, no warning until it was amongst them. The background radiation, though light, was still playing hell with the magic spells that kept the gear properly focused. Just another example of how the Disaster had forced ponies to meld magic with mechanisms, just to survive. Due to his vigilance, he picked up the signs of another swell on the horizon. "All hands," he spoke into the ship-wide comm. "We've got another swell coming up, much higher radiation concentration... looking at 50... 60%. All hands, immediately don anti-rad suits, lock them tight. Everyone but the engineers get below decks and secure yourselves in the acceleration chairs. Engineers, batten down all hatches, ports and openings, then report to the command deck." "Just hope one of the balloons doesn't distentigrate...," he muttered to himself.

@@Hypn0ticD, I would submit that you can't really get one without the other. Those same differences which provide entertainment also give great difficulty. Even so, I am already adjusting my course to suite the rp's more light-hearted nature. (Plus it's not like politics are necessarily all somber and serious. It's just how most people depict it.)

Ironeye Sungazer She decided to stick closer to Radiant for the moment, getting the feeling that he was a bit more favorable to her than the others. Of course, that was mostly her own fault, but she couldn't help feeling put upon. Wasn't her bloody fault that there was legends and destinies flying around like so many flies. She wasn't particularly looking forward to any potential combat either. The others trust in her was tenous as it was, and she wasn't sure it would survive another major hit. "I can cause a distraction while Amore sneaks in," she said. "Could just be a big explosion. But I've plenty of more circumspect items on the roster. And I'm pretty good at stealth all on my own, magic aside." "The most -permanent- solution to the bandits is to make their hideouts unlivable. If they don't have any place to stash their loot and lick their wounds, they'll be forced to move elsewhere. Course, that has its own problems. They wouldn't be above sacking that town and making it a stronghold. We could also just remove all the bandits entirely." She didn't bother to extrapolate on that. "That'd keep them down for a couple of years, at least until new gangs formed. Might give the area some breathing room, enough to let us get on to whatever we're wanting to do in the meantime."

@@EquestrianScholar, That could quickly lead to 'spy versus spy', as Luna knows his sister just as well.

@@Hypn0ticD, Remind me of what the third idea was? I can't find it. I still maintain that Luna would be super-against letting humans see Equestria and go back. Cause then others, perhaps not as carefully screened, would try to come in. There's also the 'Explorers and Indians' scenario. Culture pollution -is- a serious threat.

@@Chip Circuit, She's just generally in a grump mood. Radiant is probably the highest in the group on her favorability chart. Otherwise: For some reason, @me's don't seem to work very often. Especially when they're not bolded for some reason? Anyways. What I was doing with that post: Operating off OOC knowledge, Ironeye is a -potential- bearer for the element. This is partially based on genetics, being a direct descendant of somepony who would have had some exposure to the Element in the past (cause Royal Guard duties and such). That and Ironeye is supposed to be a powerful unicorn in her own right, albeit much more chaotic than Twilight and with -zero- proper schooling on controlling herself (either magic or her personal desires). As such, it would probably consider her. Then it'd spit her out with a big pile of 'NOPE' mixed with 'try again tomorrow'. So conceivably the encounter could alter into a better candidate over time. As for the magic flow, I imagine the Element had been pretty starved for it, being stuck with the Changelings for a while (which seem to have a different kind of magic altogether) and then used that initial taken bit to mass produce more which it then gave back as a kind of symbiotic thing, which also got her up and walking. Her posture probably looks something like this http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/271/c/b/annoyed_pony_base_by_rain_approves-d5g57hn.png mixed with a touch of 'whipped dog'. She's kind of like that kid who -wants- to play with the others on the playground, but hasn't figured out/hasn't been taught how to handle those other kids. Bit like Rainbow Dash I think?