TheBreech

Cosmo shrugged at Poe, "Works for me... Oh and thanks man, but I'm ok. I'm pretty bucking resilient... Especially when I'm not pushing beyond my limits." Cosmo laughed but Fade simply shook his head in frustration and concern. Cosmo had been pushing himself beyond his limits with Fade's help, and while at first it was necessary, Cosmo was abusing that last resort as a main ability and had just suffered for it. "Anyway... Thanks Poe. I think I was wrong about you... Well my head feels like Celestia just beat me with the sun so what's on your mind?"

Cosmo slowly returned to consciousness, and eventually got up to find David passed out near him. Fade appeared, "Cosmo, by the night what were you thinking?!" Cosmo rolled his eyes, "I'm alive..." Fade face hoofed hard enough to join the pile of unconscious bodies if he wasn't a ghost, "Just get your friend to the bunker..." Cosmo smirked and slung David over his shoulder and got him back to the base, laying him on one of the beds everyone seemed oblivious of.

Cosmo was hesitant. If Poe had taken complete control that would explain the stability in his mind... and the explosion. Cosmo sighed and decided Poe was too weak to be an immediate threat and he wasn't the kind of colt to think ahead. With a telekinetic push, Cosmo threw the rubble off of Poe and completely freed him. "Well now that that's taken care maybe we should... AAHHHHH!" Cosmo screamed in pain as the spell triggered effects of weeks of physical, mental, and magical exertion he'd been holding back to kick into the biggest headache he'd ever felt. Within moments, he was curled up on the ground, head in his hoofs and blood slowly flowing out of his right eye. "P-p-poe... Get me to the bunker and I won't interfere with anything you do... HELP ME!!!" Cosmo trembled and convulsed until he finally laid still, alive but unconscious.

Cosmo silently watched Aurora, musing over the fact that he wasn't the only one with a voice in his head. "Well I'm not causing public outbursts..." Fade replied through their bond, "That's true... I think we need to keep talking..." "What? Why?" "I don't know I just don't... Oh, never mind, I'm ok now." (The best character filling I've ever done )

As Cosmo calmed down from chasing the changelings, as well as expelling the irritation of everyone saying hi to him during the chase, Fade suggested they return to the explosion to see what blew up exactly. When they got there, they saw Poe in the rubble. Fade had no advice and Cosmo wasn't sure if he should free him until David regained control... "Hey Poe, is David in there?" Cosmo began looking into David's mind only to find it secure, and more importantly, stable. "Should I be worried there's no struggle in there..?"

Cosmo shot Shuldaf a nasty glare, and a telepathic message, "Are you out of your mind?! Those are changelings I'm following! DON'T EXPOSE ME TO THEM!" Cosmo was amazed by how easily Skuldaf thought they were the real princesses... Or how he thought Cosmo would attack Luna...

(Did I mention the Changeling Apocalypse made Cosmo reeaally enjoy fights? Lol)Cosmo heard the explosion and woke from having zoned out. He was annoyed but then realized it wasn't Skuldaf. He got curious and muttering an explanation to the group but he was too focused on the noise. About halfway to David, he saw Celestia and Luna flying above him, but couldn't feel their magic. "Changelings..." Cosmo and Fade thought simultaneously. Cosmo decided to follow them, trying to stay out of sight, which unfortunately meant hoping the didn't look down to see him hovering after them. (If you don't mind, is appreciate you controlling them bro. Unless they're storyline significant, then I'll just follow until you don't want me to.)

Cosmo walked by and gave Lewis a playfully confused look, "What makes you say that?" He chuckled and looks toward Skuldaf's fireworks display. "If it makes you feel better, the changelings that were in the area are dead. When the patrol failed to report, they apparently gathered the nearby troops to investigate and track us down. I met them about halfway earlier. I think you can figure out the rest." Cosmo smiled and stepped outside to get some air and ask a few more questions from David, "If I join the Shades, who would I have to report to if anyone?" (Incorrect setting details but you get the idea...)

(I've been reading Homestuck which has an ungodly amount of text in styles that can be so difficult to read that I can't read all that bro... Sorry.) Cosmo sighed and sheathed Altair as well as his battle form and went to retrieve the others just to find them having returned. "I'm with Lewis. This place'll hold for all but a large assault and I only used my battle form because I thought I'd have to beat Poe into submission so I need a nap... Also, we should be ok about changelings... *yaawwn* you're welcome for that one. If you decide to leave anyway just leave a note for me... Thanks..." Cosmo's voiced faded as he went for a bed.

Cosmo caught Lyth before she hit the ground. He smiled at the group, "So we did it right? He's dead dead? Not coming back to buck with us right? Because if so... I wanna go home..." Cosmo chuckled at how quickly he decided that. He wanted to see Canterlot again and be on dry land that wasn't trying to kill him. "I for one don't get what you sea in sailing Crimson, though maybe I'm just a whatever that flank at the tavern muttered about non sailors..."

A pulse of Telekinesis grabbed Sensiquill and placed him behind Cosmo. "That's not David..." Cosmo told him, "David has an apparently unwelcome guest in his head, whose taken over. It's disturbingly similar to my own current form, but far more unstable. I approve of your desire to avoid conflict, but I fear it's inevitable at this point and I certainly don't want to see anyone injured in this... I also don't want to hurt you Poe. Surrender to David or face me. Your mind is weakened by the conflict within yourself so even my limited abilities with telepathy can tell when you release control back to David, so don't bother lying to me again..." Cosmo noticed the spell from Skuldaf, but understood it as a misscast and ignored it.

"Poe... Seriously? You just screamed your name with the royal voice... If I hadn't just killed the changelings following us, you'd have endangered everyone... Well I guess you found another way to do that anyway didn't you... Also... I have to compliment your special form. I prefer changing the eyes to blue and making the eyes, mane, and hooves radiate blue mist, but I won't recomend that for you because... Well..." As he chuckled the last word, Cosmo entered his battle form, Shadesteel, so that other than the diffences he mentioned, he looked just like Poe had, "I don't want you copying my style. Now I find the best way to end a possession is the best the crap out the body, so what do you say? Up for some fun?"

Cosmo mediated in the center of the battleground, having eliminated the changeling threat. Suddenly, Poe's voiced echoed to him and left Cosmo uneasy. "Poe? That sounded like David with a royal voice... Oh buck his other!" Cosmo got up and headed toward the noise, rested after his meditation. Before long he came across... "Shadesteel?! ...wait...no, it just looks like my power... Hey David, what are you doing?" Cosmo suddenly doubted it was David and drew Altair as a precaution. Fade quietly informed him that was indeed David but something was clearly wrong. They concluded he'd switched with his inner self, much like Cosmo did with Fade. Neither of them were sure what was going on, but agreed a fight may have been necessary.

(A little iffy on why we altered the RP but a part I need to keep from that was Cosmo's spellset: Teleportation, telekinesis, basic telepathy, and illusions) Cosmo figured he had enough sleep so he said, "I'll be back in a few hours. Don't follow me, and if you head out, just leave me a note..." Cosmo headed back toward the bank, and got about halfway there before finding his reason why. A changeling unit was following the group's tracks after they killed the patrol. One of them saw Cosmo and signaled the others, all of them drawing weapons before Cosmo could strike. Cosmo grinned, "Here we go." (I'll be Afk for awhile so don't have anyone follow me)

Cosmo rested but found himself unsettled by his answer from earlier. "David says he's the last of the Shades... I don't want to see any of Luna's teams cease to be... and that's practically what I do anyway... I could be a solo operative and just give them a way to contact me..." Fade listened to Cosmo's musings but didn't respond out of his own uncertainty as well as some over whether Cosmo was speaking to Fade or to himself.

(This thing has gone on way too long. I say its time to wrap this up) Cosmo popped the spell bubble Lyth sent him and cast telekinesis spells on Umbra to restrain his body and hold his soul inside, "Crimson, Now!!!!" Cosmo called out, trying to end this before Umbra could pull anymore of his tricks.

Cosmo shook his head and sheathed Altair, "If you aren't going to fight why bother whining about it? Do something and get it over with, or quit getting angry about ancient history that you wouldn't do anything about even if you could..." Cosmo went into the bunker and got some food and drink, then decided to take a nap.

Cosmo rolled his eyes, "Sure, she kidnapped them from their loving alleyway dumpster houses, and rickety orphanages. Look if you want to start fights, I was an assassin until I was 13, so if you can't forgive ponies for their pasts," Cosmo unsheathed Altair in a smooth motion, "Then I guess we should just cut to the chase right here..."

Cosmo chuckled at the thought, "Well she took me in so who knows? Then again, it was a 1000 years ago, and everyone was busy cleaning up after Discord so... maybe nopony noticed... I hope that's not even close to true ..." Cosmo sighed and said, "Either way, their lives couldn't get much worse so if all they had was knowledge that Princess cared about them, they were probably better off."

Cosmo froze as he heard the last part and facehoofed, himself for forgetting that, and David for think Skuldaf was referring to that. "I forgot all about that (OOC not really, never saw that vid), Luna gathered all the orphans of the time for that colony."

"Radio..?" Cosmo felt his entire body react to the most pathetic lie he'd ever heard... Having answered David's question, and being clues about the Project, Children of Night, colonies or whatever else they were talking about, Cosmo simply said, "I'm going to get something to drink but don't worry, I've never much of one for cider anyway..."

Cosmo thought about the offer for a moment and eventually just went with the answer he'd felt immediately, "No. I'm not the kind of pony who'll work for the NLR or any large group. Even my affiliation with my church is agreement with their beliefs, but I work best in my own way. I'm sorry, but I'm an friend of the NLR, not a soldier for them. He then heard Skuldaf nearby and gave him a puzzled stare, "What's wrong with you?"

Cosmo followed the group and communicated with Fade, "That Skuldalf or whatever his name is won't like me..." Fade chuckled and replied, "Is pacifism such a bad thing Cosmo?" "Depends on who you spare. The changelings won't spare us or have mercy, so killing those 2 helped save some pony else down the line..." "Did it? Those were a patrol unit. Would they have been able to do much? Reconsider your own views Cosmo. Yes you helped some pony, but was it significant enough to kill those changelings?" Cosmo was disturbed by the irony of his assassin ancestor criticizing his killing, but admired he had a point.

"Makes sense... If I hadn't out you in that position you probably never would've... It's not silly. Killing is not something to be proud of..." "How did you not... Oh buck, my ward probably deactivated when the changelings walked in. Whatever, I'm Cosmo Shadesteel, former student and Royal Assassin of Princess Luna. "If you're looking to recruit me to serve Luna, you're a few years too late friend. I was her Royal Assassin and student before the changelings messed everything up." Cosmo nodded, "You don't need my confession, but what would they have done if I hadn't? They'd have likely enslaved Lewis if they didn't just kill him. These were soldiers who should've been prepared to die. I can sense a spiritual motive for your disapproval, and I can respect that, but I was not without reason for killing them."

Cosmo felt sick. "By the night... He's not a warrior and I just forced him to kill someone didn't I..." Cosmo walked over, "You did well man... I didn't intend to put you in a position that would mess with you... I'm here to help if you need me..." Cosmo trotted off with Fade muttering to him, "You saw him fight Cosmo. He's got warrior blood in him, he just might not have shown it very well... I'll shut up now." Cosmo nodded his thanks.