Agent505

What's the purpose of the hunters, then? Simply to find the changelings and remove them from Ponyville/Equestrian lands?

Well, for my first post after my several month-long absence, time to alienate anyone who may vaguely remember me 1) Getting into a regular sleeping routine is difficult for me, I struggle with going to sleep before midnight, and often and up staying awake until 5 or 6 in the morning, and then waking up at 14:00 or 16:00. 2) I shower about 3 times a month...(when i'm not at college) 3) I'm too lazy to use two shavers, and I use my electric face shaver to shave my armpits too (but nothing else o.O) 4) I would much rather be by myself in the house, knowing someone else is in the house with me, than be alone. 5) Saying that, i'm the most sociable anti-social introvert you will ever meet 6) I often lie awake at night in the early hours of the morning thinking about where my life is headed, and it depresses me even though it's fairly stable. 7) It's quite possible I may be addicted to computers, despite my protests... Oh how I thank you for getting me back onto this forum, I just happened to log in and see this thread...what a golden note to return on xD

We should restart, definitely. I can remember what's happened, but not where we are or what we were doing. Restarting would just be easier - but I think if we do, it'll need to be a shorter start than last time, we need to get further in less time to keep people's attention this time through. (Saying that because if we start again and it all goes the same, people will get bored...)

I had no idea I was even being waited on for a reply on my side, I was still waiting for Ano to post :3 Well then...

@@Pripyat Pony,@@00Pony, @@Ano170, Harmonic stayed silent for the rest of the short journey, focusing on his thoughts for a change instead of what he could kill or order around next. Finally he broke his own silence as he opened the second set of palace doors into the throne room "I just hope you're right." Cadence's eyes shot open as the group entered the hall, and she hopped down from her seat and started walking towards them. "Sanguine, what news from Neighagra? What beckons your early return? And Harmony, did the scouts find which of Celestia's rats managed to infiltrate my empire?" _____ Shrugging her shoulders, Enid turned around with Arrow to look at the outside of the cave, the cold weather was started to get to even her now, but thankfully it wasn't as bad as it could be with the surrounding walls they where buried in. She looked back at Arrow who now had a look in his eyes that Enid couldn't place, and she forced a smile on her face. She stood up and moved to one side, sitting a few feet away from him, partly in lieu of understanding his reasoning with getting some rest, and also partly because despite Arrow's thanks, she couldn't help but think she might have overstepped a line...with that unfamiliar, yet troubled look in his eye.

@@Ano170,@@Pripyat Pony, @@00Pony, "Come with me, I need to talk to the princess" Harmonic barked over at Sanguine as he started walking towards the palace. "Whatever she's thinking almost got us all killed...my Queen, you seem knowledgable with the matters at hoof, would you be able to shed some light on the situation?" _____ Looking slightly puzzled at Arrow's sudden change in demeanour, Enid sat up and took her hoof away from him as she stared off emptily into the darkness of the cave once more. She tilted her head quizzically to the right, and then to the left, and eventually back to the right again, her ears flopping around as she moved. Finally she sighed, and looked back down at Arrow, who now had his hooves around his head and seemed to be making incoherent grunts of some sort. Sighing again, this time not quite as loudly, Enid lifted up onto her hind legs and placed her hooves on Arrow's shoulders again as she positioned herself directly over him, before finally flopping her hindquarters onto his lower back. She smiled, pushing against his shoulders with her hooves rhythmically, humming slightly to herself as she did so. _____ The shield around the empire flickered slightly and began to fade not only in colour but also in size, from a bright pink hemisphere to a faded purple dome that seemed to be like a deflating balloon, then suddenly it fully extended into its original strength and form. Cadence shook her head and rubbed her temple as she walked back into her throne room to take a seat. "There's no way Celestia could suspect anything so soon, is there? Her...insufferable reign must end...there's no way...i'm not doing anything wrong...she's the one who started this..." She shook her head again, squeezing her forehead with her hooves as she flopped back against the throne. "I'm overreacting...surely...i'll...Sanguine was to...and then the army...I don't even know how this happened! I don't even know what is happening! It's all...Steeleye and his rebellion...it's all in my head, right? Right?"

@@Ano170,@@Pripyat Pony, @@00Pony, The intensity of the flash from the shield was bright, bright enough to make Harmonic wince and cover his eyes with his foreleg, before he raised his head in the direction of Sanguine and shouted "General! Get your men inside as you see fit, return to the palace immediately upon your return! ...who knows if you can even hear me over this storm..." Quickly afterwards, he ducked into the shield and grunted to himself, looking over at Chrysalis "What's she thinking? She could have killed us all..." _____ Enid sighed, looking back at Arrow and seeing him defeated and lying on the ground, she took a deep breath and walked slowly to his side. She looked down at him with a blank expression for a while, before she cautiously lay down beside him and rested a hoof over his shoulders.

@@Ano170, Still trudging sluggishly along, although with a somewhat unexpected determination and endurance, Enid managed to haul herself into the cave as she walked right past Arrow, barely giving him a glance on her way before she turned and sat a few feet away from the entrance, leaning her head the wall as she looked into the impenetrable darkness of the cave. Occasionally she would kick the floor with her front hoof, knocking up dirt and then dropping her hoof back down again, before holding her stomach when it would rumble.

(Okay, i'm back now, sorry for the long absence guys, let's get this thing going again shall we?) @@Pripyat Pony,@@Ano170, @@00Pony, Harmonic stopped dead in his tracks on the way to the incoming group, and let out a short breath that immediately condensed in the now sub climate temperatures. "As you say miss, we shall return at once, the guard will complete their patrols and regroup in the palace." He replied quietly, but decidedly, before he turned and made a straight beeline to the main gate. _____ Enid was quivering - not from the cold, but from hunger. She was starting to shake wearily and sway from side to side as she walked, but managed to keep a respectable pace behind Arrow. She couldn't help but look back in the direction of the empire every few steps, however, until it eventually disappeared from sight thanks to the growing snowstorm. Arrow couldn't have been more than a few feet in front of her, and she could barely see him from where she was. _____ (Because i've totally forgotten what Cadence was doing...) Cadence had perched herself on Harmonic's balcony, looking out over her empire. Gritting her teeth at the thought of losing it all to a tyrant like Celestia, she couldn't help but kick about in frustration every now and again, and plan things with herself... "I just can't believe it...Celestia of all ponies...she's here...she knows...this isn't how it's supposed to go! What does a spider do when it catches a wasp? The wasp will destroy the web if the spider is too small...and we're tiny in comparison...we cut her loose! Block them out...keep the wall...forever!" Suddenly she jumped up, firing off her protective shield spell around the empire with an impressive pink flash, turning the entire morning sky a bright shade of purple momentarily...also denying all access to anything on the outside of the shield...

@@Alex Kennedy, (Let's try and recall how I did this before...) Lost Knowledge - 5, tails: As Lost grabbed a nearby rock with his magic and hurled it into the oncoming bandits, it bounced from one of the three in front of him with a loud thump, causing the bandit to twist forcefully to one side, knocking into the other beside him. The one at the back however, had noticed that the unicorn was on the offensive, and saw his chance. In the confusion, he lunged forward with the knife in his mouth, landing mere inches away from Lost, he swung with his knife... @@Starshine, Blitz Blaze - 6, heads: The injury the unicorn sustained from the fall was enough to stop her from making any form of escape, and in an attempt to protect themselves from any further attacks, they cast a protective shield around the caravan and themselves. However, the sheer force of impact and intense heat from Blitz's attack was more than enough to - quite literally - burn through it. The entire caravan was quickly engulfed in flame and heat, and the only thing that moved were the flames and pieces of falling wood... Gallant Pursuit - 6, heads: (I think my dice are weighted...) Glaring momentarily at the griffon, Gallant was quickly shaken from his thoughts by the growing sound of conflict from below. He shook his head in frustration, turned, and dive bombed into the ground on the bridge, aiming to intercept the bandit leader before he could enter the fight. Thankfully he must have not heard the incoming pegasus, as he remained oblivious up until the point of collision. Discharge bounced with a surprising athleticism a few feet away and unsheathed his kukri, ready for the next strike. Violet Strike Unresponsive to the threat around her, the naga almost willingly let herself get captured by the surrounding bandits. With a scary precision, one of the bandits from behind quickly gagged the snake pony, and another lunged in with a knife to her throat as they silently dragged her away. Within moments they had gone - seemingly vanishing into thin air - along with one of the carriages the group had arrived in.

I'll be away until probably friday guys, sorry for the constant delay with this. Once this weeks over though i'll be here a lot more often, so hopefully you'll all still be interested in this by that time...

@@Ano170,@@00Pony, Enid shook her head as she struggled back to her feet and wobbled slightly, trying to keep her balance. She took a slow step forward, shivering slightly and taking a deep breath, motioning with her head for Arrow to lead. _____ The storm outside the city was quickly picking up, to the point where snow was freezing over on Harmonics coat and visibility was fading quickly. "We're not going to last long out here, and any of Celestia's scouts wouldn't have moved into this voluntarily" He narrowed his eyes as he peered into the distance, wait...something wasn't right. Suddenly some of the ponies from the group ahead took up some speed and flew in the direction of Harmonic's squad. He didn't change his stance as they approached, and then he quickly realised they where a part of his Onyx guard. "Did you fetch the assassin?" he asked, to which one of the guards simply nodded and pointed at the rest of the group in the distance. Harmonic nodded, picking up his pace almost to a run on his way to debrief the squad.

Blitz Blaze - 5+1(explosive) heads: The sudden explosions around the unicorns cause a noticeable distress amongst the pair, kicking up dirt and even taking a chunk from the caravan, causing one of the two to slip and fall from the roof, cracking something upon her landing - the second dropped down quickly to check on her friend, taking them both momentarily out of the fight. The lead stallion was shaken from the explosions, but he quickly leapt from the roof and landed on the ground, spear in hoof ready to strike. Violet Strike - 3 tails: The leading bandit of the group quickly regretted his position as a crossbow bolt pierced his leg, causing him to tumble to one side and slide to a halt as he attempted to pull out the shattered pieces of wood and metal. Unfortunately, none of his friends seem overly concerned with his wellbeing as they thunder past him and into the group of adventurers. 3 of the group quickly skidded to a slow walk and began circling Violet, knives in their mouths as they kept a reasonable distance, ready to strike at their first opportunity.

@@Ano170, The arrow thudded with a dull *whump* into the ground beside the caravan, and a few drops of blood splatted on the ground. The stallion nearest the caravan let out a cry as his chin hit the ground. The stallion beside him pulled him back up to his feet, and a slight cut across his front leg revealed itself. "Take the snake pony! Kill the rest!" snarled the rough looking stallion as he ducked into the caravan. "God-dammit NO!" Gallant shouted as he ran forward two paces and took to the skies. Within a single powerful stroke of his wings, he was beside the griffon in the air, keeping himself up with irregular flapping of his wings. "Stop! What the hay are ya doin'!" He called, knocking the crossbow down with his hoof as he positioned himself in front of her. Meanwhile, the bandits where moving in across the bridge with knives in their mouths, and the leader of the group emerged with a spear in his hooves as the unicorns fired a mysterious magical bolt at Violet and Lost, which suddenly exploded in a huge puff of blinding smoke...

@, Gallant sighed, his wing twitching slightly as he turned to face the bandits again. "You heard the lady! She's not fa' sale!" He yelled back, taking a step forward and lifting up his wings ever so slightly. "Oh? That so? Then we have problem, don't we? What do you think boys? Shall we take her for us?" The stallion jeered to his group, before the unicorns on the caravan lifted two barrels and threw them down the bridge.

@@Pripyat Pony,@@Ano170, @@00Pony, (Sorry for the long reply everyone. Luce, not much I could really reply with - Also i'm gonna get Sanguine back in the action, if that's okay with you 00Pony - also just bare with the timing issue, things are a bit off but blergh) "Commander! A small force approaches the main gate, exact numbers unknown. The winds and the snowdrifts are making it difficult to see, we shouldn't be out here." Called one of the unicorn mares, sliding to a halt across the top of the wall near Harmonic and his group. "Are you questioning my decisions?" Harmonic growled, glaring up at her through the snow. "N-no sir, I simply wish to state that we would do better if we closed up the gate and-" "And what? Disobeyed our Princess? No, we patrol around the outer perimeter until we know it's safe, now get back to your position." "Yes sir!" With that, she disappeared back across the wall towards the gate and the rest of the unicorns. "My Queen - we must move out, if these are Celestia's soldiers on a scouting run in the storm, we must make sure they do not return." Harmonic snarled as he began his march towards the reported group. _____ Enid closed her eyes as the pair walked, lowering her head before Arrow flew off, leaving her to sit in the snow alone. After what felt like a split second of eternity, she heard Arrow's voice calling out to her once more. She looked up solemnly at him with empty eyes, before standing up and staggering over to him weakly on shaky legs. She nodded - barely, before her front legs gave way and she collapsed onto her chin, struggling to get back to her feet.

, @Alex Kennedy Gallant grunted quietly at the naga as he twitched his wings slightly and motioned behind him in a hoof down manner. "What is it you want from us?" He yelled over the open space between the two groups. "We're simple travellers, we harbour no coin here" The bandit group turned amongst themselves, sniggering and mumbling to each other over the quiet stillness of the night sky, before one of the rougher looking stallions - presumably the groups leader - shouted over in response. "No coin? Then send over snake pony! We'll take her off your hooves, let you go free!" The rest of the group laughed and began shouting over their approval of the idea, in what quickly became a mess of noise and jeering. Gallant passed a concerned eye back to Violet and Lost as he turned to face the pair. "Well that was the plan, any ideas now though?" He turned to Lost specifically as he answered "I wouldn't want any more bloodshed than is necessary."

Aside from the casual rumblings of the carriage's wheels on the grass, and the occasional clunk of stone here and there, things were pretty quiet for the most part. Canterlot was already quickly falling behind the group, no more than a dimming structure on the side of the mountain in the rapidly failing sunlight. Suddenly, the front carriage skidded to a halt, flinging Gallant into the opposite set of seats, before quickly shaking off the sudden onset light headedness and clicking open the door, jumping out onto the ground only to be almost hit by the rear carriage as it pulled up beside them. "What's the matter? What's goin' on?" Gallant called over to the lead pony, who simply motioned over to the distance ahead of them. There was a caravan - a simple wooden box with wheels, big enough to house a few ponies at a time had been tugged across the road. "Why don't we just go around?" Gallant asked as he lit the lanterns on the sides of the carriage. "Any need t' fling us about like that?" "Sir, it's a bridge, we're going to need to move the caravan to get past." "It is?" He looked around, peering into the distance by the road "Well, explains why I can't see the floor then..." Just then, there was a commotion of noise from the distance, and from the woods either side of the opposite ends of the bridge emerged 4 stallions, all dressed in rugged clothing and hoods. They signalled something to the caravan, and then a pair of unicorns hopped on top of it, while 4 more stallions emerged from behind. "Bandits..." Gallant cursed as he banged on the side of his carriage "Hustle up everypony...things might get a tad messy..."