private Journey to the Higher Plane

[Jack Baker 698]

Raze finally closed the journal. He fully understood about what they might be facing on the road ahead, but realized that the others didn't. He stood up.

 

"Um... If I may," he said aloud for everyone to hear. "I have good news... and bad news. The good news is, after reading what Starswirl wrote in his journal and map, I can confidently say we're almost where we need to be..." He paused a bit, the. Went on. "The bad news.... well, we're gonna have to deal with... supernatural entities..."

 

He looked at the group, a bit of worry in his eyes.

 

"Any of you know what the heck a 'Keeper of Souls' is?"

 

((OOC: Quick, pretend like your OCs know what he's talking about. You can add to this villain's backstory, if you'd like. I'll let you shape out some of his character ))

[Hurricane 159]

"Are you kidding me?" Hurricane said as she landed in front of Raze. "Do you really believe that hoax?" She asked. "Thats just a story backed false information and no solid evidence made by ponies who try to make names for themselves." It was obvious she didn't believe in such a thing as a "Keeper of Souls". "There is no mysterious black creature that goes after the souls of ponies." She declared as her final statement.

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@@Pripyat Pony,

 

Bliss smiled and nodded at the idea of Clover helping and reached out for the berries, but it was Artemis that beat her to the nourishment first. His little beak snatched all the berries up and happily hulked them down, licking his beak clean from their juices. Bliss let a giggle escape and turned to Clover.

 

"I hope you have more of those...I think I won't be the only one that needs them." She rubbed Artemis' head.

 

@, @,

 

Lightning Bliss's ears perked up then as Raze made them all aware of the dangers that laid out ahead of them...but at the mention of "Keeper of Souls" merely made her lose her color.

 

"No...can't be..." she gulped just as Hurricane joisted about this character being make believe and never existed.

 

"I...I thought he was just an old pony's tale...something my sister, Sweet Sunflowers made to scare me..." She picked Artemis up and held him tightly. "She would tell me stories so I wouldn't sneak into her bed at night...about how the Keeper of Souls patrolled the lands...looking for new souls to snatch up... She told me he comes at night...and steals your soul as you sleep...and then he plagues it with horrible visions...feeding off your fear, making him grow stronger...like a vampire...But when he's had his fill of apetizers...he then eats the souls! She then went on to tell me that children are his favorite to devor because of their fear is much stronger... especially fillies...like me she would add... The more children there were, the more it would draw his attention...That's why I never shared a bed with her again after that..." She rubbed her head feeling silly thinking about it. "She made it up...its just a myth! There's no such thing! And even if he was real...I draw the line here!"

 

She stood up then, still clutching Artemis in her hoof.

 

"I'm not going anywhere near entities that snatches up little children's souls and eats them, OR MINE!"

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

"Yes, I have more," Clover said, with a smile. She asked Stormwing to go and find some food for the foals; when she had gone, Clover then listened to Raze talk about the "Keeper of Souls".

 

"But, surely, that's an old mare's tail?" Clover said, doubtfully. "I remember reading that story in a book of scary stories one Nightmare Night, and I almost frightened myself to death reading it. The story also said that "love" is an antidote; apparently, the Keeper Of Souls can't bear to be around love."

 

Ooc: Reference to Voldemort; well, why not? XD

[purple.teal 50]

Everlast listened to them all express disbelief in the keeper of souls. "I've seen some pretty terrible things in my time, And they all taught me a lesson, Nothing is 'just a mare's tale', Seeds of truth are in every story." He backed away from Lightning Bliss now that she was being taken care of by Clover, and went back to open his book. 

 

"I don't doubt the existence of the Soul keeper, I've heard too many similar myths to do so. I don't know much more about it than any of you, there aren't any confirmed facts on it. In any rate, I'll be keeping a watch." He felt into his bags to make sure the orb was still there.

 

Everlast glanced at Artemis and the other Hippogryph child. 

 

"In any rate, it brings up my next topic. We need a plan. If this thing does exist, I don't want to be bringing two children right to it. But do we have any alternatives to bringing the children along?"

[Jack Baker 698]

After walking quite a long distance, the Keeper's lantern had brought him to a tall mountain... one that he had seen the likes of before.

 

"Ah... the home of those wretched mongrels they call hippogryphons," he said, an evil smile from behind his mask. However, he sensed something different.

 

"But wait... no, there are no hippogryphons here... whose presence do I detect?" He focused, and his horn began to glow. Through the walls of the mountain, he could see the souls of the entire group... including Artemis and the other hippogryphon.

 

"Alicorns... ponies... and two children?" he said. The thought of harvesting their souls was too much for him to contain. He let out a long, mad laugh that could be heard from miles away, but soon calmed himself down.

 

"Now... let us not be too hasty. Let them suffer... slowly..." He began to approach the mountain, but with utmost discretion.

Edited January 25, 2015 by DJ Rabi Ray Rana

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@, @@purple.teal, @@Pripyat Pony, @,

 

"SQUAWK!!!" Artemis peeped at the horrid laughter coming from what felt like everywhere. And Bliss was no more amused then he was...She felt her back haunches quiver at the dreadful sound...

 

"Right that's it..." she gulped, "I don't know about you ponies but I want to get myself and Artemis out of here ASAP! Whatever that...was out there... I don't plan to stick around and find out!"

 

She turned to leave, heading for the nearest opening of the moutainside...not bothering to stop for the others. Once she found an entrance...she realized this was a pointless vendetta...Either she climbed down...or wait till the others catch up with her.

 

"Darn it Bliss...you forgot about your wings..." she sighed and sat down with little Artemis clinging to her.

[Jack Baker 698]

Raze shivered when he heard the laugh, right away, he packed up his things, and stood up, quickly following behind Lightning.

 

The Keeper began to sense fear... from what appeared to be one of the alicorns. He grinned evilly, and began to mess with its mind.

 

"Going somewhere...?" He projected his voice towards Lightning, in a whisper, which began to repeat itself rapidly.

 

"Relax... just... Let go...."

Edited January 25, 2015 by DJ Rabi Ray Rana

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@,

 

Bliss's eyes diolated...a cold sweat began to build up under her shredded wings and under her arms and legs... The voice seemed to be stroking her mind itself...like an evil claw... She took a hoof back, her face controted in fear as she clung to the baby not for just its own protection, but her own security...

 

"Gah...get out of my head..." she snorted and shook her head...but the voice continued to build on her fear.

 

Artemis peeped and stroked at Lightning Bliss's mane, not knowing what was wrong with her. He could tell she was terrified and tried to coax her that it was alright.

 

Nothing is alright...nothing...it's out there...It's coming..."ITS COMING!!!" She cried out and ran back to the others, nearly running over Raze in the process.

[Jack Baker 698]

"You cannot run from death..." The Keeper projected towards her again as he was moving towards her location. While doing so, he began to analyze the soul he was communicating with. Everything there was to know about her.... and began to use it against her.

 

"Ah... what brings you here, Princess of Peace???" he spat the last word out venomously. "Decided to leave the comforts of your cave, your ruler... That wretched draconequus that you call a husband?" He began to laugh once more, a low, but sinister one.

Edited January 25, 2015 by DJ Rabi Ray Rana

[Hurricane 159]

When Hurricane first heard the laugh, her ears perked up and her face turned serious. "I know I'm not the only one who heard that." She said looking around. She thought about the possibility of there being a Keeper of Souls, but she still had her doubts. "Even if there is a Keeper of Souls, I can take that old pile of bones any day." She said with great confidence and boldness. Hurricane then noticed Lightning Bliss acting strange. "You ok, Bliss?" She asked curiously walking toward her.

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@, @,

 

Bliss fell to the ground, dropping the baby and curled up into a ball, sweat poured off her in waves. She grabbed her tail and held it firmly for security.

 

"HOW DO YOU KNOW ME??!!!" She cried out to the voice and clutched her head. "Nights Hoopla is not wretched!! He's the proudest most brilliant being in all of Equestria! How dare you speak of him that way!" She sobbed into the ground while Artemis sat next to her, his talons on her sobbing head, trying to get her to sit up.

 

He turned to Hurricane then, his face showing worry and fear for his new mother.

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

Clover shivered at the laughter but soon mentally pulled herself together. "We need to keep together," she said. "If it attacks, we won't stand a chance if we're all fragmented. Remember, the Keeper of Souls can't bear to be around love and friendship,"

 

Clover planned to cast a shield spell to protect the foals, if need be.

[Jack Baker 698]

"It's all the same to me, when you're nothing more than a soul floating in the wind..." The Keeper projected to her. He then heard her sobs.

 

 

"Ah, the sweet tones of misery..." he projected to her again. "Crying won't do you any good, but it's music to my ears..."

 

He then sensed another alicorn trying to put up a barrier, talking about how friendship and love could save them. He scoffed.

 

"Hmm, tell me, just how long do you think you precious love and friendship will save you from the inevitable?" he projected to Clover's mind.

"Eventually, the Keeper claims his mark...."

[Hurricane 159]

Hurricane rushed over to Lightning Bliss. "Lightning Bliss, snap out of it! There's no one there." As soon as she said that, she began to think that there might actually be a Keeper if Souls, but what really bothered her was the idea that she couldn't fight him physically if he attacked through the mind. At that moment, Hurricane looked as though she was prepared for battle. She knew that she would need every ounce of will power if this thing was real and if it came after her.

She then directed her attention back to Lightning Bliss. "Don't listen to him." She said rather forcefully. "Don't let him get to you. Be strong." Hurricane kept trying to get through to Lightning.

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@, "That's not true!" Clover said, trying to be strong. "Friendship and love will always win thru!"

 

Clover strongly believed this; after all, hadn't friendship and love saved their friend Blaze before? Like Hurricane, Clover was worried about Lightning and went over to her friend at once. "Be strong," she urged. "He is trying to divide us, and we can't let him win!"

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@@Pripyat Pony,  @,

 

Bliss looked up to both Hurricane and Clover, but their voices seemed so distant...nearly muffled out by the Keeper and his dark voice, seeming to echo everywhere around her. She could hear though through the muffle "Be Strong..."

 

Be strong... Those were the words her father Fire Strength used to use when she was crying and feeling weak...

 

-- Flashback --

 

The small white deformed filly lay on the cloud, crying alone away from the Cloudsdale school for young flyers...She had just finished another onslaught of insults and bulling about her big ears and long lion tail... Even though she had done her very best in performing for her teacher, doing several barrel rolls and even a perfect recover dive as well as a spin out recovery...they still mocked her!

 

"BIG EARS BIG EARS BIG EARS!" She could still hear their insults play out in her head. "CAN'T EVEN RUN WITH THAT LONG TAIL WE BET!"

 

"No...I can run! I can fly too!" She cried under her hooves. "You saw what I can do...I can fly as well as all of you...why do you still hate me...?"

 

"Be strong Lightning Bliss..." suddenly she heard her father...a strong heavy bulk silver stallion, with a firey colored mane and tail...Fire Strength.

 

She looked up, all wet in the face, "D-daddy?"

 

"Be strong...Get up..."

 

She refused to listen to him and turned away, just about to lower her head again.

 

"Get up..." he repeated.

 

"I...I can't...they'll...they'll laugh at me..."

 

"Get up Lightning Bliss!" He said more firmly.

 

She slowly rose her head and her hooves slightly...his voice seeming to empower her.

 

"GET UP!" He whinnied, "GET UP!!! GET UP!!!"

 

She stood up finally and lifted her head, no longer crying but had a burning desire to keep moving.

 

"Now..." he said smiling to her, "be strong...Don't ever let what others say...put you down again... You understand me filly?"

 

-- End Flashback --

 

 

@,

 

Bliss snorted...then heard the words of Clover and Hurricane again, "Love and Friendship" ...That's right...She snorted again and got up.

 

"Love and Friendship..." she stood firmly back up on her hooves, still sweating as if she recovered from a massive struggle, "Love and Friendship is our strength...and I am strong...You're NOTHING!" She roared back at the Keeper. "Nothing you say to me will change that! I AM STRONG!"

[purple.teal 50]

Everlast watched as everyone seemed to be attacked mentally. to protect himself he drew something in front of him, he assumed it must be the pony of souls that they were just mentioning, that was attacking them. He scooted all of his equipment out of the way, to keep any of them from tripping over it. He opened up his bag and pulled the orb out of it. He stared at it, fighting with it. I've got bigger problems, I can't deal with you now. Eventually he was able to wrench his eyes away.

 

This, is going to end terribly. With the eye held in both hooves, he waited for the next surge. He didn't have to wait long before Lightning Bliss fought back. PERFECT! Let's get a look at what this guy really looks like. Attaching his magic to Lightning, he searched for a point of the attack, when he found it. He wrote a second character in the ground before him. 

 

Once he was anchored to the Pony of Souls, he let go of Lightning and stared once more into the eye. As soon as he did, he lost consciousness. His mind was being pulled into the eye toward the source of the attacks. 

 

When the pain was over, he was able to see the pony of souls, slowly making its way to the party. 

[Jack Baker 698]

The Keeper laughed madly at Lightning Bliss's rebuttal, projecting it towards the minds of everypony. He realized he had enough toying around with them. The thrill of harvesting their souls was too much for him to handle. He began to levitate slightly off the ground, channeling his dark magic. The wind began to swirl around him, making a ghastly howl.

 

"So you say..." he projected to Lightning Bliss. The channeling was complete, and in a spit second, he blinked to her location... right behind her. He leaned in close to her ear.

 

"Show me..." he whispered, unlatching the sickle from his hoof. He turned towards Hurricane, and slashed her with it, knocking her aside. He then levitated Lightning, and tossed her aside back

into the cave entrance.

Edited January 28, 2015 by DJ Rabi Ray Rana

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@,

 

Bliss had next to no time to react before the greusome creature came up somehow behind her and threw her outside the cave with horribly powerful dark magic. Luckily Artemis wasn't in her hooves when she was violently cast aside, so she could only hope the young hippogryph was smart enough to run to the aid of another one of her friends.

 

She slammed shoulder first down the rocky floor of the cave before skidding outside into the snow.

[Jack Baker 698]

The Keeper slowly trodded over to her, the chains connecting his lantern and sickle dragging

across the rock floor of the cave, making a loud screeching sound.

 

"You're not putting up much of a show..." he said to Lightning, spinning the chained sickle around in his hoof. His voice then turned angry. " I was promised a display of fortitude, and I receive this? Unacceptable! Get up!! Fight!!!" He then swung his sickle at her, flicking the blade like a whip, trying to coax her into getting up by nearly hitting her.

[Hurricane 159]

Hurricane had no time to react to the Keeper before she saw a swing of silver and felt a sharp pain along her side. She let out a short shriek of pain and drew back. When she looked, she saw a long red gash that ran from her rib cage all the way to the top of her shoulder. She couldn't tell how deep it was, but she couldn't think about that now.

She lifted her head to see Lightning Bliss being tormented by the Keeper of Souls. She knew Bliss couldn't fly and she had just been thrown against a wall now with the Keeper taunting her. "Hey! Why don't you leave her alone, you coward!" Hurricane blurted out with anger.

Edited January 28, 2015 by Houndoom

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

At that moment, Stormwing arrived back at the cave. Dropping the kill she had made, she took in the scene in a moment. A strange pony was attacking the others and that was all she needed to see. Clover was doing her best to protect Nimbus from the Keeper of Souls, despite the dark magic used against her and the others. Stormwing, as a hippogryph, was immune to anything the Keeper could do, as would be the foals tho they were too young to know this as of yet. With a shriek of fury, Stormwing hurled herself at the Keeper, scratching with talons and tearing with her beak.

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@,

 

Bliss leapt to her feet just missing the blade the Keeper drew at her. Her horn reacted to her urgency for protection and summoned short bursts of magic, creating random shields made of rainbow light, gestured to her hooves as she threw them up, blocking more blows from the Keeper's sickle.

 

"GAH!" She skidded as the blade struck her magical defense, slaming her back each time. Her instinct was to fly but every time she flapped her wings made horrific whistle sounds. She never attacked another foe with her magic before, she never even knew how to conjure weapons or magical arsenal...shields was her best and only tactic at this moment.

 

Suddenly the sickle smacked hard again, right through her thin defense, just pricking her chest before sending her flying into a pile of snow outside the cave once more. She looked down and saw the prick was in fact bleeding down her chest and stomach...She felt sick seeing it...and got up, readying for another attack...though wasn't sure how she was going to escape this monster alive...

 

@@Pripyat Pony,

Suddenly to her shock, the hippogryph Stormwing slammed into the Keeper, in a heap of feather, fur and shrieks of rage. Bliss was dumstrucked on what to do at this point...Other then to run, run back to the others.

[Jack Baker 698]

@@Pripyat Pony

The Keeper was annoyed at the hippogryphon trying to hinder him. He looked down at it, then grabbed it by the neck with one hoof, looking at it intensly.

 

"Filthy mongrels get the leash..." he said, slamming her on the ground and stomping her with a hoof, pinning her to the ground. He looked at his wounds. While there were gashes and wounds made by Stormwing's attempt at attacking him, nothing came out of them, only a sickly green light shone from where his garments were torn.

 

"Foolish creature..." he said, wrapping the chains from his sickle around her neck and tightening them, forming a makeshift leash. He then began to drag her across the snowy ground, the grip of the chains tightening more around her neck.

 

"I do not bleed as easily as you think... Do you know how many countless times I have been cut? Stabbed? Pecked? Burnt? Shot? Clawed? Mauled? It will take more than a few scratches and pecks to hurt me..." He jerked the leash, dragging her around some more, then looked at Lightning. "If you value your friend so much... you can share in her torment!!!" He then gripped the leash tightly, and flung Stormwing, letting go of the chains as soon as she was in the air, releasing the grip on her neck, as she was shot towards Lightning.

 

He then turned to Hurricane, whom he gave a whip with his sickle blade.

 

"Quiet, worm... your master is trying to clean the filth..." he taunted at Hurricane.

Edited January 29, 2015 by DJ Rabi Ray Rana