private Journey to the Higher Plane

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@@Pripyat Pony,

 

"Then...what can we do?" Bliss asked seeing her guidence then, "I'm useless with magic should we have to defend ourselves...I can teleport maybe one time, or  levitate a few things but thats it...a shield even if I'm lucky...I just can't control my magic...It always seems to come out in abrupt full blown bursts...I can never control it fully..." She slumped in her sitting position and sulked, "I was a pegasus...not a unicorn...Magic just doesn't easily come to me...and if QuickDraw is planning something... I'll be useless in a fight..."

[Hurricane 159]

@,

Hurricane relaxed her body and watched Blaze walk off. She kept watching him and noticed that something had made him stop. She walked toward him, but stopped when she noticed him mumble to himself and continue walking. What was he saying? Was it important? Hurricane figured she should give Blaze some space. Then, she got an idea. She flew up into the air and silently followed Blaze flying from cloud to cloud trying to see if she could find clues to the puzzle.

[purple.teal 50]

@

Everlast, after finally noticing the newcomer, sat and watched from a distance watching as everyone took turns showing suspicion for the pony. It was when the topic turned to Blaze that he got up and joined in, attempting to turn the conversation away.

"Well met, uh Quickdraw I think I heard your name was? I'm saddened by the way we treat strangers nowadays. Please understand that it has not been the easiest time for us recently, and so everyone is on edge. If my voice accounts for anything, I will be pleased to have you along for as long as our roads are the same. Speaking of roads, perhaps we should be hitting one about now, I am eager to leave this place." 

[Jack Baker 698]

Quickdraw laughed quietly at Lightning's remark about not seeing him anywhere in Appleloosa. He did live there, in a cabin somewhat far from the main village, but liked to keep himself unnoticed to the public whenever he was in town. That, and he was always out on the road somewhere. While he did live in Appleloosa, he couldn't exactly call it "home". He didn't really know where he came from. He never saw his parents; according to some folks who knew about him, he was born behind a local saloon and left there with nothing, not even a bottle of milk or a blanket. He had learned to live on the streets by using every dirty trick in the book, and surviving in such a manner had toughened and matured Quickdraw at quite a young age. As cliche as it all sounded, this all really happened to him. Many ponies he had met along the way called him a rogue, an outlaw. But he didn't mind the names. Being "an outlaw" was all he knew. It was how he managed to live without parents; what kept him alive on the streets when he had nowhere else to turn to.

 

Oh, if only this Appleloosan alicorn knew. But she didn't. So it didn't matter...

 

Quickdraw snapped out of it. Whenever he thought about his past, he would dwell too deeply on it; a bad habit of his. Back to the situation at hand, it didn't seem like anyone seemed to trust him fully on what he was saying..

 

Suddenly, there was a howling that echoed through the woods. He looked behind him. Seems like a small pack of Timberwolves really did follow him; he must've passed through their territory on the way over here.

 

Well ain't that convenient... he thought, taking out his gun.

 

"Tarnation. It's them Timberwolves from last night! They're still trying to hunt me down..."

[Hurricane 159]

@,

Hurricane's ears perked up when she heard a howling. She knew what that sound was. "Timberwolves." she whispered to herself. "Timberwolves!" she yelled loudly as she flew back to the camp and looked flew high into the sky looking for the wolves. "Get ready for a fight guys. They're comin' up fast!" She grabbed her dagger and as she did, she looked at her burns and frost bite from the previous battle from Royal Flush. They didn't hurt and looked as if they were healing pretty well, but Hurricane knew if she got cut or bit, it would hurt ten times worse than normal. She flew to the ground. "You want us to trust you? It might help if you fix the problem you brought to us." she said to Quickdraw with her dagger in her mouth.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Houndoom

[Jack Baker 698]

Quickdraw laughed. "Now, no need to take action. Like you said, I should fix the problem I brought to y'all, and I will. Leave it to me... I like my enemies two ways: dead, or about to be!!"

 

He brought out his shotgun, and pumped it. The six-shooter-like chamber turned, and loaded two large rounds of Buckshot into the double barrels of the shotgun as the timberwolves pounced out of the thick brush. They kept their distance, inching closer and closer to Quickdraw. Suddenly, he did the unthinkable: he dashed forward into the group, sliding to a halt in front of them, then bringing up the gun barrels to a couple of the wolves' faces. He shot them point blank, the buckshot tearing them up into nothing but splinters of wood. The wolves backed up, afraid of the noise and the tiny metal bullets from the buckshot shells. Quickdraw gave a wicked grin, pumping out the used buckshot. He opened the hinge of the barrels, exposing the breach of the six shooter chamber, and loaded in slugs instead of buckshot. He closed the gun, pumped in the slugs, and began to aim at the wolves. He took a deep breath, then fired quickly, each slug hitting the wolves in rapid succession in vital areas. They laid on the ground, defeated, but Quickdraw wasn't done with them.

 

"Don't die yet! Those were only warnin' shots!!" He laughed at his remark, opening the hinges on the double barreled shotgun, and detached the six-shooter chamber. He reached into his cloak and pulled out another chamber, this one holding two large circular bullets, which appeared be the explosive kind. He pumped them in, and aimed.

 

"Easy as shootin' gnats," he said quietly, and fired. The two bullets zipped towards the area where the wolves were at. As soon as they hit, they exploded, with the explosion continuing to travel in a linear path before dissipating. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left of the wolves, only ash. There was more howling in the distance; it seemed like the wolves began to retreat.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Polnareff

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@,

 

Bliss watched in shock as well as admiration as the stallion with the metal stick, got to work on completely inailating the threat of timberwolves from their camp. She blinked in awe, and would have clapped for joy if it weren't for the fact she was clenching her ears down closed from the horrific sound of the gunfire. The buckshot sound was so loud to her large ears it was excruciating. She bit her lips and teeth grinneded as she waited for the hysteria to be over...Once the guns and explosive sounds stopped...she let her ears back up... They still had a clear ringing to them...that she could hardly hear what he was saying.

 

"What!" She called out to him, "Are they GONE??!!" She desperatly tried to get the ringing out of her ears and stuck her wings in them, rubbing eagerly.

[Hurricane 159]

@@Lightning Bliss,

Hurricane stared in awe at the sight of Quickdraw firing down the timberwolves. She could only admit to herself that the sight made her afraid of the stranger pony. He looked like a mad pony. She had never seen anypony with so much power.  Hurricane thought about how bad it would be if this pony was actually on the same side of Royal Flush. This new pony could either be incredibly helpful, or incredibly dangerous. After shaking the shocked emotion off of her face and pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind, she put her dagger back in her wing. "Come on, I wanted to at least get one of them." she complained.

[Jack Baker 698]

Quickdraw looked at Hurricane, while he attached the regular six-shooter like chamber back into his shotgun. "You'll have to forgive me for that. I like to be thorough with my work. It's just how I am." He hoisted the gun over his shoulder. "Now then... have I earned your trust yet?"

[OG Blaze 269]

"Only a fool would trust him. Don't you agree Blaze? His intentions are nothing less than Vile and I can't wait for the group to find this out the hard way. When he shows his true colors I can't wait to be the one to end him." He watched as the traveler took out the Timber Wolves, "Amateur shooting skills, I could believe he truly comes from Appaloosa."

[Hurricane 159]

@,

Hurricane had to think for a moment. He did just save their lives, but on the other hoof, she didn't know much about him. He could be harmless as a daisy or he could be a criminal hiding from the law. Been there before. Hurricane said to herself in her head. Then, she snapped from her thoughts. "Well Mr. Tough Guy," she mocked, "I have to admit, I like your style, but I don't just put my trust in any pony, let alone one that just walked out of the woods. You could be a murderer for all I know." she said rather casually.

Edited August 7, 2014 by Houndoom

[Jack Baker 698]

Quickdraw laughed slightly at Hurricane's remark. "A murderer, you say? I only use this gun against others if I need to. I don't kill for a hobby. I kill to survive. And no offense, ma'am, but you don't seem to be the innocent type yourself. You've got the look of an outlaw, if I do say so myself..." He then looked at Blaze with a smirk. "Sounds to me like you think you can do better. By all means... show me what you got. End me, right now, like you say you will. That is, unless you are all talk and no action."

Edited August 7, 2014 by Polnareff

[Hurricane 159]

@,@,

"Good eye." Hurricane said to Quickdraw with a sly smile. She was starting to like this new pony. "But my criminal record is none of your business." she added quietly before she turned her attention to Blaze and Quickdraw's little stand off. "You sure you're alright? You aren't usually this eager to fight." she said to Blaze with a bit of a worried voice.

Edited August 7, 2014 by Houndoom

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@, @,

 

Bliss saw the two stallions, stand each other off in what looked like a massive ego boosts on both their ends. However time was of the essence, they all needed to get out of this forest and head for the city, otherwise things would continue to get worse. After the ringing in her ears toned down enough for her to hear her own voice, she quickly left the safety of Clover's private wards, and fluttered inbetween Quickdraw and Blaze.

 

"Are you two quite done with your boasting? Or can we finally quit diddle daddling long enough to get out of this woods." She darted an eye on Blaze as her horn continued to spark whenever she was near him, but she was ignoring it for the time being. Then looked to Quickdraw once again. "Dunno exactly why you're here other then what you stated, for all I know could be a lie. But you helped us fight off a pack of Timberwolves and I'm sure we're all grateful for that...If you...really, want to tag along, then you'll quit encouraging my friend here," she gestured to Blaze, "who's obviously not right in the head..." she whispered that lowly, "and we get on out of here before more things so up."

 

@,

At that she went to Raze and Rax'Mar who were both sitting back and looking at the map. "Can we get going now please? I'm cold...and really would like a warm shower..."

[That One Techpriest You Used To Know 2,286]

@@Lightning Bliss, @, @, @,

 

Rax'Mar nodded quietly as he stood up. "That's a fine idea by me," he said. "Hey, everyone. If we are going to argue about if we are going to kill this fellow or shun this fellow or, Celestia forbid, actually... you know... help this fellow, can we get moving? I'm getting tired of just standing around in this forest."

 

As he started to move, he thought back to the map and his excitement flowed again. They were about to discover, not only the fate, but also the goal of Starswirled the Bearded! Amongst wizards, he was almost a saint, and there were many, many theories about his disappearance. Some said he was assassinated. Some said he ascended. Still others said that he was still alive, dedicated to his studies of all magic through an enchanted abode- a Sanctum Sanctorum- and a far off place. Now he would be able to find out for sure! Bubbling with excitement, he turned to go further before realizing no one was following him. He glanced back and sighed. "Please?"

[OG Blaze 269]

@

 

Blaze cut in, "If you are so quick to die warrior, I will happily ablige. If not then you will keep your mouth quiet during the trip. I still don't have a reason to trust you nor a reason to distrust you, but I can tell you that not having a reason to trust some pony has never stopped me from getting my hands dirty." He then proceeded to walk away.

[purple.teal 50]

@

 

Everlast was a little stunned at the powerful display, and wondered how effective his magic could be at countering it, if it so happened that he was not good. However, he was in quite a rush to leave the Everfree and when he finally turned away from the large gun, saw the mage taking off.  He left the crowd and went to stand by him. 

Edited August 12, 2014 by purple.teal

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

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

(OOC Gonna just move us on out of the forest and head towards Manhattane, be like on the outskirts of it.)

 

Bliss happily followed Rax'Mar while gesturing to Clover and Hurricane to 'hurry up' and follow out of the forest, eagered to eat her own words. Though she wouldn't say it outloud, unless somepony asked, she was filthy from the neck down. Her wings were full of dirt and grim and her hooves needed a serious mending. Though she didn't mind getting dirty, after all she used to assist the apple orchids as a side job when she was a teenager in Appleloosa, her mother taught her to always be considerate of others and to be hygenic. 'You may not smell yourself, but that doesn't mean others won't either.' She chuckled at the notion, she didn't like the idea of not realizing she might smell like a skunk either.

 

As she followed the group, the forest finally gave way to open light and blue sky, a welcome sight that she couldn't help but leap into the air and flutter just ahead of the group, enjoying the openess of the world finally for the first time in over two days. Even though she was enjoying the open air and clear skys, she still didn't leave their new 'guest' to the group, out of her sights in the long run.

[Hurricane 159]

Hurricane saw Lightning Bliss gesture to her to get a move on. She just jokingly rolled her eyes and followed. She noticed a small pond nearby and flew over to it and dove in. Then she immediately flew out and let the wind dry her off. Hurricane flew around enjoying the wind on her face as she busted through clouds and felt the warm sunshine compliment the cool breeze. The water droplets on her coat and wings sparkled in the sunlight. After doing a few more flips and turns, she landed back near the group and shook off the excess water. Her mane and tail went back to their normal carefree style even though they were still damp. Hurricane sighed. "I needed that."

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@,

 

Bliss smiled and flew up next to her, matching her speed and agility only to keep up.

 

"Nice moves, really!" She exclaimed as she watched Hurricane show her talents, "why aren't you a wonder bolt? Or some famous pegasi? I mean...I only ask just cause, well... I certaintly can't do as many flips and recoverys as you can, what you do must be noticed by someponies right?. I mean a few times I managed to do the sonic Rainboom, after nearly crashing several times to get it down. But tat's all I can really do." She flapped vigorously to keep up, "I guess you could say I'm a casul flyer, not really on the speedy side though I can try to be fast. When did you start flying as a filly?"

Edited August 8, 2014 by Lightning Bliss

[Hurricane 159]

(( @@Lightning Bliss, Hurricane already landed on the ground. she is no longer flying in the air. ))

When Hurricane listened to Lightning Bliss talking to her about the Wonderbolts and about why she wasn't famous, her mind immediately flashed back to the time she was a filly and the incident she had in the weather factory. It was the reason she had never been to Cloudsdale since and the same reason why she tried to keep a low profile. Hurricane snapped back to reality to answer Lightning Bliss' question. "Oh, uh...I've always been a flyer." she started. "When I was small, I flew down into a canyon. That''s part of my cutie mark story, but I did need somepony to help me afterwards.

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@,

(OOC...well excuse me PRINCESS LOL Kidding XD)

 

"How old were you when that happened?" Bliss asked as she hovered above Hurricane, following eagerly, "I only ask cause... I'm just wondering if other fillies had to learn to fly early like I did... Dad made me start two years early before flight school in Cloudsdale...He said he wasn't going to tolerate me slowing down should the other ponies pick on me for my ears and tail...He wanted me up in the air before my class..."

[Hurricane 159]

@@Lightning Bliss,

"Well, I've always been a flyer. My parents used to say that they didn't carry me out of the hospital because I flew myself out." Hurricane said with a giggled a little. "No pony pressured me into flying. My mom and dad actually tried to stop me from flying so much just cause I would always get into trouble. I was actually in elementary school when I snuck out and flew down into the canyon to get my cutie mark." she said looking at her cutie mark and smiling. "That's pretty much all there is to tell." she finished. That was a total lie. Hurricane just said that to avoid talking about the rest of her childhood. It always haunted her and she always just pushed it back into her mind. Plus, she didn't feel like completely opening up to anypony here just yet.

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@,

 

"Oh...I, I see well," Bliss rubbed her shoulder, feeling like Hurricane was cutting her out of sharing anything about Hurricane's past, but shrugged it off and decided she would tell instead. "Hope I'm not bothering you, I guess I just like to talk now and then about past times. I guess it's true I was pressured...but my dad wanted me to be strong cause he saw how I had it hard at home with my differences... He didn't want me to bend to anypony else, and to show I can do anything just as other ponies can do... I guess you could say his spirit lives on in me somewhat... My anger can get the better of me," she landed next to Hurricane and walked on as she continued, "kinda like what happened between me and you...And then it can go completely out the window, and I hestiate and feel...helpless I guess...I'm weird I know...it's not knew to me I guess heh."

[Jack Baker 698]

Quickdraw walked with the group, hoisting his shotgun above his shoulders. He was thinking about what would happen as soon as they reached Manehattan. What exactly was Royal Flush thinking? He was even more curious as to what this group of ponies were even doing here out in the Everfree. He rarely ever saw alicorns outside; not to mention three in the same place.

"I beg your pardon," he said to no one in particular. "But, well, since I've told you where I'm headed, I'd like to know what exactly it is y'all are doing out here, if y'all don't mind me asking."