open When hearts grow cold. Chapter one: Shadows fall [RP]

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Wish Scribe.

 

"You don't suppose they can undermine the Crystal?" Wish suggested hopefully. "Dig underneath them, then... I dunno, I'm just trying to figure out how mining fits into all this."

 

There had been a lot on mines near where she had grown up, but Wish had never really had anything much to do with them: her family were farmers after all - they worked on top of the ground, not beneath it. She shrugged, still trying to think.

 

"Crystal Heart, Chaos magic... Gemstones, Discord, Digging.... What are we missing here? This would be so much easier if I actually knew what you could do with all this stuff!"

 

She shrugged again, blankly.

 

"I dunno, unless they're planning on making some kind of magical bomb or something... leech chaos off one and order off the other, put them together and slap a ton of gemstones on to amplify the result... would that do anything? Even if it didn't blow up I can't imagine it would be good."

 

She glanced sideways at Pathfinder, face full of speculation, but no real solution. "Or if there's something in the mountains that they think they'll need this sort of stuff to... I dunno, unlock?"

Edited October 27, 2014 by Cinderscribe

[Driz 1,552]

"Maya, Maya! I'm here. What is going on." Bowing down, she felt bad for the poor unicorn. She seemed to be in terror, and Luna tried to comfort her by whispering into her ear. "You're safe here. Whatever you just saw, it won't hurt you. Calm down..." She carefully sat down next to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. "What has happened? What frightened you so much?"

 

Maya began to slowly settle down as soon as she heard Luna's voice. Although the shaking hadn't ceased completely, she had regained conscious thanks to the princess' assistance. With an expression that still resembled shock - albeit she was no longer frightened, but instead utterly confused - she turned to meet eyes with the dark-blue Alicorn.

 

"I... I'm fine!..." Maya said, immediately getting up back on her four hooves. "Sorry... I just... I'm alright, I just..." She then shook her head. "Look, I gotta go talk to the rest of the group. I found out some important stuff about the thief that I wanted to share asap, so... yeah..."

 

She wasn't able to explain what truly had startled her while connecting with the Underworld, since she was having trouble trying to comprehend it herself. Countless times had she performed this very same spell, and an event like that had never happened before. She could feel that there was a soul nearby, but an incredibly peculiar one. Not only did it act differently from the others, but it was also quite powerful - way too powerful for Maya to handle. This unexpected collapse was a sad reminder that she still had a lot to learn about the art of Necromancy.

[Torrent505 370]

(Made this post at work on my phone, hope it turned out okay)

 

 

Wanderlust was frightened, but it wasn't from anything the Princess had said. No Celestia was being perfectly logical and reasonable, especially considering the lunacy he had just told her. The way she looked at him made him feel like she really did understand and even a bit of kinship to what he was experiencing, he'd never expected to feel that from royalty. Her response to him only justified his fear though, because it made what he was sensing all the more horrible.

 

It came from his old pocket covered saddle bag that the guard was handing back to him. It was certain seeds, spores, and pure plant extracts calling out to him, they were all toxins and poisons he had collected in years of travel and they all want to be inside Celestia. Nature magic had never called out to him like this it was almost demanding, pushy and overwhelming. He stammered again to Celestia as he accepted the bag, "I-I, umm, well.". He could tell from the way Whisp was staring wide eyed at the bag that she could feel it too, or at least she felt something. It was so wrong, the Princess herself was offering her trust to him and the magic he had learned to trust screamed she was a threat to be ended. It had to be the corruption of that symbol effecting him or something trying to influence him to create that horrible vision! Maybe Celestia was right in thinking him being here would make the vision true? Or would this really prevent some aweful future? No he wouldn't be anyone's puppet.

 

"I-I. No. I'll do it a another way. I'll join your group Princess, I really hope I can do something to help." Wanderlust didn't even realize he had replied to the influences aloud, he'd meant just to reply to Celestia. As he walk past her towards the ponies discussing further in the library he felt one last throb of pain in his head before it faded in acceptance.

 

He spoke in a hushed concerned tone to Whisper, "You felt that too right? Was that the Stag? Natures darkside? I've never felt it before...". His eyelids drooped as the adrenaline of meeting the princess started to fade. He leaned over and nuzzled his head against Whisper neck, a common telltale sign he was about to ask her a favor, "Uh Whisp, it's probably unfair of me to ask I know the last week has taken a lot out of you too... But I think I might finally be able to sleep some, the pain's all gone. Would it be okay if I just rested my eyes at the table? You can handle introductions right?". He didn't really wait for her response as he slid into a chair closest to where the group was discussing making an "Mmmhnng" sound as the softness of the cushion and promptly letting his head thud against the table top.

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

"Ah..oh...!" she nudged his head into a more comfortable position; lest his snout become wrinkled and sore. She had felt the pull, the Call from his bag. The tugging had intensified the further on they traveled into the city. To her, the pull was not as intense since the evil came from The Stag. Whispers connection to Mother Nature protected her from these things but it was a different story entirely for her friend.

 

Silently, she shot off a quick prayer to Mother for giving Wanderlust the strength he needed to resist temptation. Her ears swiveled around as she sat and observed the other ponies, it was always so fascinating how they all looked so different, so many colors and intricate cutie marks.

 

"Excuse me, apologies for interrupting your conversation. The Princesses sent us here to join your group and in your travels. My name is Whisper and my companion is Wanderlust. Is there anything we should know about? Plans or strategies?" the deer spoke carefully, never knowing whether a pony would chose to ignore her or not. It had happened before, simply because she was branded 'wild'.

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

@@Scribblegroove,@, Mastema though about what the other stallion had said. "Wish Scribe right? Maybe you are right... maybe they didn't steal the heart, maybe they just tampered with it. Or they just placed something nearby to activate remotely from the mountains. It's always a possibility worth checking."

Crowley spoke about his theory yet he wasn't certain of it. "True... but we don't know what exactly the amplification is for. A catalyst has two uses... it either makes casting the magic easier, but the magic itself might not be the destination. I mean... they might be calling forth something, gathering it. A crazy assumption would be a chaos implosion bomb, but i don't know. I just prefer to have my  back covered from all sides. Scribe? you dont suppose the magic might be gathered for an unlock but rather to a pony, and i dare say that the one with such power may rival even your Vanguards. By Vanguards i mean your Leaders, the Princesses and others. Someone is playing a dangerous power-play..."

@@Driz,((OOC:Please tell me if i'm not supposed to do this if she's too far away or whatever...)) This Maya unicorn necromancer right? He wasn't sure of what to feel about her. So long as she didn't disrupt the balance of nature he was fine with it. Conversing with the dead was also something the dead did. So long as he didn't see a walking shambling corpse that would be fine.

He heard her from the spot he was and it wasn't long before he rushed to her side. He had a keen ear for sounds that required aid, and he wasn't about to falter "Hey take it easy! You need help! Here before you go anywhere drink some water." he said giving her his own water. "Careful with your magic..."

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

She glanced sideways at Pathfinder, face full of speculation, but no real solution. "Or if there's something in the mountains that they think they'll need this sort of stuff to... I dunno, unlock?"

 

Pathfinder unknowingly, but softly bit the inside of his lip. Just as Wish Scribe was, his face was also full of intense speculation. The gears turning in his head, he nodded lightly. "That's what I'm thinking," he said, his head still thoughtful. ​"I think Crowley is correct. Whatever it is they're after, it's likely to do with these Crystal Mines. Of course, the mines aside, the mountains outside of the Empire have rarely been traversed. The weather has time and time again proven too dangerous for pegasi to fly close; and you can forget about most who travel on foot. It's a good candidate for some sort of base of operations anyway."

 

Of course, considering the sheer size and fore-thought that this organization had, anything was possible. Wish Scribe had every reason to be lost right now. Where does the chaos magic fit in this? Certainly Discord isn't behind this. No, this whole mess is way to orderly for his doing. In a sense, the planning of all of this reeked of Sombra insight, but he doubted he was still around after his run-in with the Crystal Heart.

 

"The Crystal Heart...are they using that as a sort of decoy to keep our attention away from finding out their real intentions? Considering the inherent power of the crystal is good, and that not even Sombra could turn it to his evil ways, then there's a chance that that certain powerful relic isn't even in their cross hairs," he said. "Of course...that is still speculation."

 

Sighing, he nodded as some new arrivals came in, with one plopping his head on a nearby table, apparently drained. Along with him was a female deer. And he remembered the Zebra coming in as well who had items stolen by this same group.

 

Wanting to get a little more detail of the area around the Crystal Empire, he closed his eyes and concentrated deeply as a goldish aura emanating from his horn. From that aura emerged a goldish orb which represented the world. His brow furrowed, he zoomed the magical holo-map onto the Crystal Empire, and then to the nearby mountains. In concentration he found the entrance to the old mines.

 

"Hmmm...of course this is just one of many mine entrances...and for all we know they could be using any of them...if this is indeed their plan."

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Wish Scribe.

 

"That's where we start then!" Wish concluded: motioning towards the surreal, magical map - despite what Pathfinder had literally just said about the dangers of the place. It wasn't just because of the mission at hand - she had wanted to visit the mountains for some time now for personal reasons of her own. She suspected that her brother wouldn't be out off by danger, and she knew that Red wouldn't have been... she couldn't let the family down!

 

Besides, even if they spent days figuring out exactly what they were planning, it was useless unless somebody actually did something!

 

"We go in, see what they're doing with our own eyes and shut them down." Wish declared. "If they have so much stuff, if they're using so much magic... surely we'll be able to trace it when we get close? Heck, we could probably just listen for the sounds of mining - that stuff isn't exactly quiet!"

[Driz 1,552]

"Hey take it easy! You need help! Here before you go anywhere drink some water." he said giving her his own water. "Careful with your magic..."

 

"I said I'm fine!" Maya exclaimed, peeved, before even checking where this strange voice was coming from - once she did, however, she saw something she was not expecting: a zebra stood by the door, offering her a bottle of water.

 

Easily distracted as she is - usually being unable to focus on various things at once -, she hadn't noticed the arrival of a few new acquaintances in the library. Puzzled, she stared at the zebra for a few seconds before levitating the water towards herself and proceeding to stare at it instead. It's true that she could use something to cool her down since she was still agitated, although she insisted on thinking otherwise.

 

"...Who are you?" Maya asked, intrigued.

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

@@Driz,@@Scribblegroove, Mastema didn't mind the presence of the Princesses. Right now his focus was at the unicorn in front of him. He pushed his black/grey mane away from his forehead seeking to examine her.

"You got lucky... I swear you ponies aren't careful sometimes. The latent energy from the Negative Plane may harm you! Remember... always cast a Negative Plane Protection spell on yourself first. That way the spirits won't be able to harm you or touch you."

At that time he realized he was babbling and had ignored a question so instead he backed down and let her have some air before responding. He gently bent his head forward while holding a hoof at the height of the Caduceus pendant he had on him, bowing kindly to the white unicorn with the pink mane.

 "My name is Mastema, Mastema Ironheart. Before you ask why i am here i will tell you myself. I have been robbed lady... Maya right? I think I heard your name when you came back from you visions or whatever it is you tapped into. Anyways... i came here to help you and the rest... i was robbed as well and i believe i can help you on this quest you have embarked to."

[Torrent505 370]

@@RunsWithSquirlz @@PathfinderCS @

 

Wanderlust's eyes were only partially open, he was half asleep but this was all too important not to listen to. He thought he'd at least picked up part of what was going on, somebody had stolen magic gems, some magic catalyzers, had spent some time with the Crystal heart and had mining equipment. That seemed the gist of it...

 

He fidgeted, obviously these ponies were just going to ignore him and Whisp if they didn't contribute to the discussion. So he mumbled the question that Celestia had put in his head when she voiced that maybe his actions were only leading the vision to come true, "So what if that's the point? What if they want to be found? It doesn't seem like they've been subtle leaving behind their marks. Other ponies use the mountains and explore the mines, other have to have noticed moving all that equipment too; rumors have to be spreading, the Crystal Ponies still get frightened over mysterious presences and things in the mountains.." He used a hoof to fiddle with the edge of the map on his table as he continued to just absently speak his thoughts.

 

"Mines are horrible places, I've dealt with some nasty diamond dogs once... Traps are easy to prepare in tunnels, whole companies of royal guards could be trapped or killed by a single pony at switches with the proper plan. That could be what they want, to create fear, panic, pain and hopelessness. The large collection of magic gems and catalyzers sounds like they're certainly trying to make something. Maybe they just studied the Crystal heart, trying to understand the way it turns love and hope into power. Maybe it's the yang-." his thoughts turned to his horrible vision of struggling to survive in fear of the darkness and the hopeless existence hounded by an inescapable killing coldness, ""-and they want to create the yin. A dark heart that takes power from fear and hopelessness instead... Just a thought... rushing in or creating a panic might play into their hooves.." He closed his eyes again content to just listen to them.

Edited October 28, 2014 by Torrent505

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Wish Scribe.

 

@@Torrent505,

 

"Yeah... well they didn't count on me! My family has been dealing with stuff like this for years - We're not afraid of some stupid hole in the ground!" Wish said, briefly pausing to wonder who the newcomer was and when he had arrived. She had been away in her own little world until this point - barely even noticing Pathfinder and Crowley, who she had actually been speaking with.

 

The prospect of being called on by royalty, just like her cousin... It was like some kind of enchantment on the eager-to-prove-herself adventurer.

 

Huh, whoever he was...

 

"I'm not just going to wait and see what they do - I'm going to stop it! That's what we do - I don't care how many Equestrian Guards might fail, because I'm not a guard, I'm an adventurer!"

 

As she spoke, her voice rose slightly with each line. Not angrily, but with conviction. By the end, she might well have been giving a rallying speech... had her 'audience' not seemed to be on the brink of sleep. Noticing this, she faltered: face reddening slightly as she became aware of how carried away she was getting.

 

"I mean, uh... there's... It's... You look really tired!"

[Scribblegroove 565]

@@RunsWithSquirlz, @@Torrent505, @, @@PathfinderCS, @@IridscentNionios, @, @@Driz

 

Celestia reentered the room. Luna, who was still standing near the symbol, was still looking at Maya quite worried, but decided to leave everypony to it. After all, once a brainstorm got on speed, it was a very bad idea to stop it. However, she couldn't help but ask Maya another question. "Maya... What did you see." She exclaimed, reminding her of what she was supposed to be doing right now. Looking at Celestia, she nodded. "They've gotten quite far already. I believe they're close to formulating a plan." She said softly, explaining the situation to her sister. Celestia looked over to the table where Wish Scribe and Pathfinder were still discussing. Mastema had cared himself over Maya, and aparrently Wanderlust had thrown himself into the fray immediately.

 

"Everypony. These are Wanderlust and Whisper, the final additions to your team. My apologies for this unannounced addition, but I believe their talents could be vital for your progression. Wanderlust himself can explain his role later. Right now, I think it is important that you reach a conclusion. Where will you be headed, and what will you be searching for. Wish Scibe has the right idea, but perhaps you should look into the information that Maya and Whisper have gathered before creating your final conclusion." Looking around, she spotted Whisper and Crowley returning from wherever they had been. Wondering what they had been up to, she raised a brow at Crowley. 

 

Crowley answered her questioning look with a simple nod. To him, that meant: "None of your business...". The princess giggled almost unnoticeably and understood. Crowley approached the table, looked around, saw the two new faces, sighed, and just presumed there was a reason for them being here, and put his hooves down on the map. "Right. Back to work. Have you decided your destination yet?" He asked everypony. Looking at Maya, he asked the same question Celestia and Luna just had. "And what about you? Have you found something in that symbol?"

[Convergence 83]

As Whisper returned to the group with Crowley, the frustration that had temporarily dissipated returned at full strength. However, she could deal with it. For now. She hid a smile as she picked up the small gestures between Celestia and Crowley, knowing exactly what they meant. A book trailed at Whisper's unclothed side  as she walked towards the table with the maps on it. Saying nothing, Whisper dropped the book on the table, not caring what it covered up. Sitting down, she flipped the book open and started to pretend that she was reading it. 

 

She positioned herself so that she could see the entire group within her peripherals. She watched them and listened carefully. She had resigned herself from the decision making.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

We go in, see what they're doing with our own eyes and shut them down." Wish declared. "If they have so much stuff, if they're using so much magic... surely we'll be able to trace it when we get close? Heck, we could probably just listen for the sounds of mining - that stuff isn't exactly quiet!"

 

"Well, while you do have a point there, when it comes to mines, we very well could be walking into an elaborate maze," he said, recalling the mines near his birth town of Trottingham. "If there is one thing we'll need it'll be some detailed maps of these mines. I could be wrong, but haven't these mines been abandoned since Sombra was first banished some time back? Without some sort of navigation, we could well get lost for a LONG time in there."

 

It seemed all or most of the clues were pointing at the Crystal Mountains near the empire, and the very mines which were built into them so long ago. As he kept thinking, he found himself inadvertently ignoring the new arrivals. Catching himself, he chuckled nervously when Celestia introduced them.

 

"Ah, y-yeah, I apologize. That was rude of me," he said, glancing a little at Wish Scribe who seemed similarly embarrassed. He smiled at both Wanderlust and Whisper, "My name is Pathfinder, I am honored to meet the both of you." In respect he bowed slightly to both of them, recalling what Wanderlust had said. ​"Well, it's possible that passer-bys may have noticed something going on. Usually, these certain mountains have proven very dangerous  to even get close to. Who knows; maybe they're controlling the weather to conceal what ever it is they're hiding."

 

He considered his theory about creating the anti-crystal heart. ​"That's an interesting theory...but of course, unless we actually see what they're up to then it is all conjecture at this point. I have to agree with Wish Scribe in that we have to investigate it somehow; though likely not until we're properly prepared."

 

He jumped slightly when the other Whisper returned and thumped the book on the table. "Was there anything you found Whisper? Anything you have could be of significant value."

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Wish Scribe.

 

"We are prepared! Well, I am at least..." Wish grumbled: dejected over the though of yet more sitting around and doing nothing useful. They should be out there stopping this thing before it even began - not lounging around waiting until it was too late. Scribe wouldn't wait - he would have led the charge himself! Red wouldn't have waited either: he wouldn't have even come here, but gone straight to the mines by himself! Why did she get stuck with the political bickering of the unicorns?

 

It wasn't fair!

 

Making a point of specifically not paying attention to the two most arrogant members of the group, Wish instead turned to Crowley.

 

"I'm going to the mines, in the Crystal mountains." She declared, determined that the question wasn't even open for discussion. "What's the fastest way there?"

[Driz 1,552]

"You got lucky... I swear you ponies aren't careful sometimes. The latent energy from the Negative Plane may harm you! Remember... always cast a Negative Plane Protection spell on yourself first. That way the spirits won't be able to harm you or touch you."

 

Maya rolled her eyes and proceeded to have a sip of the water that Mastema had offered. While he was introducing himself, the mare had an impatient look on her face as if she wanted to end the conversation right away. Once the zebra was finished, Maya spoke:

 

"Listen... I've been studying and practicing Necromancy since I was a filly. I think I know my way around it. I appreciate your concern, but I won't tolerate being told how to do my job. After all, it's none of your business. Now if you'll excuse me, I have crucial information to share." She then flung the empty water bottle back towards him. "Very freakin' nice to meet you." And she left angrily, towards the main portion of the library where the rest of the group was planning their route.

 

She wasn't usually instantly aggressive towards new folk like that, but her powers were a rather touchy subject. Truly, she was overconfident - so much that a single simple mistake like that would be enough to leave her deeply frustrated. Mastema was right about the protective spell, and she had indeed been careless in that aspect, but then again, she chose not to believe it.

 

@@Scribblegroove, @, @@PathfinderCS, @@Torrent505, @@RunsWithSquirlz, @,

 

Maya walked near the center of the room, where she noticed Wish Scribe ready to leave.

 

"Hold on, earthling. There's no need to rush." She raised her voice just enough so that it could reach everypony in the library. "I still haven't told you all about my discoveries on the thief's magical trace." She then sat down in order to make herself more comfortable.

 

"First of all, I'm afraid we're not dealing with any ordinary spellcaster here... Whoever it was, it's undoubtedly an extremely powerful mage. The magic used to infiltrate this library is really, really complex, like I've never seen before. It almost resembles some of the ancient techniques, like the ones used by Starswirl himself, but constructed somewhat differently... Furthermore, I noticed that there were more than a single magical trace there, which means there may be more than one thief. I don't know for sure since Vrael could've mixed them up while casting his spell earlier today, but still... We should be careful. Very strong magic, most likely more than one. So yeah."

 

"Oh, and speaking of Vrael... He was wrong about their location. They weren't teleported to the mountains, but instead they went just outside this castle, somewhere near downtown in Canterlot itself. So I really don't think we should bother investigating the mountains... That's all." She then waited for the others to take the lead and plan out their next step.

[Convergence 83]

@@PathfinderCS, @, @@Driz

 

Whisper was about to answer Pathfinder, but Wish Scribe responded first. She seemed overly agitated, but Whisper could only guess what she was battling with. Her heart broke for the mare, Whisper could relate to her completely. Without looking up from her book, she tried to form a statement that would calm and console Wish, without appearing condescending. She didn't have much luck.

 

Whisper's concentration broke as Maya returned to the table. It was clear that she was trying to provoke Wish. The tension in Whisper's mind suddenly broke as anger flooded her. It took all of her willpower to not attack the mage, never mind staying calm and collected. Valiantly fighting the urge to throw a hoof at Maya, Whisper brought her hoof to her forehead in frustration. She hit herself far harder than she intended, but she felt no pain. "In the name of Dawn Breaker, the girl is already at her breaking point! Are you that freaking narcissistic?"

 

In slow, controlled movements, Whisper gently closed the cover of her book. She felt control returning to her as she let go of her emotions. She smiled warmly at Wish, trying to convey far more information than a simple body gesture. Trying to reassure her without words. Then breaking eye contact with Wish, Whisper turned to look sternly at Maya. She hoped her facial expression was not too cold. "Ancient magic you say? This book may interest you then. It has the symbol in it and refers to ancient magi and magic." She slid the book towards Maya nonchalantly.

Edited October 29, 2014 by Golden Shield

[Torrent505 370]

@@RunsWithSquirlz @ @@Driz @@PathfinderCS @ @@Scribblegroove

 

Wanderlust didn't even bother to open his eyes again to look at this 'group' the princess had thrown him into; it was pretty obvious they weren't an elite team the princess had put together to deal with a serious issue. The princess had tricked him into joining up with some novice hodgepodge of specialist ponies meant to... Meant to do what even? Uncover the clues so the real team of Royal guards could figure out what was going on? Go in and distract the mysterious enemy while the princess's elite took care of the mission? The way these ponies were bickering and treating each other like enemies already, there was no way they'd be able to accomplish anything. He felt cheated for having fallen for it, maybe he should have followed his instincts and tried to poison Celestia; she obviously wasn't taking this threat and his vision seriously letting 'professionals' behave like this...

 

He gave an exaggerated yawn, his ears twitching slightly from his annoyance at all of this. It wasn't like he had asked or even wanted to be here. Well two could play this game, he didn't need to take this group seriously either; he and Whisp' could learn what they could and use the group to get somewhere they could actually make a difference and then trust that nature would guide them to ponies or creatures that could actually make a difference.

 

He spoke in a mumbling tired voice "If we're going to wait for her to read an entire section of a book on ancient magic somebody wake me up when she finally gets to giving the summary."

Edited October 29, 2014 by Torrent505

[Scribblegroove 565]

@@RunsWithSquirlz, @@Torrent505, @, @@PathfinderCS, @@IridscentNionios, @, @@Driz

 

Crowley looked at everypony around him. "So is that it then? Even though you're still speculating, all of it is about the Crystal Empire. Is that where you're headed then? There's more research and planning to do, but it will always be like that. There's a balance that you should keep between thinking and doing. We know for sure now that there's something going on in those Crystal Mines, so it would be best if you headed there as soon as possible. You can leave today with the express train and you will all arrive tomorrow. I suppose Cadance and Shining Armour could give you some briefing about their experiences as well." For a moment he paused. Maya had mentioned Vrael making a mistake. Vrael never makes mistakes. He wasn't too fond of Vrael anyway, so he'd keep an eye on him. But his suspiscions were no need to keep everypony here. Wisch Scribe seemed to be dying to go as soon as she could.

 

He looked at Maya and tapped the book with his forehoof. "You can read the book in the train, and we'll keep you updated about everything happening here and in Ponyville. There's a very good chance that there are multiple schemes being realised at the same time, so if I believe I found another threat concerning this organisation, you'll be the first to know." 

 

Luna was still quite concerned about Maya, and didn't believe that she had told everything. But Crowley was right. There were things she and her sister had to work on as well, and they couldn't spend too much time here. "It seems that you're all set then. You'll all recieve whatever extra equipment you may need or want from us, just make sure to tell Crowley. As you investigate the Crystal mines, we'll make sure we gather more information that couold help us solve this problem..."

 

Celestia continued where Luna left off. "We have to go now, since there is much more work waiting for us. We wish you the best of luck with your quest." And with that, they departed from the library. Crowley, still standing in the room, looked at Pathfinder. "As for equipment, I'll get you a few maps. Of the Crystal empire, the glaciers and mountains, and the mines. I'm sure we have a few of those back in the throneroom." Looking at Mastema, he grinned. "And I'm certain you'd be glad to have a few materials from our own stocks to mess around with. I'm sure you'd be able to cook something up that could help you and the others!" Finally, he adressed everypony in the room. "As for anything else, ask away! There's little chance that I cant provide you what you will need." He said, with perhaps a hint of pride.

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

@@Driz, @@Torrent505, @@Scribblegroove, @, @, @@PathfinderCS, "I understand. I am not trying to tell you how to do your job, I am trying to keep you safe. I take it upon myself to learn how other arts work at least on a basic level. You know what they say... 'The best way to create an antidote is through the poison itself.'" He wasn't touched, or rather "shaken" to put it in better words, by the lashing out. It was understandable... he sometimes took pride in his own works too. In any case he listened to what the necromancer had to say.

"I agree but on a different note. Clearly the thieves know what they are doing and likely have planted false clues to throw us off guard. We need to think like thieves or we're not going to go anywhere."

Mastema listened carefully to the Princesses' words. The call for action was heeded and he was ready... well...

"I concur but before we go anywhere you should bear in mind Princesses that what has happened here may happen again. There is a proverb that says "The thief returns to the scene of the crime." and it's almost always true. While we are gone you need to keep your guard up... at all times. Now then..." he turned to Crowley to whom he'd been meaning to ask a question.

"I expect that since you invited me in this group you will provide me the necessary supplies to work on it yes? I need to restock on herbs, alchemical components and some tubes all technical stuff. You see the robbery made a mess of my lab and while I don't know if I should expect compensation I will require these items, or some of them, restored to be able to work. I also want to know what I am supposed to do about the subject of culinary supplies, and by all means we should have at least one copy of the documents presented to us here." Preparation, Location, Action. Three words on which Mastema always acted with an iron heart.

Edited October 31, 2014 by IridscentNionios

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Wish Scribe.

 

As the one that called itself Maya returned - practically dripping with self important arrogance - Wish bit her lower lip so stop herself lashing out. There was no way that this stick up horn head was going to make her the villain here.

 

That said, she glanced down to the saddlebags resting beside the chair - a piece of rope with a strip of red sailcloth protruded slightly from beneath the flap. Mentally admonishing herself, she fixed her eyes forward once more only to see the other one... what was her name, Whisper? ...watching her.

 

Not watching, but smiling.

 

Huh.

 

Unicorns were strange. Where they supposed to be friends now? She didn't know what was going on, but it was better than being sneered at.

 

Wish blinked - wrenching her attention away and firmly inspecting the map that lay directly in front of her. It was just a basic map of the region: she had long memorised it... but everywhere she looked seemed to cause more conflict in one form or another, and she had already had enough of everything here. She just wanted to get moving!

 

There were some more niceties exchanged among the others before Crowley finally voiced her own opinion.

 

"Thank you!" Wish exclaimed in relief: finally they could go! She could put some distance between herself and these uptight attention horses, save the day and just do what she was good at.

 

Maybe even find out what happened to...

 

No, thinking like that would only distract her. She had to focus: her own agenda could wait until this was over.

 

"Train, right. I'll meet you there." She.said, pushing herself away from the table and swinging the bags up and onto her back with the same, practiced motion.

[Convergence 83]

Whisper blankly stared at a random map as Crowley began talking. "The Crystal Empire then? Another place I have not been to in a while." Suddenly, Crowley paused mid speech, breaking Whisper's concentration as she looked up to study Crowley's face. Such a sudden pause was unnatural for him, he must have just realized something. Something important. Trying to guess his train of thought from his last couple of sentences, Whisper had no luck. All she could gather was it was in some form related to criminal activities and to some characteristic about Shining Armour. She knew better than to push him for information, but that would not stop her from taking a shot in the dark. "Worst case scenario, he thinks I'm insane, which he probably already thinks so."

 

As the Princesses left the room, Whisper couldn't help but roll her eyes. "The Oh, so important princesses. Pfft." However, she was somewhat relieved that it was finally time for action. An action that would only lead to meeting more royalty in a different castle, but action nonetheless. Before doing anything, Whisper looked around and reflected upon her group one last time. The only thing new she realized was that Wish Scribe seemed to be very confused by the fact she smiled at her. "I need to talk to her." 

 

In one swift movement, Whisper raised from her chair and began walking towards Crowley. A mischievous smile planted on her face. She whispered so that only he would hear, "Anything you say? How about a finishing blow?" The smile instantly washed off her face as she grew serious. Lifting her hoof in order to put it on his shoulder, Whisper attempted to gently bring his ear closer to her mouth. Even quieter she stated, "I know exactly what your thinking. I think you may be right, can't say I'm not jealous to see how it turns out. Keep a close eye on him." In her peripheral vision, Whisper tried to study his reaction. She just hoped that her guess was close enough. 

 

Turning around, she smiled and matched Crowley's tone, "as for equipment, there is little chance that I can't provide all that I will need. Which reminds me," she raised her voice to address the entire group, "it has been a while since I have been in Canterlot. I have a few friends I should say hello to before we depart. I'll be there before the train leaves."

 

At a brisk walk, Whisper caught up to Wish who by now had her bags on her back. With a gentle smile, she approached her and whispered, "I know you don't like who and what I am, and I understand that. I do. But I do know that you are struggling with something, Something that is haunting you." Lifting her hoof to her heart, Whisper continued, "I am to. I believe we have that in common. If you ever want to talk, I will be there." 

 

Without warning, she turned around and began to carefully retrace her steps through the castle. As if pretending that she did not know her way around the castle.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

@@RunsWithSquirlz, @@Torrent505, @, @@Scribblegroove, @@IridscentNionios, @, @@Driz

 

Upon Crowley's call for the time of action, Pathfinder sighed as he took one last look at the maps. Path really couldn't help himself sometimes. It was something that Sojourner got onto him over a lot. As much as he knew that action had to be partaken, he had a tendency to think a little too much at times. There were plenty of times in years past where he would overthink simple situations, and it was something that really got on Sojourner's nerves. In any case, Pathfinder nodded as he got his things together and his bags back on his back.

 

In a sense, he was glad to be moving now; especially considering the tension that oozed from some of the ponies in the group. He was hoping to build friendly relations with these ponies, but that seemed to be more of a battle than it was worth right now. "Ah well, maybe things will calm down on the train, or maybe when we reach the Crystal Empire," he thought.

 

"As for equipment, I'll get you a few maps. Of the Crystal empire, the glaciers and mountains, and the mines. I'm sure we have a few of those back in the throneroom."

 

Turning to Crowley, Pathfinder nodded in thought. "Thank you Crowley," he said with a smile. ​"I think those maps will be sufficient, though as for other things, I do need regular survival items of course. I'd rather not go in unprepared. Of course we'll need light food and water in case we get lost...of course, I don't expect to get lost." He laughed a little nervously at that, considering he was the navigator.

 

After that ended, Pathfinder made his way through the halls, following the other ponies towards the awaiting train.

[Scribblegroove 565]

@@RunsWithSquirlz, @@Torrent505, @, @@PathfinderCS, @, @@Driz

 

As the sun set on the horizon, the group of peculiar specialists had gathered at the station. Slowly the sky turned darker and the shadows grew taller. An orange glow recoloured the landscape of Equestria below them. The Canterlot station, built on a mountain like the rest of the city, gave a perfect viewpoint over Equestria. Melancholically, Crowley stared towards the sun, and then back at the party that he had selected. He had confidence that they would make it, certainly with the extra bit of help they would get once they were in the Crystal Empire, though he preferred to leave that a surprise.

 

"Well then, here it is..." Crowley said, gesturing towards the Crystal Empire express. It was one of the Royal ones, so that the group could travel in private at high speed. Though less ostentatious as the other ones, it was definitely fast. "You'll be in the Crystal Empire by morning. I suppose from there it's up to you where you'll go, though I would suggest you paid Cadance a visit in her Palace before immediately heading towards the mines... Though I'm rather certain that she'll pay you a visit anyway..." He said with a sly smile. Slowly folding out his wings he got ready to take off, proceeding to take care of other things. He cast one last glance on the group. Maya Clarity, Wish Scribe, Pathfinder, Whisper, and the strange duo that had rather hastily been added, Whisper and Wanderlust. "Take care and don't die out there. Like Maya said, this might be a very powerful mage at work. Keep your eyes peeled..." With that not-so-comforting remark, he took off and flew back into the direction of the Canterlot palace, leaving the group of ponies there with just the machinist of their train, who gave them an annoyed look. "Hurry up will you. This won't be a high speed train if you don't get on with high speed!"

 

{Turn 3}

Ride the train to the Crystal Empire.

In the meantime, study the documents given to you as you wait for the train to arrive at the Crystal Empire station.

(Maps, books, if you describe reading through thigns I will describe if you find something. All equipment and items are stored in the train.)

 

 

 

Somewhere else, far away, deep within the dark and cold mountains of ice and snow and frozen rock, the sound of steel hitting rock resonated through the shafts of the mines that hadn't been used for so long. In the soft glow of magical lightining a small group of ponies worked on the final stage of their work. Almost rythmically the pounding continued, like a clock... Ticking away time.

 

A gasp, and then tense silence. In the darkness, between the rock and ice, a small, dark bit of crystal could be seen in the wall. Hastily, the working ponies hacked away at the wall until a few more spires of dark crystal were revealed. Even further they dug, and now the true size of the crystal started to reveal itself. "I think we're here..." One of them whispered anxiously. "We've made it?" Another wheezed under his gasps. "It seems so..." A voice from behind them tore through the silence. A powerful stallion voice, filled with hatred and contempt, and most of all suffering. Shocked, the work-ponies scuttered away from the crystal. The cloaked stallion stepped forward to the strange spire of dark gemstone.

 

He put his hoof to it.

 

"Soon... Freedom will be yours again."

 

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

@@RunsWithSquirlz, @@Torrent505, @, @@Scribblegroove, @, @@Driz

 

After walking a bit they finally made it to the train station. Once Crowley had pointed out the train on which they would be riding, Pathfinder was kind of stunned. "So...we're actually going to be riding that," he asked, pleasantly surprised. "I mean yeah, I'm not complaining! This will surely be an interesting ride! Not to mention this will provide ample room and opportunity for study and research." Of course, he couldn't hide his enthusiasm. If there is one thing he really liked; it was a nice train ride in comfort. He knew better than to let that enthusiasm cloud his judgement, but he couldn't help but grin.

 

He then heard that they would likely be meeting Princess Cadence at the train. Again, he was bound by excitement. He never met the crystal princess before, so this would be a rare opportunity. In the back of his mind he remembered the tense moments between the sisters and some members of the group, but he pushed those away. Whatever moments of hurt or bitterness that remains in the group must be pushed away for the greater good.

 

As he watched Crowley fly off, Pathfinder made his way onto the train, gawking at the decor.