private Whisper: The City Of Darkness

[Pucksterv 4,508]

@@Once In A Blue Moon, @@Unicorncob,

 

"I can see three ponies...they are.. jumping? Strange.. well, as long as they don't bother us, it's all fine." Trivy said to Bramble. She then turned to Lavender. "It's a very hard spell but I can try to teach you... oh and I think it is best we follow Bramble for now." Trivy said as she started walking again. "He seems to know where to go."

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

@@Once In A Blue Moon,

 

As you approach the woods, you see that they all appear to be piney, softwood trees, with a small stagnant pond in the middle of the grove- however, other than what appears to be oil floating in the part of the pond that is closest to the shield, the water is completely clear- you can see down to the bottom, where there appear to be a school of exceptionally tiny fish swimming close to the bottom of the pond.

 

You can see the barrier clearly here- there is a one-foot line that separates this little intrusion from the rest of the forest, and the surviving trees are leaning away from the wall, as if the force field was pushing them away. As you watch, you can see the shield shimmer in crimson colored waves again, shaking the trees as a tiny pressure wave ruffles the leaves and your mane.

 

@@Unicorncob,@@Pucksterv,

 

As you turn to follow Bramble into the grove, Trivy found herself blinded by a wave of white that seemingly explodes across the entire field. As your vision goes completely white for several seconds, you feel a... snap of some sort before your vision slowly returns, the darkness seeming much more deeper and more consuming now, like a moonless night. The spell had dispelled itself, having done so when the magic would have damaged your eyes permanently. As of right now, however, your retinas were thoroughly scorched and needed time to fix the damage.

 

Lavender, however, enjoyed the intriguing sight of a large, red beam being shot from the center of the city. When it collided with the ceiling, it disappeared, yet it created a wave of red energy that seemed to slide it's way down the entire shield on all sides, disappearing when it touched the ground. From this, one could estimate that you were about ten miles out from the center of the city; the city itself being roughly four or five miles from you. On a more concerning note, however, Marble seemed to have flown off somewhere- you could no longer see her, even with the extra illumination provided by the recharging shield.

[Unicorncob 5,679]

Lavender, however, enjoyed the intriguing sight of a large, red beam being shot from the center of the city. When it collided with the ceiling, it disappeared, yet it created a wave of red energy that seemed to slide it's way down the entire shield on all sides, disappearing when it touched the ground. From this, one could estimate that you were about ten miles out from the center of the city; the city itself being roughly four or five miles from you. On a more concerning note, however, Marble seemed to have flown off somewhere- you could no longer see her, even with the extra illumination provided by the recharging shield.

 

Lavender watched with sheer intrigue as a red beam of light shot up from the city, colliding with the top of the shield.

"Pretty..." She mumbled, wide-eyed.

 

She looked ahead, assuming that the group was close to the city. "Hey, I think we might be close to the--" She halted as she looked around, noticing something was off. "Hey, anypony seen Marble?"

[Pucksterv 4,508]

Trivy shook her head, she didn't see Marble or actually anything at the moment. The white in front of her eyes had left a headache and she was starting to feel a little bit dizzy. "Did.. Did you see that too? Lavender?" Trivy said blinking with her eyes, trying to get her sight back.

[Unicorncob 5,679]

Trivy shook her head, she didn't see Marble or actually anything at the moment. The white in front of her eyes had left a headache and she was starting to feel a little bit dizzy. "Did.. Did you see that too? Lavender?" Trivy said blinking with her eyes, trying to get her sight back.

 

Lavender's ear flicked at Trivy's voice, and she trotted over to her friend. She looked rather out of it, eyes a bit glazed over.

"Hey, you alright?" She asked, tilting her head and waving her hoof in front of her face, "Can you see? How many hooves am I waving in your face?"

[Pucksterv 4,508]

@@Unicorncob,

 

"I know you can only wave one hoof but I can't make out how many I can see. It's all very fuzzy. I feel very dizzy..I.. I need to sit down for a moment." Trivy said as she collapsed on the ground as her legs felt a bit weak. "Much better." She said with a half smile. "Did you see what happened? Did you see the white light?" 

[Unicorncob 5,679]

"I know you can only wave one hoof but I can't make out how many I can see. It's all very fuzzy. I feel very dizzy..I.. I need to sit down for a moment." Trivy said as she collapsed on the ground as her legs felt a bit weak. "Much better." She said with a half smile. "Did you see what happened? Did you see the white light?" 

 

Lavender yelped a bit when Trivy collapsed on the floor, but relaxed when she saw she was okay.

"I saw a red light," she answered, pointing toward the city, "Over yonder. I think we're a few miles shy of the city, though that's just me."

 

She grinned down at her friend. "And yeah, I was waving one hoof. Are you psychic? Can you teach me to be psychic?"

[Pucksterv 4,508]

@@Unicorncob,

 

"I'm not psychic, i just assumed you were waving one hoof because waving two would mean you would have to stand on your hind legs, and that would have created much more sound." Trivy said with a smile. She put a hoof to her head. "Uhg! This headache is killing me."

[Unicorncob 5,679]

"I'm not psychic, i just assumed you were waving one hoof because waving two would mean you would have to stand on your hind legs, and that would have created much more sound." Trivy said with a smile. She put a hoof to her head. "Uhg! This headache is killing me."

 

"Oh sure, suck the fun out of it," Lavender snarked jokingly, smirking and putting a hoof gently to her friend's head, "Hang on, I'll see if I can fix that."

 

She opened her bag and began looking through it. "Let's see...hmm, yeah, I think I can make a headache cure."

Using her magic, she levitated out some small vials and bags, each containing different ingredients, and lastly a small mortar and pestle.

"Okay," she grinned, "Lemme get to work here."

 

Various ingredients, some resembling seeds and another looking like a bit of grounded up leaf, entered the small wooden bowl. Next, a few drops of water from the small vial. She then put away the spare ingredients and used her magic to mix the contents with the pestle, giving them a more liquefied state.

 

"There we are," she muttered, then levitated the mortar up to Trivy's mouth, "Here, drink this. This oughta cure what ails ya."

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

 

 

As you approach the woods, you see that they all appear to be piney, softwood trees, with a small stagnant pond in the middle of the grove- however, other than what appears to be oil floating in the part of the pond that is closest to the pool, the water is completely clear- you can see down to the bottom, where there appear to be a school of exceptionally tiny fish swimming close to the bottom of the pond.

 

"It's sheltered and out of sight. Predictable, but not much we can do about that. The best place to rest that we're going to find nearby." Bramble thought to himself.

 

 

 

As you watch, you can see the shield shimmer in crimson colored waves again, shaking the trees as a tiny pressure wave ruffles the leaves and your mane.

 

 

Bramble frowned at that,  but when the shield didn't do anything else he decided to focus on things that he could understand. Reaching to check his knife even as he chided himself for giving in to his nervous tic, he set out to walk the perimeter of the grove before the others arrived.

[Pucksterv 4,508]

@@Unicorncob,

 

Trivy drank the potion Lavender had created. She wanted to spit it out but had enough strength to finally swallow it. "Disgusting! No offence but that is just...yuck." Trivy said, her face turning a little green as she got back on her hoofs again. "Alright, we gotta get moving again. We gotta get to Bramble." 

[Unicorncob 5,679]

Trivy drank the potion Lavender had created. She wanted to spit it out but had enough strength to finally swallow it. "Disgusting! No offence but that is just...yuck." Trivy said, her face turning a little green as she got back on her hoofs again. "Alright, we gotta get moving again. We gotta get to Bramble." 

 

"Dammit Trivy, I'm a doctor, not a chef!" Lavender cried out of nowhere, then coughed and put her grin back on, "Your headache should be gone within the next five to ten minutes! And maybe it'll fix your eyes, I dunno." She added with a shrug.

 

She nodded and pointed at Bramble. "He's over there, let's sneaky-sneaky up to him." She whispered, and dove onto the ground, scuttling along almost like a spider.

[Pucksterv 4,508]

Trivy laughed at Lavender silliness as she crawled over the ground. ''Sure, you go ahead. I'll be right behind you." Trivy said with a smile. She walked after Lavender but had her focus on the light that came from the center of the city. She wondered what happened, why there was a sudden white light just a moment ago.

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

She nodded and pointed at Bramble. "He's over there, let's sneaky-sneaky up to him." She whispered, and dove onto the ground, scuttling along almost like a spider.

 

 

@@Unicorncob,@@Pucksterv, @,@@Orion Caelum (yes, all of you!)

 

"It seems safe enough," Bramble said as they approached him, "We can rest here for a little while, although we should try and find a way through the shield as soon as we can; didn't Marble and Wilhelm know something? Are they still with you?" Bramble looked past Trivy and Lavender, trying to spot Wilhelm or Marble."Is it me, or does it seem a bit lighter?" he asked, with somewhat bemused expression on his face. 

Edited August 18, 2015 by Once In A Blue Moon

[Unicorncob 5,679]

"It seems safe enough," Bramble said as they approached him, "We can rest here for a little while, although we should try and find a way through the shield as soon as we can; didn't Marble and Wilhelm know something? Are they still with you?" Bramble looked past Trivy and Lavender, trying to spot Wilhelm or Marble."Is it me, or does it seem a bit lighter?" he asked, with somewhat bemused expression on his face. 

 

Lavender got out of her amusing position when she and Trivy approached Bramble. "Yeah, rest sounds nice. Rest time."

 

She looked around herself, trying to find Marble and Wilhelm.

"I don't see Marble...oh, there's Teach, over there!" She declared, pointing a hoof toward the professor.

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

@@Pucksterv, @@Unicorncob, @@Once In A Blue Moon,@@Orion Caelum,

 

 

As everyone gathers at the small grove, Crystal Spark pokes her head into the grove. "Wow," she commented, "I must have been on the other side of the city... I've never se-"

 

"Ayyy, guys!" shouted Marble from above you as she landed with a soft thump. "You guys need to not disappear like that," she commented, smirking, "It's kinda disjointing if you all teleport away while I'm looking off in the other direction." After saying that, she walked into the grove, flapped up into a tree, and hang from it from her hind legs, dangling upside down with her wings extended. "Well, didja find anything worth talking about? Other than this place, of course. It's kinda cool."

 

Crystal Spark leaped back in fear after Marble dropped from the sky before slowly stepping forwards again. "Well..." she started again, "I-I mean... so where did you all come from? Was I with you...? I can't remember anything after I woke up outside of this city..."

 

"Oh, we have a resident amnesiac as well," inserted Marble, "but she's with us, so that's alright. I've never seen you before, though, so I can't help you there. Sorry."

[Pucksterv 4,508]

 

 

"Oh, we have a resident amnesiac as well," inserted Marble, "but she's with us, so that's alright. I've never seen you before, though, so I can't help you there. Sorry."

 

"Temporary Amnesiac." Trivy pointed out to Marble with an angry look. She then sat down next to Crystal Spark. "Don't mind Marble, she (he?) is just a rude pony." She said looking at Crystal with a kind smile. "The last thing I remember is that we came from Canterlot. I don't remember where we were headed but I suppose that doesn't matter at this time anyway..."

 

Trivy looked over her shoulder in the direction where the bus had stranded and exploded. "So Sparky... is there anything you do remember? 

[Unicorncob 5,679]

"There's Marble!" Lavender chirped, pointing a hoof at the pony in question after deciding to play Captain Obvious for a second.

 

"Wow, we have a lotta amnesiacs today," She commented, looking to Trivy and Crystal, "Must be something goin' around."

 

She turned to the new mare, and offered her a smile. "Don't think we ever saw you before, Sparky. Oh!" She perked up, and began circling Crystal. "Are you hurt anywhere? It was a big crash and all!"

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

@@Pucksterv, @@Unicorncob, @@Orion Caelum, @@Once In A Blue Moon,

 

((She is correct.))

 

"Oh... no, nothing that hasn't already healed. What I do remember is that I've been here for... about a month... maybe?" she scratched her head. "Well... I mean, I've explored a little bit... I found out that there are monsters roaming the streets of that city... and other ponies who seem to be sleepwalking. It was really scary..." she paused, then held up her forehoof where the bracer mount for a weapon would be. "But I found what appeared to be an armory of some sort. I found this and I took a small blade for self defense... and... from there, I've kinda just been scrounging... trying to survive. I've been hearing... voices in my head. I don't know where they came from, but there were two of them... one was begging me to do something, and the other one would engage the first one in some merry conversation or something..." She paused, trying to stop freaking herself out. After taking a breath, she continued"

 

"Then I hear a big crash, and I come over to look, and it's you all, talking to the monsters! That really surprised me... they were really mean when I saw them." Crystal paused, looking up at you all. "I've heard that rangers can come and talk to monsters to tell them to be nice... are you rangers?"

 

"Nope," said Marble, "last I checked, rangers were just legends. But the voice you were talking about, did it kinda sound like, 'Ohoho, I'm a noble gentlestallion. I'm so dapper and handsome, but I need a spot of help and some tea to go with it!'?" After a pause, Marble added, "Oh, and it said it was called Resh. There's that too."

 

Crystal looked surprised. "You... I'm not crazy?"

 

Marble laughed. "If you're crazy, then I'm the same kind of crazy as you are!" With a giggle, she swung herself upright and readjusted her position on the branch, laying down on it to face the sky.

[Pucksterv 4,508]

@,

 

"You've been out here for a month?!?" Trivy said surprised. "How in the name of Celestia did you survive here for so long? That's incredible... and a little nuts.. I..I can barely believe it. You must be a very tough pony if you've been around here for that long. You have my respect Sparky"

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

 

 

"If you're crazy, then I'm the same kind of crazy as you are!"

 

 

@, 

 

"I'm so happy for you both," Bramble put in dryly, before his expression turned serious, "So you have no idea what's happening here, or if there's any way out? It seems that something has gone very wrong here, and we need to send out a warning before it can spread any further." He paused for a moment, thinking.

 

"... a month? this shield can't have been up for a month, can it? I'm no magician, but that would require a vast amount of magic, not to mention that word of it would have reached Canterlot." ... "Unless the King is keeping it quiet," he thought to himself, "But why would he do that?"

[Unicorncob 5,679]

"Monsters in your city and voices in your head," Lavender confirmed, giving a single sagely nod, "Something sinister is definitely ahoof in the city, I can tell you all that much!"

 

She perked up as she noticed something Crystal had said. "Wait, you were out here for a month?! Wow, cool! You must know some good local berries and stuff, I can use them for recipes!" She chirped, pattering her forehooves as she most likely missed the point.

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

@@Pucksterv, @@Unicorncob, @@Orion Caelum, @@Once In A Blue Moon,

 

Marble gave a crooked grin towards Bramble before sighing. "Well, this odd being called Resh said that he's from an alternate dimension... and that he was summoned by a group of six, err... 'miscreants'? Whatever that means. Anyways, he said that he's trapped in a gem that's providing the focus for the shield, and that we break it, he'll open the shield for us and send us home. He even said he'd fix the bus for us.  On a side note, Professor Wilhelm, do extra-dimensional spirits have genders?" She shrugged. "Also, there's a demon lord sitting somewhere in the city, too. He said that between the effects of his extended stay, and the demons, they locked down the city, and he wants out."

 

Crystal looked at Marble strangely. "Yeah... about a month. At least a couple of weeks. There aren't too many berry bushes, but there are a bunch of wooded pockets like this. None with a pond in them, though... they usually have something like some flower roots, or wild onions, or something along those lines..."

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

 

 

Resh said that he's from an alternate dimension... and that he was summoned by a group of six, err... 'miscreants'? Whatever that means.

@, 

 

"An extra-dimensional  being with a remarkably large vocabulary. Pardon me if I'm a little sceptical. A demon lord is a bit more of a worry, for two reasons. The first of which is kind of obvious, and the second of which is that I doubt he's been sitting around idle for the last month - surely if breaking the crystal would allow him to escape he would have done so? Not to mention that if the extra-dimensional creature keeps his... her... its... word, then it will also let the demon lord out as well." 

 

 

 

 

they usually have something like some flower roots, or wild onions, or something along those lines...

@@Unicorncob,

 

Bramble shot an exasperated look at Lavender. "How handy. If there's one thing I hate more than being eaten by demons, it's being eaten by demons without the right seasoning and side vegetables." 

[Pucksterv 4,508]

Trivy looked around the group of ponies, not really knowing what to say. "So.. uh.. What do we do now? I mean... we're just standing around here.. chatting a bit. Does coming here still have a purpose or what?" Trivy asked a bit confused. She was tired of standing around, doing nothing. Her legs were getting cold, she needed to do something active again.