open [Still accepting new characters!]Strifes of Pandora

[Hazard Time 1,127]

@@FancyHorse @@genessee

 

Bronze looked back towards Lance, then looked to Falskir.  The gears worked in her head before she unexpectedly bounded up beside the diamond dog.

 

"Now see, 'ere's 'ow I see it," she began, keeping her voice low.  "I'm a bit brassic at the moment, and now that I've got a shield, a gun, and you backing me up, we might find some pre'y nice loot out 'ere."  She looked down rather disgustedly at her Vladof.  Anything was better than one of these cheap pieces of crap.  She'd even take a disposable Tediore, just SOMETHING!

[genessee 535]

@@Hazard Time @@FancyHorse

 

Lance could see the disgust on Bronze's face as she looked at her rifle. "Do you want me to trade that in for another gun? I think I saw a gun shop nearby." He held out his hoof, waiting for an answer. To be honest, all Lance wanted was a few minutes of being alone. He needed to think over his life, now that it had changed drastically. Did he really want to be a hero? Sure, it felt awesome when you're doing the hero-y stuff, but afterwards you felt like dying over and over again. He figured this adventure would put him in that state more often than not.

[FancyHorse 1,209]

@@Hazard Time,@@genessee,  

 

He smirked at the two's little interaction. Turning his gaze back forward he continued on the three passing through an opened storage container and into an open junkyard, with a large industrial garage ahead- immediately spotting a figure standing upon the 2nd floor balcony. 

"Eyes up. There's one." He said with his umbrage in his paws. 

 

Fallskir parted off, heading to the left rounding about from one of the junk piles close by to a standing wire tower. 

 

Stepping down from the steps of the garage two earth ponies  looking over to the two gaggle of ponies with their canine companion having gone his way.

 

"You two lost?" One of them grunted, their voices covered by their face mask. 

[genessee 535]

@@Hazard Time @@FancyHorse

 

"Wha- oh, okay." Lance waited for Bronze to make her decision before he would either trot off towards the gun shop or after Fallskir. He was patient, as he really wasn't in the mood for being shot at. and probably injured and/or knocked unconscious. Again. 

[Hazard Time 1,127]

@@genessee @@FancyHorse

 

Bronze chewed on her lip for a while before opening her mouth to make a decision.  Instead, she was cut off by the earth ponies emerging from the nearby garage.  Her gaze went back to the trail that Fallskir had taken before returning to the bandits.  If she could distract them long enough for him to flank them, they could get a pretty nice crossfire going.

 

"Just looking around," she yelled back, stepping closer.  "What about you, bruv?"

Edited January 23, 2017 by Hazard Time

[genessee 535]

@@Hazard Time

 

Lance could tell that the earth pony that was speaking to them was a bandit. He was just about to empty his clip in the general direction of the bandit (and probably miss every shot) when Bronze spoke to them. Okay, you seem to have a strategy. I'll stand behind you doing nothing. Wheee! I'm so helpful! 

[Ranger22 179]

As Whitetip followed the stallion he could faintly hear the subtle sound of multiple doors opening behind the trio, each followed then by the sound of the cybernetic tin soldiers pouring out of said doors. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Whitetip thought to himself as he processed the thought of being flanked by more than a dozen hostiles. Seeing the door at the end of the hallway Whitetip let the other two go ahead of him before he took a heel step turn aiming his rocket launcher at the multiple hostiles before him. With a quick order to his H.U.D his drone appeared once again as if out of thin air, in this case digistructing. So yeah, appearing out of thin air was a fairly accurate description of his drone at the moment. "Fire in the hole!" Whitetip said as he fired his rocket launcher repeatedly, followed by his drone unleashing its own storm of missiles. Multiple audible booms resonated as the rockets and missiles met the horde of cyborgs and robots. What was left after the shrapnel filled light show was chunks of shredded metal and meat surrounded by a blackened and charred environment. "Time to do that like fifty more times," Whitetip said not entirely hearing himself due to the slight ringing in his birdy ears.

 

After reloading his rocket launcher Whitetip followed by his drone continued his original path and went through the door at the end of the hall. What he saw made him nearly groan loudly in frustration. "Why the hell are there so many!" Whitetip yelled out loud as he spotted the countless troops,turrets, and the positions they took across the large room. Before he could even pick a target the stallion enshrouded himself in his 'darkness', even pulling out a sword for gods sake. After stating his intentions the stalklion as if in a frenzy charged into the middle of the room and started tearing into the opposition that drove into him from all sides. It was a woefully suicidal act, not that Whitetip had any say in the matter or possibility of reversing that course of action. "I guess that's a thing he can do, yep...he's a scientist apparently." Whitetip said with a mix of commendation and slight annoyance. Why the hell would they choose a scientist for this crap? The griffon thought to himself as he ordered his drone to send a flurry of missiles towards the sniper's positions.

 

The mercenary began to move as bullets and energy beams started pinging off his shields, opening fire on whatever was left of the sniper's after his drone softened them up for him. One of the whiptails split off from the main group engaging the stallion and had decided to charge the armored mercenary up close as he was distracted. Whitetip's H.U.D had flashed red as elemental bullets caught him in the back, as he turned to face his new opponent the cyborg slammed into him with its wiry appendage attempting to either beat the mercenary into submission or stab him. Unfortunately for the cyborg an exoskeleton inside an armored chassis made for a fairly strong opponent. Grasping the cyborg's neck, he pushed off the charging monstrosity and lifted the cyborg up into the air, slamming it into the ground. The griffon then followed up by bringing down his armored fist onto his downed opponents head, leaving what reminded Whitetip of a split watermelon. Wasting no time, Whitetip reloaded his rocket launcher and ordered his drone towards new targets an so did he. 

[FancyHorse 1,209]

@@genessee,@@Hazard Time,  

 

"This ain't your place girl! Better take your kid and go." The one of the top balcony shouted. 

 

Over to the right from a trashed bandit technical; a heavy buck from it emerged a tall armored horse. His yellow goggled visor eyeing at the two ponies before them- with overdramatic spikes and various gidgets hanging about on his armored body suit. This guy was obviously the badass. 

 

Fallskir peeked over the top of the junk he cautiously clambered on. Rifle in hoof he rested on the pile his scope eyed down on the little group before him. They could handle this; he was confident.  

 

Aligned perfectly with the large equine's head he held steady with his vladof rifle braced upon a solid metal block, perhaps an engine part. Squeezing the trigger he released a shot straight onto the Badass' helmeted forehead. With a hard hitting ping the equine staggered as his helmet flew off from its place. 

 

"Gun em down!" One of the accompanying bandits called out.

 

"Get to cover!" Their diamond dog called out to Bronze and Lance.  

[genessee 535]

@@FancyHorse @@Hazard Time

 

"Hey! I'm not her ki--" a gunshot rang out, and Lance shoved Bronze behind cover before leaping behind it himself. He then proceeded to fire off his borrowed pistol at the bandits. Somehow, he got a few hits. He didn't see where, but he knew he got hits. Unfortunately, the bandits also got hits. Lance was leaning a bit too far out and took a few shots to the chest, and one to the leg that carried his weapon. He shouted and dropped his pistol, and went back behind his barricade of sorts. Wow, I need to get better at combat. Jeez. Adrenaline muted the pain, but blood oozed out of his new injuries. 

[Light of Night 332]

@@Ranger22,@@Randimaxis,

 

As soon as they got running down the hall, not once did Dusk Rose look back.  The doors revealing more and more monstrosities on either side of them was only more reason to keep running.  She looked to the end of the hall, hoping they could get there in time to shut the door on them, but she heard gunshots behind them and tried to believe that they were dead thanks to Whitetip ('cause from what she had seen, it was hard to imagine their mutual acquaintance as a pure-gunslinger bringing in death at high noon).  Even if she were wrong, there was still the door.  It'd keep them out, wouldn't it?

 

When they got near, Rose's submachine gun and electric pistol were at the ready.  The moment they were out, she immediately turned around to telekinetically slam the door shut.  Her guns faltered in the air for a bit, but it didn't take long at for her to reassert her magic over them.  That, of course, was when she saw just what was in front of them, to the right, to the left, all around.  Hearing Whitetip's exclamation, she couldn't agree more.  Part of her began to suspect that the two of them had been lead into a trap and regret not being more assertive in taking a less direct approach, the former especially when she saw him utilize such destructive power.  

 

But when she suddenly felt bullets hit her shields, she bolted for the right, turning invisible.  In a place that was more or less not getting littered with bullets, she saw the whiptails and the loader bots and immediately came up with a plan, fighting against her racing heart.

 

Letting her submachine gun rest across herself once more, she stuck more to the wall, getting behind the loader bots and the whiptails. She eyed the tail of the whiptail that was closest to one of the loader bots and after several precious seconds of hesitation (caused partially by getting hit with a few stray bullets that her shield blocked), its tail became enveloped in golden magic and was wound around the loader bot, finishing in a very basic double knot.  Wasting no more time, she drew out her electric pistol and shot the area where the knot was tied around the loader bot a few times in hopes of electrocuting them both.  In hopes of at least deterring the other whiptails and the other loader bot, she shot a few more electric rounds at the loader bot and let loose some bullets from the submachine gun before she made a quick retreat.

 

From her (partial) hiding place, still invisible, and still getting hit by stray bullets, Rose watched the enemies on the right and waited.

[FancyHorse 1,209]

Still remained on his junk pile Fallskir's focus remained on that heavy brute that staggered about as he raised his large machine rifle spraying aimlessly into the canines direction. The round splintering and tearing into the rubble pile around him, a couple rounds slamming into his shield. Taking damage Fallskir retreated jumping down from the pile. 

 

"Yarrgh More flesh!!" A bewildered scream came to his left as he came to his feet, a raging stallion at full charge. With leap the equine slammed himself into the dog with the two engaged into a frantic wrestle with Fallskir easily in the upper hand having forced him into a roll and using his rifle as a lever onto the pony's neck having him pinned into the dirt to squeeze the breath out of him. With a furious jerk he raised his paws only to slam the rifle down onto his adversary below. 

 

Back on his paws he swtiched out to his Umbrage. turning about the corner of the previous junk pile regrouping to Lance who he and Bronze remained under a smaller junk pile. 

 

"Keep your head down!" He called, a small gap between his own barrier cover and to that of a seperate scrap heap. Proping onto the barrier he unloaded his umbrage to draw the attention onto him. 

[genessee 535]

@@FancyHorse

 

"Alright!" Lance tended to his wounds (badly), and turned to ask Bronze if she had any ideas.

 

@@Hazard Time

 

She was gone. When he turned his head, there was nopony there. UH. Lance wanted to shout over to Fallskir that Bronze had disappeared, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. He couldn't lose another teammate, not now. He tried to treat his team like family, so when one left? He could almost feel his heart shatter. He dropped his gun and just sat behind his scrap pile, staring at the place where Bronze once was. "Bronze?" He quietly asked the dirt. "A-are you there?"  He was in total disbelief. Had she just run off when she thought the team was going to lose? No, Bronze would never do that... would she? Lance had become oblivious to the chaos surrounding him. The sounds of gunshots faded out, I would've heard if she ran to another pile. Did she try, and get killed? Oh, god. He didn't know what to do or say at this point. So he just sat there, almost dead to the world.

[Night Terror 42]

Night Terror's rocket touched down on Pandora after a long and arduous journey, docking with a cacophony of sounds. Strange, I would have thought this stations crew would be greeting me by now He thought. No sooner did he finish that thought did he hear a loud bang from below, somepony had breached his airlock. Who would enter my ship like this?! he thought angrily.
"Who goes there?!Identify yourself intruder!"
He commanded in the Royal Voice. He got his response fairly quickly, he heard the stomping of hooves and snarling and shouting. The words they were saying could only come from one group of ponies, bandits. Sighing, he jumped down from the bridge and sprinted down to greet his guests. He sprinted down the corridors, making turns left and right, trying to get closer to the source of the shouting. Making his way around the final bend, he found a group of ten bandits in his main hold.
"By Order of the Crown, I order you to surrender!"
Why do I even try with these fools anymore? He thought tiredly

"It's got wings and horns!" said the first bandit
"hehehe meat!" said the second
"He's sparkling! Oooohh" said the third
The rest dissolved into gibberish and shouting. Then they all began to charge him with weapons raised, swinging buzzaxes and spraying bullets.

Night Terror facehoof'd, hard.
He sighed deeply before transforming into his "Wraith" form. He met their charge head on, spreading his shadowy tendrils and linking to each of them. The moment the tendrils connected to their victims they all froze with an expression of true terror etched upon their faces. Condensing back into his normal form, he walked up to a bandit and inspected him.
hmm, strange...these bandits are more well armed that most others I have encountered. Though their armaments are somewhat lacking it is sturdy..
After sating his curiosity about his would-be attackers he dispatched them with haste. He summoned Sundvar and decapitated all the bandits in one swing. Blade sprayed everywhere, coating the walls in blood.Night Terror summoned a shield to block the spray. The sound of heads hitting the floor was all that could be heard in the entire ship, the thumping echoing across the hull.With a deft flick, the blood droplets flew off the sword, then he dispersed the weapon back into the Shadow Realm.
Grabbing the rest of his gear, he headed down to the now broken airlock. Jumping out of the ship, he spread his wings and glided down to the surface of Pandora.

Well, I'm may not have had any expectations for this planet but this is surprising none the less.

Night Terror picked a random direction and began his long trek.

[BloodDrops 762]

@@Hazard Time,@@genessee, @@FancyHorse, 

 

 

Blood Drops was currently scribbling down notes for her lesson. She was trying to teach mathematics, which was a very important subject.

 

The miniature version of Blood Drops blinked at her mother, she wasn't getting the math lesson. "So what is a inverse matrix?" she asked after staring at the salvaged board. She then blinked and jumped back as a bullet slammed into into the teaching board. 

 

Blood Drops snorted annoyed, she glanced up at the nearby fighting, and spotted some familiar faces, in trouble again. "Really? Can't you like tone it down, i'm teaching" she growled mostly to herself. She brought up a protective shield around herself and her filly. 

 

Another round hit the teaching board knocking it over, this was the final straw. "that's it, those suckers are going to be attending this school" she remarked

 

"A Inverse matrix is simply a teleportation spell that adds time into the equation. So for instant" she remarked as her horn glowed. She teleported onto one of the raiders and teleported back to the class, though the raider was now without a weapon. She pushed him into a chair, she then repeated the process until the gunfire had turned down significantly.

 

"NOW CLASS, We will be learning mathmatics. Failure results in erasure" she remarked. One of the raiders put his hoof up, "Class is for loosers".

 

He then promptly lost his hoof. Blood Drops put the smoking gun down, and waited for the ponies to scribble down some notes, she then went around the class and tutted, "Only Little Drops have done anything productive" she remarked.

 

"You fractals have no future! QED. Class is dismissed" she remarked, she then promptly dispatched everyone apart from Little Drops. She loved automatics, 

 

"Think that's enough learning for one day. Have a present" she then gave her daughter a grenade. 

[FancyHorse 1,209]

@@genessee, 

 

"Lance!" Fallskir shouted across to his companion, a sputter of lead tearing the trash and scrap that made up his makeshift cover. 

 

The immediate notice of their missing follower was pushed aside as he raced across crouched behind Lance's covered position. 

 

"Hey! Get back in the game!" He shouted over the spraying and sputtering of gunfire overhead. They had been pinned down with this sudden surprise. They had to get outta this quick. Tossing out his only grenade he aimlessly chucked it over the top landing in the general vicinity of the bandits. 

Grabbing Lance by the scruff of his coat he tugged him in the direction of their previous entry.

 

"Fall back!" He shouted. 

[Night Terror 42]

Night Terror was utterly disappointed so far by Pandora. There was none of the danger or loot to be found that he had heard so much about. While there was the occasional run in with bandits and wildlife, there was no threat to be found. Night Terror didn't want Pandora to know of his presence, thus he kept to the Shadows, interfering only when necessary. Such as when he passed by a small village that was being raided by bandits, he swiftly put an end to that...as well as all the bandits. And none of the Villagers were none the wiser of his presence, and all the bandits knew was that should be afraid, very afraid, but that thought was quickly followed by death.

"Hmmm...Perhaps I have made an error in judgement coming to this planet? Or perhaps I simply decided upon the wrong direction...?" He mused out loud.

It was quickly becoming dark so Night Terror decided to set up camp at a rock outcrop, provided enough cover from the elements and it was surrounded by open ground. He pulled out his bedroll, laying it down on the flattest area. Then he quickly did a scan of the surrounding area, finding that he was the only living thing he could see, he decided to lay down and rest. 

[genessee 535]

@@FancyHorse

 

Lance let Fallskir drag him away. Occasionally, Lance would halfheartedly fire a shot into the crowd of bandits, but generally he was dead weight. If Fallskir hadn't moved him, Lance would have surely been mowed down my incoming fire. He was too shocked and depressed to move. 

[Night Terror 42]

Night Terror snaps awake the sound of coughing. His ears snap in the direction of the sound. He slowly gets up into a crouch and creeps to the corner of the outcrop, looking in the direction of the sound. His eyes lock onto a tall form, it appeared as an alicorn in form yet it had eyes like a changeling. His eyes narrowed, thinking of what the eyes could potentially mean.

Did they follow me here? Is this a scout? If it's a scout I need to neutralize it now! Maybe I can interogate it as well? Hmmm....I will attack first then ask later. he  decided

Noticing that this mysterious figure hadn't noticed him yet, he took the initiative. 

He summoned a Shadow Clone behind the figure, sending it forward so the target would notice. Then he summoned a shadow blade, lunging forward, he merged with the shadow of the outcrop. He reappeared behind the figure and jumped, pinning it to the ground. He held the blade to the creatures throat, pressing hard enough to draw blood but not kill.

"Who are you? And who sent you? I will only ask this once." He said with deadly intent

[Night Terror 42]

Nightmare Moon? Really? I do not know such a name, but a Nightmare?! How feminine do I look?!

His eyes narrow again. 

"From where do you hail Aquarius? And what is your purpose here?" he asks curiously, the deadly intent barely masked.

"If you so much as twitch in a threatening way, I will end you. Understood?Good." Not even waiting for a response for that statement.

[Night Terror 42]

Night Terror's gaze bore into the strangers eyes, with an intensity that could pierce the soul. Seeing no signs of deception, he retracted his blade and got off the stranger. 

"My apologies stranger." he said with genuine warmth

He offered a hoof out to help the other stand.

[Night Terror 42]

"I am of the Darkness as the Darkness is of me." He said matter of factly, if a bit cryptic.  That was the only response he was willing to divulge to the stranger.

"I am a stranger to these lands, as are you. I know not of what lurks in the beyond, only what others have told me. Yet what knowledge others impart is not always so."

"I suggest you get some rest, I will be heading out at first light. You may follow me if you so wish, but head my word. IF you decide to follow me, then you must listen to what I say."

"Now then, sleep well stranger." With that, he went back to his bedroll and lied down.

[Night Terror 42]

As Night Terror's physical form slept, his ethereal form haunted the area around them. The Night progressed uneventfully, soon daybreak was almost upon them. Moments before the light would breach the horizon, Night Terror returned to his body and woke up. The second his eyes snapped open, he was fully aware of his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the breathing of the stranger.

What a shame, he looks rather peaceful.

"Stranger! Awaken!" He commanded in a forceful tone. 

[Night Terror 42]

Night Terror simply started walking in the direction he had picked yesterday. After several steps he called over his shoulder, "Are you coming with?"

I wonder what adventures we will embark on...I think I saw the signs of a settlement not far from here, we should head there.

"Stay close to me and do not draw attention to us." he said quitely

[Night Terror 42]

"Strange or not, this land is suppose to hold great dangers. But yes, I agree that this is a strange land." He responded.

His eyes constantly scanned the horizon, looking for an potential threats. 

It's quite out here, this land is far more peaceful than it has any right to be...too quite...

[Night Terror 42]

"My 'talent' as ponies call it, does not lay in an action or even a profession. Rather it is the concept and idea itself that I can control. Darkness is my domain, my Will is that of the Darkness and the Darkness is of my will." were the words in spoke with a authoritative undertone. 

"As for my cutie mark? It has nothing to do with the Moon nor do I hold any sway over the Moon. My cutie mark is simply a mark to remind me of my duty, to Guard the Night herself." he finished quietly but with conviction.