Horrors of the Unknown (with Vulcan)

[Scarlet SoftPaws 3,588]

OOC Link HERE

It was an unusually good day for Enigma as she had passed out in the Royal Equestrian Library after spending the entire previous day and night researching, pouring her way through many dusty old tomes and books about horror and the unknown, this time in her own spare time, but as she opens her eyes, and lifts her head up, she notices a letter for her.

"Dearest Enigma, it has come to our attention that there has been a dark disturbance within the depths of the Everfree and we require your immediate attention.
Yours Sincerely, Luna and Celestia"

Groaning with morning cramps, she stretches her arms and legs, pats her tail who was still sound asleep and makes her way to the Throne Room. 

-A couple hours later-

"Great, just great, not only do I have to go back into the Forest, but I have to take someone with me...but who? Nopony would be crazy enough to try to go in there, let alone with me" she mutters to herself "Except for.." she shudders, she knew of one such pony through his reputation, how-ever, it was still a long shot.

It took her a short while to get to his usual haunt and knocked on his door "Hey Crescent, you in there? I kinda need your help and it's pretty important" she calls out to him

[Vulcan 3,256]

The Door creaked open as enigma's hoof knocked on it's wooden surface, it's eerie tone echoing throughout Crescent's dark and decrepit abode like an ominous voice calling for it's master.  "Hey Maggie!" A friendly voice whispered playfully from behind Enigma, as something suddenly leaned itself behind her , It's arms resting on her shoulders. "Whadya'' Need?"The Prussian Blue Pegasus smiled , his sharp teeth gleaming from his lips as he ruffled the young mare's hair.  
 

Edited May 18, 2017 by Vulcan

[Scarlet SoftPaws 3,588]

"Eep!" Enigma jumps slightly but then laughs a little "Cres, you startled me." she says then begins walks down the halls to the 'entertainment room' "You see, there's been a dark disturbance in the midst of the Everfree, and the Princesses want me to investigate it, but you see..they want me to bring someone along with me..for safety reasons, and well.. you're the only one cra...brave enough to come with me, so what do you say old friend? Wanna go into the midst of the forest and find out what has caused Tia and Lulu to be all panicky?"

[Vulcan 3,256]

"I dunno, Soul Sister, ....I mean I do have a busy schedule..."  Crescent answered, his tall equine frame leaning beside the closet door as he fished a small notebook from his front pocket, It's pages almost completely blank had it not been for the random scribbles depicting his boredom. "But....I suppose I could pencil you in..." He stated frankly as he pretended to note something down.. instead scribbling a crudely drawn image of enigma on it's pages as he looked towards her with a subtle grin.  

[Scarlet SoftPaws 3,588]

Enigma laughs and playfully shoves him "Oh come on Cres, we both know you don't do anything all day but mope around here" she says playfully and her tail nods in agreement, She smiles and as she looks up at her stallion friend,she couldn't help but blush a little. as she did find her cute. But just as she was about to tell him, the symbols over her eyes and her cutie marks begun to glow . "Damn it" she mutters to herself "Cres, The Tall Stallion needs me right now, can i trust you not to do anything dumb while I'm gone?"

[Vulcan 3,256]

"Hey! I don't mope! I brood! There's a differ-..." Crescent's response was cut short as his old friend's marks began to glow a sickly hue right in front of his eyes. It was ominous yet in a way uniquely beautiful. "-ence...Wow...Wait a second...." He stopped briefly after realizing Enigma was about to charge off dangerously into an entity whose power could rival the Alicorns.  "Listen Maggs, I'm not letting you go anywhere near Slendermane...well, at least not alone"  He replied, booping the unicorn playfully on her snout, as His tail lifted a satchel from beside the door, resting it on his shoulders. He'd never say it to her face, but He wouldn't know what to if he'd ever lose her, He had to go. 

[Scarlet SoftPaws 3,588]

Enigma sighs "Cres, you know I'm an agent of his, a free one though" she says "But if you truly insist on being near him and the Collective, then be my guest and come along, but honestly, you've got nothing to worry about, the Operator won't do anything to harm me" she says and pets her tail who was now fully awake and aware of it's surroundings "He owes me a big favor anyway, after all he's the one that took my friends' lives"

[Vulcan 3,256]

"You're his agent now?!" Crescent respondent with a look of utmost confusion and surprise on his face, last he met her , She had sworn vengeance against whatever mysterious entities had taken the lives of her dear friends and now she was willingly his loyal ally. Crescent paused for a moment regaining his composure, He was not a stallion who was one for sudden outbursts but this had been quite startling. "In any case...I'll tag along~" He added cracking a wide toothy smile as he rested his arms behind his back,  in an attempt to hide his genuine worry towards his old friend. 

[Scarlet SoftPaws 3,588]

"Not entirely willingly, let us just say , that while I have free will, if he needs me for anything, I have to answer.. the Collective, save for Deadhead and Firebrand scare the crap out of me, and that's coming from the mare who's best friends with you" she laughs playfully and paints the operator symbol (the O with the X in the middle of it) on the wall and a portal opens "Well here we go, just remember, the Collective are.well, they control everything essentially"

[Vulcan 3,256]

 

"Whatever you say , Eni" Crescent worriedly replied as he readied himself to walk through the strange portal that had manifested itself in his musty old living room. It wasn't the first time He would walk blindly into a mysterious tear through the fabrics of reality but this one in particular felt...different. It had an ominous aura that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end...The only fleeting thought that went through his mind as he took his first step into the void was..."What had Maggie gotten herself into..."

[Scarlet SoftPaws 3,588]

2 minutes ago, Vulcan said:

 

"Whatever you say , Eni" Crescent worriedly replied as he readied himself to walk through the strange portal that had manifested itself in his musty old living room. It wasn't the first time He would walk blindly into a mysterious tear through the fabrics of reality but this one in particular felt...different. It had an ominous aura that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end...The only fleeting thought that went through his mind as he took his first step into the void was..."What had Maggie gotten herself into..."

Enigma smiles but she soon frowns as they are greeted by one of the proxies, Cursor "Cursor sweetie, please get out of the way, I'm in a hurry, not only do I have whatever Slender wants of me, but Crescent and I have to do something for Celestia and Luna as well" she says

Cursor whimpers "Habit is back, n-new host" she says and steps aside "Master isnt happy"

(Cursor would look like this but you know anthro:

)

[Vulcan 3,256]

Crescent watched cautiously as Enigma conversed with the bandaged mare...The Proxy's tone noticeably docile and He could sense a strange lovecraftianesque magic imposing it's will upon the proxy's mind and body...Whoever Cursor really was...the creature that stood before him wasn't her...but a puppet and its strings were stronger than anything he had ever witnessed before.

"Hi!" Crescent smiled towards Cursor as the mare meekly stepped aside. 

(Sorry for the uber delay....its exams week D:)

[Scarlet SoftPaws 3,588]

Cursor whimpers a little but tries to smile "H-hello..Slendermane is waiting for you Enigma, best continue your way, s-sorry for being in the way" she says and watches as the two make their way towards Slender's office "Poor Cursor, she's a member of TribeTwelve, although mostly unwilling. You see, she was a relative of Firebrand's when he was a human, and she was killed by another of Slender's creations called Habit" she says with a sigh as they reach the office "Let's get this over with Cres, we've got more important matters at hand, though..if I'm correct, and I hope I'm not, then these two events are the same" she says and walks into the office.

Just as she does, Slendermane, the faceless being surrounded by black shadow like tentacles looks up "Oh wonderful, he's mad" she mutters.

Slender lets out a low chuckle "Fret not Agent Enigma" he says then turns his faceless head to Crescent's way "and Crescent Moon is it not? Oh I know about you, yes I do..I've been keeping an eye on you" he says in a rather up-town Manehattan tone. He folds his hands on the desk "And unfortunately for us, the events in the forest that the Princesses have asked you to investigate are indeed intertwined with our kind Enigma" he says and pushes a field report from one of his other proxies "As you know those that tends to worship our kind, myself especially, are usually psychopaths with murder in their hearts" he says "But it gets worse, they've combined worship of our kind with worship of the Elder God Cthulhu."

"Bucking heck" Enigma curses under her breath, "No wonder it was imperative that I have a partner" she then looks to Crescent as she takes up the field report, it was by Crimson Rose, one of the most trusted proxies "Well at least I know the report will be accurate" she looks to Slender "Is that all sir?" she asks and he simply nods, opening a portal for her. She takes Crescent's hand and steps through it, arriving back at his home.

[Vulcan 3,256]

 

(Boy...This took longer than I thought, I tried doing multi-Quotes to separate the posts but it felt really intrusive...So I'm trying to just bold out my posts :3) 

Cursor's attempted smile was the most adorable thing Crescent had seen this week...even if he knew in the back of his mind that her sentience was not hers to control, It took him every ounce of his will not to fluster.
 
"Poor Cursor, she's a member of TribeTwelve, although mostly unwilling. You see, she was a relative of Firebrand's when he was a human, and she was killed by another of Slender's creations called Habit" she says with a sigh as they reach the office. 
 
Crescent gave Enigma a brief yet worrying nod as he noticed the large and foreboding door made of oak and ash leading into what he assumed was Slendermane's office....He could not help but stand in awe, knowing that just on the other side would be a stallion whose abilities rivaled that of Eldritch lore.  
 
"Let's get this over with Cres, we've got more important matters at hand, though..if I'm correct, and I hope I'm not, then these two events are the same" she says and walks into the office. 
 
“Y-yeah, Totally…” Crescent responded with a stutter breaking him of his trance, as He quickly followed behind her. 
 
Just as she does, Slendermane, the faceless being surrounded by black shadow like tentacles looks up "Oh wonderful, he's mad" she mutters.
 
Slender lets out a low chuckle "Fret not Agent Enigma" he says then turns his faceless head to Crescent's way "and Crescent Moon is it not?”
 
“It’s...Light...Crescent Light” Crescent corrected him, a nervous grin forming on his nuzzle as he spoke, He was unsure if he had just over-stepped his boundaries as he stood before the faceless stallion….or perhaps it had been part of his test?  He thought nervously.
 
“Oh I know about you, yes I do..I've been keeping an eye on you" he says in a rather up-town Manehattan tone. He folds his hands on the desk "And unfortunately for us, the events in the forest that the Princesses have asked you to investigate are indeed intertwined with our kind Enigma" he says and pushes a field report from one of his other proxies "As you know those that tends to worship our kind, myself especially, are usually psychopaths with murder in their hearts" he says "But it gets worse, they've combined worship of our kind with worship of the Elder God Cthulhu."
 
"Bucking heck" Enigma curses under her breath, "No wonder it was imperative that I have a partner" she then looks to Crescent as she takes up the field report, it was by Crimson Rose, one of the most trusted proxies "Well at least I know the report will be accurate" she looks to Slender "Is that all sir?" she asks and he simply nods, opening a portal for her. She takes Crescent's hand and steps through it, arriving back at his home.
 
“Hey!....Wait!” Crescent spoke attempting to speak to Slendermane, Realizing that the eldritch horror had been keeping an eye on his existence despite his self-imposed seclusion, as Enigma grasped Crescent’s hand bringing back through the portal. “I have…” Crescent gasped as the last of his body phased through the portal immediately taking back to his living room..”...Questions….eh, Oh well ” He quickly spoke just as he realized that he was already on the other side. 
 
“That was...fun~” Crescent commented on their little trip,cracking a sharp smile towards Enigma before noticing that She was still holding on to his hand. “Hey, you might wanna watch out with the hand-holding....Your boss might think you like me” Crescent teased, Holding her hand tighter. “Afterall...He did say he was keeping an Eye on me” He chuckled half-jokingly…
 
 

[Scarlet SoftPaws 3,588]

Enigma sighs "It's best not to question Slender's knowledge and motives" she says softly before nuzzling him "But thank you for keeping your composure..for the most part" he says and then notices a somewhat far away look on his face "you're thinking about Cursor aren't you? Well while she's cute, why not think about someone you've known for ages, and someone who is of free will and mind?" she asks with a giggle as her tail begins to snap lightly at him. "Come on, we've got things to prepare for" she says with a soft sigh before walking with him, "We honestly have no idea what we are walking into until we've red the field report"

[Vulcan 3,256]

Enigma sighs "It's best not to question Slender's knowledge and motives" she says softly before nuzzling him "But thank you for keeping your composure..for the most part" he says and then notices a somewhat far away look on his face "you're thinking about Cursor aren't you? Well while she's cute, why not think about someone you've known for ages, and someone who is of free will and mind?" she asks with a giggle as her tail begins to snap lightly at him.

 

"Hmmm...maybe I will~...or maybe I always have~" Crescent teased, smiling mischievously at the young mare as he stared deeply in her eyes if only for a moment. Crescent leaned a bit closer...His nuzzle inching to hers before quickly turning ..."Man, That line was so cheesy....I almost taste gouda" Crescent grinned, breaking the tension. “Like you and I would actually get together...am I right?” He smiled , booping her gently on her nuzzle.

 

"Come on, we've got things to prepare for" she says with a soft sigh before walking with him, "We honestly have no idea what we are walking into until we've red the field report"

“It’s not like that stopped either of us before~” Crescent replied with a grin as he grabbed the brown leather satchel hanging on the coat rack beside the door. The satchel was then slung and rested on Crescent’s shoulder before Crescent opened the door leading to the outside. “Well...Shall we?”

Edited May 30, 2017 by Vulcan

[Scarlet SoftPaws 3,588]

Enigma looks to him "W-what do you mean we'd never work?" she asks with a somewhat deep blush "Cres..there's probably something I should tell you before we leave" she says, gently pushing him to sit on the ground, then she locks the door and make sure he has no where to run "Crescent, you've basically known me since I lost my friends to that fire, you were there with me for the whole three years I was in comatose and then ever since" she says before sitting down herself, curling her tail around herself and petting it.

"Crescent, I.." she blushes and leans in to kiss him, she then kisses him "I love you" she says, blushing and then hiding behind her mane "I just..."

[Vulcan 3,256]

"I....I can't" Crescent replied interrupting Enigma's confession, as He gently pushed her back and held her arms , It was all happening so fast.  "What’re you doin’ to me Maggie...I haven’t seen you for years….You show up at my Doorstep A MONTH After I lost Dawn...and now you suddenly tell me you love me..." Crescent spoke in an honest tone as he looked to the ground before glancing at a shattered picture frame hanging on the wall . “I just…” Crescent added pausing for a moment before standing and hugging Enigma Tightly. “I don’t think I need love right now….I just need a friend”   

(Can change this if you'd really a want a quicker relationship....I just thought this would be an interesting twist)

[Scarlet SoftPaws 3,588]

Enigma looks at him "Cres..I.."she hangs her head "The reason you hadn't seen me in years is because I was afraid, afraid you would hate me for what I had become, hate me for being.. one of Slendermane's agents, I was scared of..rejection" she says and starts to cry "I had tried to occupy my mind with other things, but..I just cannot stop thinking about you," she sighs and picks up her bags "Come on, we..we've got work to do" she says and begins to walk out and mutters to herself "May as well just do this by myself, that way if I die, no one would notice"

[Vulcan 3,256]

"That's not true! I don't  hate you you! I could never hate you!...Maggie, before you left, You were the most important pony I had" Crescent cried out holding her by the shoulder, he couldn't help seeing the only friend He's seen in weeks just walk away in tears. "...And if it makes you feel any better....Until I got together with Dawn....I couldn't stop thinking about you too" Crescent admitted, His face suddenly turning a reddish hue as He realized what he had just said.   "Ju-..Just pretend I didn't say that last part..."  He muttered, looking quickly away from her as he walked towards the door ,trying desperately to his the redness in his cheeks. "Anyways..We've got a job...Let's just get going...."  He speaks awkwardly, unsure  how to maneuver himself out of this conversation. 

Edited June 3, 2017 by Vulcan

[Scarlet SoftPaws 3,588]

Enigma looks at him "I left because..I truly do love you Cres, but I do understand how it feels to lose someone you love, i-if you need more time" she says and begins walking out the house "I understand, I just..can't really stand the thought of losing you again" she sighs somewhat softly "How did you lose Dawn, Cres? If it was that she simply disappeared..I think I know what might have happened ,and you're not going to like it"

[Vulcan 3,256]

The two walked out of The creaky old house, The outside was a wooded area covered with Trees as tall as mountains and a long dirt path that led further into the forest. The front porch squeaked and cracked as Crescent stepped lightly over it. He stared briefly at the the remnants and ruins of what had now been his home before beginning his walk down the path that led to the Everfree, "It was so sudden, Maggie" Crescent replied, His mind not wanting to remember the night he had lost her. "Whatever it was it took her away from me" He added, a forlorn look on his face as he stared idly at the shadows beneath the trees. 

(Tomorrow will be my last exams....Then Dobby shall be free to post more regularly) 

Edited June 6, 2017 by Vulcan

[Scarlet SoftPaws 3,588]

Enigma nods and closes her eyes "She may have had a greater purpose, but I swear, if Slender took her,I'm going to have some harsh words to speak to him" she says with a growl and sighs "I will always love you Cres, I always have" she says softly and before they reach the edge of the forest, she scans the immediate area before them and thinks of a plan "Let us not rush into this right away, we should find a good spot to camp out and then make a plan of approach" she says and looks at her tail who was growling at Cres for rejecting her. She taps it "Stop that you! It isn't his fault I'm fragile" she glowers at the still growling tail maw.

[Vulcan 3,256]

Enigma nods and closes her eyes "She may have had a greater purpose, but I swear, if Slender took her,I'm going to have some harsh words to speak to him" she says with a growl and sighs

"...It wasn't him" Crescent confirmed, his mind wandering to his days searching sleeplessly on his desk with piles of ancient texts stacked in front of him as he sought the identity of the strange creature that took Dawn. "I still don't really know what that thing was....but It's MO didn't match any of the Entities on record." He added seriously as he glanced at the young Mare before smiling and placing his arms behind his back. "Sorry to bumm You out Maggs, You really shouldn't care much about a loon like me...It wouldn't be good for either of us" Crescent laughed, cracking a sharp smile as they walked deeper into the path.   

"I will always love you Cres, I always have" she says softly and before they reach the edge of the forest, she scans the immediate area before them and thinks of a plan 

Crescent’s smile grew brighter as he heard her. He still wasn't sure how he really felt about Maggie but he knew he felt happy.

"Let us not rush into this right away, we should find a good spot to camp out and then make a plan of approach" she says and looks at her tail who was growling at Cres for rejecting her. She taps it "Stop that you! It isn't his fault I'm fragile" she glowers at the still growling tail maw.
 
“Good Idea… I think there’s a cave near this area where we can recoup”  He replied before noticing her tail growl in anger. He knelt slowly in front of her tail “It really is my fault….I'm sorry little guy…I never meant to hurt Maggie… I'm a real jerk and I know it…. But I hope can make it up to her… And maybe I can make it up to you too.” He spoke calmly at Enigma’s sentient tail, before smiling sweetly at Enigma.
 

[Scarlet SoftPaws 3,588]

Enigma smiles at him "It's alright Cres, we'll give it time, but if I had known how you felt earlier..I wouldn't have been so ready to just disappear into Slender's realm for a good while" she says and looks at him "and Tailey, hush that up, you'll get your feed once we've found a good camping spot...and a cave sounds like a good idea" she says to her tail before looking at her old friend "Lead the way Crescent, we can talk more about..our feelings for each other once we've set up camp" she says as she begins to follow him