open Race to the End (RP)

[Emerald Heart 24,557]

In the dark blackness of night, six ponies slept in different parts of Equestria. 

But when they awoke the next morning, each would find a surprise awaiting them in the mailbox. A summons to the castle, where the Princesses lived.

Ursa woke up that same day excited for another night of stargazing. She lived in the Crystal Empire, yet she had no sparkles.

The unicorn was a dark Navy color, and had short purple hair. Her cutiemark was a black hole with stars around the edges.

And you could just imagine her surprise when she found the summons in her mailbox.

Edited July 9, 2018 by Emerald<3
I had to fix it

[Dynamo Pad 10,775]

@Emerald<3 @Lucid_Nightlight @Lloyd @Pr0m4NV14 @MisterRe

As a new day had dawned upon the town of Ponyville, Celestia's sun had risen to the sky to greet the day. It was here that the residents began to awaken to start their days. It was early morning as a blue unicorn had woken up, but he had hoped that he had more time to sleep. Dynamo Pad, a blue unicorn, had a long blue/black mane, a short to medium blue/black tail and amber colored eyes. His cutie mark was a regular fashioned video game controller. He shut his eyes as the rays of the sun shined through his window and onto his face. He threw the blankets over his face, but it was to no avail. 'Aw, come on. Just five more minutes.' He yawned and knew that it was no use. "I guess I'm up now. It's the curse of being a morning pony. I guess I shouldn't have done an all night video game marathon.' He thought to himself as he looked at his gaming console and TV, which were still on. "At least I was able to level up to the next rank in my game, so...I guess it was worth it." He chuckled to himself in amusement, before turning off his consoles and getting ready for the day.

He went through his morning routine and made himself some pancakes for breakfast. As he began to eat, he wondered what the plan was for today. "I could always go to the arcade. Button Prompt doesn't need me to work today, so I could always try that new fighting game that got installed last week." He nodded as he figured out what his plans would be. After finishing breakfast and washing the dishes, he went back upstairs to make sure to take his belongings with him for the arcade. After making sure that he had everything he needed, he exited the house, locked the door and began to make his way down to the local arcade. He would've gotten there sooner, had he not noticed his mailbox had a bunch of mail in it. He sighed and face hoofed as he forgot to check the mail from the night before. He walked over and levitated the mail with his magic. He made a quick run through, noticing that it was mostly junk mail and bills. He stopped cycling through the mail as something had caught his eyes.

He raised an eyebrow in curiosity as he stumbled upon a letter that was addressed by Princess Celestia. "A letter from the Princess? Now, what would the Princess want with me?" He whispered softly to himself. He looked from side to side, to make sure that nopony was listening in on his conversation. He opened the envelope and began to read to himself. In the letter, it was stated that he and five other ponies were to be summoned to her castle immediately. There were no specifics on why there was to be a summons, but it would be explained to them in due time. It was said that there would be a chariot would be brought to pick them up. He could feel his heart racing in nervousness, but he couldn't stop from wondering on why he was summoned. "I'm just glad I'm not in trouble for anything. Usually, when you're summoned by the Princess, most of the time it's never good." He said, before looking in the sky for said chariot to arrive. "I wonder if the chariot will show up soon. Maybe they got the wrong place or the letter was sent to the wrong pony."

[FanOfManyShows 396]

Crystal had taken a rest at the local cafeteria, clearing her mind to get better story ideas, Crystal walking back home from her break. She opened her door to find a letter on the floor in front of the door, she was quick to open it, mainly thinking it was possibly fan mail. Before discovering that it was a letter, from Princess Celestia herself. "Wait, what? Celestia needs me?" She said, putting the letter away in a satchel, before putting it on. "But why me of all ponies? I'm just a writer." She thought aloud, walking back outside after fetching some food to bring with her just in case, she was planning to resume writing her book, but today she could take the break to find out what Celestia saw in her that was so important. Taking the trek to the Canterlot capital.

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Emerald<3 @Lloyd @Pr0m4NV14 @MisterRe @Dynamo Pad

Arrow woke up in his home within the city limits of Manehatten. He was a Solar Royal Guard who was on leave at the moment. The blue unicorn made himself some coffee and walked outside to the mailbox. To his surprise, there was a letter from the princess herself! If this letter is from the princess, it must be really important. It's not often that the princess sends a letter to a specific guard. He opened the letter. He was being summoned!

"Looks like I'm heading to the castle."

The stallion put on his standard-issue Solar Royal Guard armor and his magic saddlebag of weapons. He was off to Canterlot, bringing his mug of coffee with him.

[MisterRe 21]

Corner's resided in the fresh facets of Phillydelphia park, her hooves shaking at the summons. She was already on parole for her crimes. *What else did they want?* She thought *My box? Not my box...* The box pony sighed. There was no other choice. 

At the local guard station, she walked in with all eyes on her. Most know her from the great hide and seek pursuit a few weeks ago. Took them about 3 hours to find her in the box factory she was squatting in. 

"What, are turning yourself in Ms. Corners?" The reception in guard armor smirked.

"As to not violate the terms of parole, I have to give you this."  She pushed out a scroll with a royal seal.

"Don' tell me you-The royal seal?" She gasped. " Summons? Right away Princess Celestia!" 

She bowed to the paper as if the royal highness were there. Corners chuckled at the guard.

"Corners... These Two guards will escort you there. Don't cause trouble. This is a serious matter."

 

And the Three were off. Two nondescript guardsponies and box pony head to the train to canterlot.

 

Edited July 9, 2018 by MisterRe

[Pr0m4NV14 837]

@Emerald<3  @MisterRe @Lucid_Nightlight @Lloyd @Dynamo Pad

 Mike McGuffin sleepily stumbled down the stairs of the Appleoosa Inn.  Upon seeing the small-ish brown Earth Pony, the innkeeper perked up. 

"Hey, Mr. McGuffin! This came in overnight." The innkeeper seemed to be waving an envelope marked with some kind of wax seal. Mike trotted over to the large stallion and took the envelope from him.

"Thank you, sir," Mike mumbled gratefully before stepping out of the inn into the morning's sunlight. Nobody was up and about yet, so nobody could see Mike struggle with the envelope. Eventually, he ripped it open to reveal a letter from the royal family. Mike let out an exasperated sigh.

"Not those two again! The last two times I had to deal with this royal business was terrible! What did I do now?" Mike knew that this was urgent, so he should be heading for the train to Canterlot soon. Suddenly, the whistle of the Early-morning train blew, and Mike jumped up a few metres and dashed towards the station, leaving the letter behind, and unfortunately not having read the part stating that a chariot would be provided...

(Mike did just barely catch the train, though.)

 

[Emerald Heart 24,557]

@Pr0m4NV14 @Dynamo Pad @Lloyd @MisterRe @Lucid_Nightlight

Ursa walked nervously out of her compartment and was surprised to see three gaurds waiting for her at the train station. 

Uncomfortable, she walked over to them and they instantly ushered her away. One grabbed her saddlebags and nudged her forward.

She turned around and saw another pony, who was greeted by gaurds as well.

"I...I'm not in trouble, am I?" She asked timidly.

"Her Majesty will explain everything to you, just follow us and keep quiet." He ordered.

Ursa shut her mouth and did as she was told.

[Dynamo Pad 10,775]

@Emerald<3 @Pr0m4NV14 @Lloyd @MisterRe @Lucid_Nightlight

Dynamo squinted his eyes, but he noticed something flying off from the distance. It didn't take long for two guards carrying a chariot, to reach the area of Ponyville. Dynamo stepped out of the way, so he wouldn't be in the oncoming path of the chariot. As the guards touched the ground and came to a stop, they called out to the blue unicorn stallion. Dynamo raised his hoof to identify himself as the one being summoned. "I got the letter from Princess Celestia. She said something about a summons to see her. Is everything okay?" He asked with worry and curiosity ever present in his voice. 

The guards could only shake their heads. "Unfortunately, we do not know as much as you do. We were tasked with picking you up from town and to bring you with us. So, gather your belongings and we'll be on our way." Dynamo could only nod as he placed his saddlebag on his back. He walked forwards until he was near the chariot. As he stepped into the chariot, the guards looked back to make sure their passenger wouldn't fall off. "Just hold on tight and we'll be there momentarily. Dynamo could only nod and gulp. He forgot to mention that he had a slight fear of heights. He didn't get a chance to reply as the Pegasus guards, who were holding the chariot, had taken off to the sky. The blue unicorn felt his stomach drop as he felt nauseous. He shook his head to try and get over the sickening feeling as he looked at the retreating area. He sighed as the town became smaller and smaller. He hoped that his boss wouldn't be mad that he would be gone, but hopefully this wouldn't take long. What he didn't know was that he was going to be in for an adventure of a lifetime.

He marveled at the scenery that passed before him. He had never taken a chariot before, but the ride was slightly pleasant. True, he would have rather taken a train than a chariot, but he wouldn't complain. A few minutes had passed, but Dynamo could see the castle coming into view from the distance. He took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "Hopefully whatever the Princesses need from me can be taken care of with no problem. Then I can get back home, so I can play that new fighting game. Plus, there will be others, so there's nothing to worry about." He spoke quietly to himself to help reassure himself. As they neared the castle, the Pegasus ponies, who carried the chariot, began their descent towards the castle doors. It was a bumpy landing, but they had finally reached their destination. 

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Emerald<3

Crystal kept walking down the street, heading to the Canterlot . The thoughts still crossing her mind, why would you call a plain old writer? She'd have to ask herself, but talking to a princess would be a step above what she'd be used to. Being an introvert and all. Although now she started to wonder why no Canterlot guards came to personally pick her up, passing it off as the thing she was called for, not being as important as saving the world. But then she found herself at the Castle now, waiting for some guard to notify why she was here. "Maybe it's my deductive skills, which I lack." She said to herself, under her breath.

[MisterRe 21]

"Thank you boys. I know where the castle is from here." Corners proceeded to trot away, attempting to escape. Unfortunately for her, they knew her tricks. With a quick step on her tail, the back support of her box collasped, leaving the box in place but the pony moving foward. 

"Ow." The voice echoed after a metallic bang.

"We were instructed to escort you *all* the way there." The guards said with scorn as they were part of the capture effort of this convict.

"Ok. Ok. Fine...." The three exited the train station to the castle gates.

 

[Pr0m4NV14 837]

@MisterRe @Lloyd  @Luicd_Nightlight @Dynamo Pad @Emerald<3

Mike woke up to the sudden jolt of the train. He groaned and got up from the floor of the aisle. Did I really fall out of my seat? He thought to himself as he trotted out of the carriage. He seemed to be the only one on the train, which was odd. On the platform, there were a large number of guards, as well as another pony. As he walked out to the road a couple of guards escorted him. "We'll be escorting you to the  Princesses."  one of them said to Mike, who knew that there would be use arguing with the guards. He sighed, and the two continued to the Castle.

 

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@MisterRe @Lloyd @Pr0m4NV14@Dynamo Pad @Emerald<3

As he headed out, he walked to the station, he saw two fellow guards that he knew quite well. He could tell by the position by the station that he was going to be escorted.

"Hey, Silver Centurion! Any idea what's going on?" Arrow asked one of the fellow guards.

"The hay if I knew. All we know is that we're supposed to escort you to Canterlot Castle. We know you can get there yourself considering you guard the place, but orders are orders."

"We best be going then."

They all got on the train, which took them to Canterlot.

 

[Emerald Heart 24,557]

@Lucid_Nightlight @Pr0m4NV14 @Dynamo Pad @Lloyd @MisterRe

With all six ponies there and accounted for, the door to the castle opened. The ponies were ushered even further in by the guards, all the way to the great hall. 

Inside, the six ponies saw Princesses Celestia and Luna whispering about something, seeming extremely worried. The top guard cleared his throat and pointed to the ponies. Luna held a hand over her heart and exhaled in relief. She smiled at her sister, "I leave this to you, sister." Then walked away, her galaxy like hair swaying endlessly. 

The regal alicorn turned around and smiled at the group, "Welcome, my little ponies. I have invited you all here regarding the Orb of Equestria. It is the most important of all the crowned jewels, I'm sure you've known. And it has been stolen." She smiled at them, "And I could think of anypony better to retrieve it for me. But be warned, it is not the orb itself that is important, but the large ruby on the side. It contains strange powers that even Starswirl the Bearded could never understand. Which unfortunetley makes your mission quite more important. A band of greedy theirs have stolen it, so you must be on your alert." She straightened up, "Ursa of the Crystal Empire!" She announced, and Ursa stepped forward a bit.

"Dynamo Pad of Ponyville!"

"Corners of Phillydeplhia!"

"Crystal Clear of Canterlot!"

"Arrow of Manehatten!"

"Mike McGuffin of Appleoosa!"

Her horn began to glow, and saddlebags appeared on each pony.

"I believe in every one of you. And please, be careful."

Ursa, aghast, ran past the Princess and out of the hall.

Princess Celestia sighed sadly, "I was afraid this might happen. A shy one, she is."

 

 

 

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Lucid_Nightlight @Pr0m4NV14 @Dynamo Pad @MisterRe @Emerald<3

Seemed Crystal was too nervous to ask, she did step forward once called upon though, shaking a bit. Her of all pones? Although then it crossed her mind just how long Celestia had her picked in the case this happened. "M-may I ask a question?" She asked, looking up, trying to look confident but her voice revealed her true feeling about the situation, complete nervousness. But after her question, she would wait for Celestia to acknowledge her.

[MisterRe 21]

"So that's it then? No instructions... just a vague Be careful? No wonder why you need us. You all have no clue..." Corners looked at the haphazard group with swift judgement. She sighed and settled herself down. 

"Your highness... can you lead me to where they stole it? I might be able to track where they might of went "

[Pr0m4NV14 837]

@Emerald<3

Mike was thrust into the grand Great Hall of the castle, in front of him were the two ponies he wanted to see the least. 

"Oh hey there, your majesties!" He said with a bit of snark. He looked at the other ponies around him. They all seemed just as confused as they were. Before Mike Could say anything else, Princess Celestia began giving a speech about a jewel that has been stolen. by a bunch of thieves, blah blah blah. 

Geez, those two sure don't seem to get off of their rears to look for it themselves. Mke thought. His name was called, and two extra saddlebags appeared on his back, on top of his previous saddlebag and his sword, Jennifer. Overcumbered by the weight of the supplies in the new additions, he collapsed to the floor.

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Pr0m4NV14 @Dynamo Pad @MisterRe @Emerald<3 @Lloyd

Arrow listened to what the princess had to say. It's been a while since he's had an adventure. He was actually pretty glad have an adventure after such a long time.

"Princess, if you don't mind me asking... why not have Princess Twilight and her friends handle this?"

Sure, Arrow may be good with weapons and tactics, unlike the other guards, but it seemed strange that six random ponies, including himself would be chosen to take on such a task.

Anyways, he thought maybe he could make small talk with the other ponies.

"You know, I use to be an adventurer, then I took an arrow to the knee."

[Dynamo Pad 10,775]

@Emerald<3 @Pr0m4NV14 @Lucid_Nightlight @Lloyd @MisterRe

As Dynamo made his way off of the chariot, he was ushered into the castle by the guards, who had brought him to the castle. It was a long walk to the throne room as Dynamo looked at the walls. He could see the major events that had taken place over the years. Seeing the Elements of Harmony triumph over evil, to Twilight Sparkle becoming an alicorn princess. He marveled at the stained glass pictures, but he kept pace, so he wouldn't fall behind. He noticed that other ponies were following his group from behind him or next to him. 'So, I guess these are the other ponies that I'm going on a journey with, huh? They seem...interesting to say the least. It's like we are a ragtag bunch of misfits banded together like in Final Fantasy.' He thought as the doors slowly opened to reveal the throne room. Sitting upon the throne were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the latter of whom had begun walking away to make her exit.

Dynamo had lined up along with the other five ponies and listened in on why they were summoned. He had learned that something had been stolen by some thieves and that they were all going on a grand adventure to retrieve a ruby. He had felt nervous while he took in all of this information, but he nodded nonetheless. As Celestia had called out his name, Dynamo nodded and took a step forward. He felt a little heavier as Celestia had summoned a saddlebag onto his back. He assumed it would be supplies for the trip and he smiled appreciatively to the princess. He noticed the dark navy colored unicorn had ran away from the throne room and hoped that she was okay. He turned back as some of the other ponies had started to ask questions. He nodded in agreement to some of them and decided to voice his own opinions.

"I have to agree with Arrow on this one. Why did you summon us and not the Elements of Harmony? Wouldn't they be a better fit for this job? It's just...why did you summon us to take on this job to begin with? I mean, I'm a gamer, so I don't know how I'll be able to benefit on this mission." He said while giving the regal alicorn a confused look. Also, where will we be going? Do you know where these thieves have taken the orb? I would hate for us to go on a wild goose chase and end up losing track of this item that you need for us to get."

[Emerald Heart 24,557]

@Dynamo Pad @Lloyd @Pr0m4NV14 @Lucid_Nightlight @MisterRe

"Unfortenetley, I can not tell you more until all of us are present." Her eyes darted to Ursa, as she was being pushed inside by one of the guards. She mumbled something to herself and Celestia then started up again, "The thieves went off into the Everfree Forest." She said, "And, although the Elements of Harmony would be wonderful at retrieving it, I have chosen you six for very different reasons."

The alicorn turned to Dynamo Pad, "That, my little pony, you will have to discover for yourself." 

"Now," She continued, "It is time for you to leave. Trust in one another, and you will succeed!"

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Dynamo Pad @Lloyd @Pr0m4NV14 @Emerald<3 @MisterRe

Arrow had no idea why everyone needed to find the reasons themselves, but in his line a work, a reason is rarely given. To the armored unicorn, it's get orders and follow orders. He turned to the group.

"We should get going, if I know anything about adventures like these, thieves stealing powerful or valuable items are a force to be reckoned with."

He checked the saddlebags he received and the magic saddlebags he brought with him. The normal one was full of basic supplies while the magical ones were had weapons and armors. The weapons weren't anything crazy like cannons or explosives. He didn't own anything like that. Also, no hammers or flails, he hated those things. He did have some shields though.

"You guys have everything? We could be out there for a while."

[Pr0m4NV14 837]

@Lucid_Nightlight @Emerald<3 @Lloyd

 

Mike struggled to his feet and flung the saddlebags off of him. One of them opened and a bunch of preserved food fell out. 

“Well, we certainly won’t starve with all this food.” Mike mumbled, shooting a unhappy look at the Princess, before checking the other one. In it held an assortment of tools. Mike, who traveled lightly took the bag of bits, a compass, and a whetstone (If someone else would need it; Jennifer’s edge didn’t seem to dull.) and put it in his own Saddlebag.Mike looked at up Arrow, who was beside the small-ish Earth Pony. “How can you carry all that extra weight? It feels like carrying a yak!” He complained to the Unicorn. The extra saddlebags lay on the floor, and Mike had no intentions on trying to lift all that weight on top of his own equipment.

[Emerald Heart 24,557]

@Pr0m4NV14

Seeing his discomfort, Ursa shyly walked over to him and levitated the saddlebags off him and set them on the floor. Her horn glowed a soft blue, and suddenly the bags became lighter.  She hadn't taken anything out, she had just made it less heavy for him. Ursa levitated the bags and placed it on him, "Feel better?" She asked shyly, "You shouldn't discard things. You might not know when you need them." 

[Dynamo Pad 10,775]

@Emerald<3 @Lucid_Nightlight @Pr0m4NV14 @Lloyd @MisterRe

Dynamo opened his mouth to respond, but no words had appeared. He looked behind him to see Ursa being dragged back into the room by the guards. He wondered why she had run away, but he couldn't stop to ask as Celestia's voice brought him back to the forefront. He had heard about the Everfree forest, but he had always heard that the forest was dangerous. Many ponies had been told to never go into the forest. If they did, then they might not ever return. He shuddered at the thought, but he knew he would be in a group and that they would stick together. He sighed softly to himself in reassurance of that thought. He tilted his head slightly to the side as the Princess mentioned how he and the others were chosen for specific reasons. 'Specific reasons? What does that have to do with this kind of mission?' He couldn't make heads or tails of what Princess Celestia was talking about. He raised an eyebrow as a thought came to mind. 'Does she know our talents and abilities without even knowing us first hoof?" He shook his head as he thought that wasn't possible, but he wouldn't throw out that possibility.

He nods at the Princess mentioning of working together and to head off onto their journey. He looked through his saddlebag to see camping supplies and an assortment of weapons and tools to help them on their quest. His ears perked as Arrow had brought up a good point. "That's true. When a boss is usually far away in a video game, then you know they are considered a threat and we must use extreme caution." He threw the saddlebags onto his back once more and nods in confirmation. "I'm all set and ready to go. I don't know what'll happen on this journey, but just know that I'll have your back in all of this. I just hope that you'll do the same." He raised an eyebrow in surprise at Mike's outburst. "I don't think it's that bad, to be honest. I mean, yeah the saddlebag we've been given is heavy. However, I don't carry much in my saddlebag, unless it's gaming related, so it's not too bad."

He watched as the navy blue unicorn levitated the bag and made said saddlebag a little less heavy. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked to Ursa. "That's pretty impressive. Can all unicorns make a bag like that become less heavy? I don't know much about magic, so I could be wrong." He chuckled sheepishly while running a hoof through his mane. 

 

Edited July 11, 2018 by Dynamo Pad

[Emerald Heart 24,557]

Just now, Dynamo Pad said:

@Emerald<3 @Lucid_Nightlight @Pr0m4NV14 @Lloyd @MisterRe

Dynamo opened his mouth to respond, but no words had appeared. He looked behind him to see Ursa being dragged back into the room by the guards. He wondered why she had run away, but he couldn't stop to ask as Celestia's voice brought him back to the forefront. He had heard about the Everfree forest, but he had always heard that the forest was dangerous. Many ponies had been told to never go into the forest. If they did, then they might not ever return. He shuddered at the thought, but he knew he would be in a group and that they would stick together. He sighed softly to himself in reassurance of that thought. He tilted his head slightly to the side as the Princess mentioned how he and the others were chosen for specific reasons. 'Specific reasons? What does that have to do with this kind of mission?' He couldn't make heads or tails of what Princess Celestia was talking about. He raised an eyebrow as a thought came to mind. 'Does she know our talents and abilities without even knowing us first hoof?" He shook his head as he thought that wasn't possible, but he wouldn't throw out that possibility.

He nods at the Princess mentioning of working together and to head off onto their journey. He looked through his saddlebag to see camping supplies and an assortment of weapons and tools to help them on their quest. His ears perked as Arrow had brought up a good point. "That's true. When a boss is usually far away in a video game, then you know they are considered a threat and we must use extreme caution." He threw the saddlebags onto his back once more and nods in confirmation. "I'm all set and ready to go. I don't know what'll happen on this journey, but just know that I'll have your back in all of this. I just hope that you'll do the same." He raised an eyebrow in surprise at Mike's outburst. "I don't think it's that bad, to be honest. I mean, yeah the saddlebag we've been given is heavy. However, I don't carry much in my saddlebag, unless it's gaming related, so it's not too bad." 

 

"Well, I suppose it correspondents to your talents." She pointed out, "I for one, have a star map and a pocket telescope. How curious!" She turned to the Princess, and shook her head, "I cannot participate in this. Books and Cleverness can only get you so far..."

That's why she had tried to leave. Ursa thought she had been useless.

 

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Lucid_Nightlight @Pr0m4NV14 @Dynamo Pad @MisterRe @Emerald<3

Suddenly Crystal realized that Celestia was a tad bit cheezy with how she spoke, but wouldn't mention this to avoid insulting Celestia. But being told to find the reason herself? That'd be difficult for her. At least the guy with a chariot might've been more important than her. Maybe it was the popularity of her book, and Celestia wanting to see her favorite writer help Equestria, even if that was the case she'd still just be unsure if she was qualified for this. But to distract herself from these stressful thoughts, she looked to the other ponies. "S-so, how do you all feel about this? Saving Equestria and all, big deal isn't it?" She asked nervously, worrying that questioning this mission that was so important, would get her, kicked off the team maybe, which could be problematic if she had a bigger role in this than the rest.