open Beyond these Walls: An adventure through Equestria. (Applications open!)

[Mephisto 56]

Crimson smiled and nodded. "Actually, I know better than most ponies how it feels to be ridiculed. In fact, I never even knew I had a sister OR a father for that matter, until it was all too late...but since then, I've met some ponies that I'm proud to call my family. My two brothers, Swordpoint, of princess Celestia's royal guard, and Cosmo Shadesteel, princess Luna's royal assasin, and even a sister, Radioactive Tragedy...although I doubt she considers me in the same regard...she may be dead, but that doesn't stop her from being stubborn...anyway, I believe that you would like my brothers if you ever met them..." said the pirate with a slight chuckle.

Blake laughed slightly. "Hehe, I'll bet I would." He then reached for a bottle that was no longer there. He looked kind of disheartened by this. "Aww, that was my last bottle.... Well, at least the last one worked." He said laughing. He was different when he was drunk, more alert, and a bit more interested.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Orion Starsinger.

 

Orion stepped carefully through the forest after the voices ahead: he could have teleported or flown but the exertion of the spell had left even him feeling less than well.

 

"Hmph..." He breathed heavily.

 

'Do not concern yourself with the sickness: It is not... uncommon. You simply require more practise. More power...'

 

He didn't feel rushed - content that the display would have persuaded the brigands to leave him and his sister alone for a while at least, he followed at a leisurely pace. There was no rush: at the very least he would catch up to them as they blundered about the temple looking for the Litany of Magic.

 

'As we near the Litany you will start to feel strange: It will call out to me in a way you will not comprehend. I will take over if you become weak - do not fear it.'

 

Orion nodded - not that the voice inside his head would have benefited from such a gesture - and looked at the ghostly spell which followed him lazily.

 

'I am impressed. Over all our years we have not seen the Distopian Turncoat used in such a way: on a spell rather than a creature. The results were... interesting...'

 

---------------

 

Kingfisher.

 

Fuming and trembling with what might be mistaken for tears welling up in her eyes, Kingfisher marched ahead, shouting out towards the various ponies she knew (and a couple that she didn't) on the way.

 

@@Windbreaker,

@@00Pony,

 

"It's a long story and its not safe here: you're coming with us. Sisters help us if we don't hurry."

 

She muttered as she passed the white coated newcomer.

 

"Saronyx, wasn't it? Keep an eye on the new guy: I don't want anypony else lost before we get there."

 

@,

@,

 

"Grinn! On your hooves, we're moving and I'm not leaving any of you behind. That goes for you too, whoever you are: you can talk on the road."

 

@,

 

Approaching the front of the scattered group, the mare found herself beside Pavisa. She didn't look at the guard: opting to match her pace and stare ahead towards the opening ahead where the forest finally gave way to the Splinterhoof Hills.

 

"You..." She said blankly. Part of her blaming the pony, the other part thanking her. She settled for a neutral ground statement. "... He's always done stupid things like that. He's seen it before even! Stupid, Stupid!"

 

It was easier to be angry at Red than to try and pretend everything was okay: or to blame anypony else. She took a deep breath.

 

"If we push through the night we can camp outside the falls tomorrow evening. Thank you, by the way."

[Ihei 713]

@Nopony In Particular,

 

Willow Starsinger

 

"Oh.. where's Orion? Well, Redwave is petrified so that's going to be a problem. Orion only made himself even more wanted. Where's Tactic?" Willow thought to herself worriedly, trotting through the forest slowly to make sure she didn't get too lost. Does Orion even know she's gone? Willow missed the days when it was just her and Orion at home, not worrying about anything but spilling their hot cocoa. No Litany, no protecting. "Home.." she mumbled to herself. 

 

Aphrodite

 

"It's not MY fault that you have such a short temper! Look, we're fighting now because Red is petrified! What are we supposed to do!?"

[Umbreon 569]

@, 

 

Pavisa

 

"I...  It was the least I could do."  It sounded like a weak justification to Pavisa.  She was having a hard time making herself look at the other mare.  While Kingfisher seemed to be coping by taking her anger out on Redwave, the guard still blamed herself for what had happened. 

 

Why is she thanking me?  By all accounts she should hate me for what happened, right?  It should have been me, after all...  She settles with muttering under her breath, "I wish I could have done more."  

 

 

Tactic Wind

 

The pegasus decided he had flown far enough - it would most likely take the group a half hour or so to catch up to him.  Plenty of time to regain his composure.  The charade is almost over...  I just need to keep this up for a little bit longer.  Taking a deep breath to relax himself, Tactic did as he had when he first met the captain that morning.  He sat in the middle of the road to wait.

[RAGESTAR 479]

Crimson gave the marching mare on a mission, a bewildered look as she passed him and ordered him to get moving, after a few seconds of a quick pause, Crimson finally shrugged and stood up, giving an apologetic look to Blake as he passed him. "we had better do what she says, she's has her orders and just lost a dear friend, so go easy on her...anyway, let's just resume our conversation on the road..." whispered Crimson before trotting after the rather stressed mare.

[00Pony 286]

@@Windbreaker,@,

 

Aegis inquired as to who did what to gain the hostile attention of Orion, speculating that they must have had a death wish. Saronyx gave a dry, humorless chuckle, "Closer to the truth for many of this company." He said, but before he could really answer the question, Kingfisher moved past, stating that it was a long story, and that Aegis would be coming with them, before requesting of Saronyx to keep an eye on him.  

 

The Crystal Visionary nodded to her as she passed, though she was unable to see it, "As you wish it, so it shall be." He said, partially to himself.

 

He turned his attention back to the road, giving his own, shorter version of what he had gathered as the cause of Orion's ire, "Starsinger believes that the Litany will grant him the power to protect his sister, and bring about peace.. I do not think he realizes that the tome will - is - eroding his sanity. He also sees us as trying to harm his sister, hence why we are such a nuisance in his eyes."

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@,@, 

Eclipse sighed and put a hoof on Kingfisher's chest.

"I'm sorry for throwing your captain, mare." He told her in sincerity. "I'm just mad at this group at the moment. Ever since I got here, I've received nothing but hate and negativity. I've experienced alot of situations like this in my life, at least I assume I have." He said, letting out a slight chuckle.

 

Blast turned to Aphrodite.

"What are we to do? Leave him here?" He asked rhetorically. "We need to get this guy to safety, and fast."

Edited October 29, 2013 by StevenEarthPony

[EcstaticWind 572]

@,

 “Yes, ma’am,” Aegis said, nodding curtly at Kingfisher. He switched to a more serious frame of mind, since these ponies likely would not appreciate his sarcasm right now, and flexed his wings in case he needed them, being careful not to hit anypony.

 

@@00Pony,

Saronyx’s short version of events was troubling enough, especially given that Aegis only got a glimpse of Orion and that was enough to make him feel uneasy. Still, the power to protect the one you care about… Aegis could respect the goal, but the means were something he considered monstrous. “That’s no way to go about protecting one’s family. His goals far from justify his actions. Still, that’s useful information. Based on that alone, we can’t hope to bargain with him until we have the Litany and a means to destroy it.”

[Mephisto 56]

Blake shrugged and followed Kingfisher and Crimson. He regarded the two of them, he sighed. "The reluctant recruit now." he mutters to himself.

 

"Grinn! On your hooves, we're moving and I'm not leaving any of you behind. That goes for you too, whoever you are: you can talk on the road."

"So, what about you, eh? What's your name?" He asks the mare who they were following. "Also, follow-up to nopony in particular. What the hell happened back their!?!?"

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kingfisher.

 

@,

 

"If wishes were fishes, the sea would be full - but they aren't and it isn't!" The mare snapped before hanging her head apologetically. "It's in the past now - Just... focus on the objective."

 

The spiteful colt from before approached her and she rolled her eyes: right then she wanted nothing more to do with him after his little 'outburst'. Still, his words sounded less... hateful. Instead of drawing steel, she instead simply watched him for a moment with a blank look - his hoof still on her chest.

 

@,

 

"Firstly, stop touching me - I don't like being touched." She said, not even coldly just... tonelessly. "Secondly, hate and negativity? Give me a reason not to, please. Because right now that's all I'm feeling about anything. It's really not all that enjoyable and to be painfully honest I could really use an excuse to not hate something!"

 

Stopping for breath, eyes shining as the moonlight reflected on the moisture they were holding back, she shook her head with a grim, forced smile shadowed across her features. At the sound of another voice somewhere behind her, she raised her voice.

 

@,

 

"And my name is Kingfisher...." She declared forcefully. "... Captain of the Dawn Dreamer! Not mare, not earth pony! Kingfisher!"

 

Panting slightly, the unbroken mare stared at the Eclipse. Her body still shook somewhat but the resolve in her eyes was stronger than it had ever been in her life.

 

"Apology accepted." She grunted finally.

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@, 

Eclipse grunted once again at the pony.
"Do you want to know why I'm even here?" He asked her, becoming even more angry at her, but trying his best to hide it. "I'm here because I think that we can help each other. We're on the hunt for the same thing; the Litany. I'm wanting this Litany because I believe I can use it to find my past. And you, you want it for other reasons, but I'm sure that you have good intentions." He then gave out a large sigh. "But, I'm glad you're at least giving me a second chance." Eclipse extended his hoof and gave a grin, something you rarely see from the stallion. "Truce?"

Blast then began to call out to Kingfisher.

"Hey, King, what do you want to do about Red over here?" He asked, pointing to the statue of the stallion. "Should I push him to the next waypoint?" Blast was feeling bad for the mare. She just lost one of the only family that she ever had. He wanted to at least have a feeling that there was still somepony here that cared for her.

[Mephisto 56]

"Aye aye Cap'n!!" Blake said half-jokefully. 'PMS much?' Blake thought to himself and dropped back to the rear of the group who he was walking with. He was only trying to show interest. "It takes a little knowledge into your team when you work together, to truly know how to work with them.." He murmurs to himself. His drunkness actually made him MORE intelligent. "My Bonnie lies over the ocean, my Bonnie lies over the sea..." He sang to himself quietly.

 

((Hehe, he may be more intelligent, but he's still drunk.))

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kingfisher.
 
@,
 
'Another one who wants to use the Litany. As if the psycho that just killed Red wasn't warning enough...'
 
She hesitated before giving a slight nod and momentarily seizing the unicorns hoof.
 
"Don't make me regret it." She said before releasing it and turning back to Blast. "Leave him. He'll only slow us down. We can come back when all of this is over." She announced sadly: painfully aware than trying to carry a statue with them was pointless and far from practical.

[Kulstor 254]

Rakon continued flying, attempting to stay with the group he was with.  "Is that the pony that read the legacy?  Looks very evil to me." He said.  "I wonder if he'll be destroyed if we destroy the legacy.  If it is dangerous maybe it should be destroyed." He said looking at some nearby ponies. 

[EcstaticWind 572]

Aegis simply observed. The group looked like it was in disarray. Arguments seemed common, and from the looks of it, they’d lost their leader. ‘This isn’t good. If this keeps up, we’ll all be doomed and Orion will find that Litany before they do. Perhaps I should do something to ease Kingfisher’s mood. The worst that can happen is they evict me from the group. I talk to myself a lot, don’t I?’ Aegis thought to himself. For now, he was a newcomer who didn’t know the group’s dynamics yet. His time to act would come, but it wasn’t here yet.

 

@,

“He meant a lot to you, didn’t he?” Aegis asked, turning his attention to Kingfisher and hoping to gain some insight into the group and the pony they just lost.

[Mephisto 56]

'Him?' Blake thought, questioning how a statue was animate.

 

Kingfisher.

 @,

 'Another one who wants to use the Litany. As if the psycho that just killed Red wasn't warning enough...'

 

She hesitated before giving a slight nod and momentarily seizing the unicorns hoof.

 "Don't make me regret it." She said before releasing it and turning back to Blast. "Leave him. He'll only slow us down. We can come back when all of this is over." She announced sadly: painfully aware than trying to carry a statue with them was pointless and far from practical.

"Misses Boss Lady, I might add that only 50 percent of my questions have been answered. A little context would be very much appreciated." He then thought aloud, but quietly, almost to a whisper. "What's her story?"

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@,

Eclipse lowered his head, but kept his eyes on Kingfisher.

"Let's just push forward, Kingfisher. It's what your captain would want us to do." Eclipse said. A piece of his memory flashed before his eyes. The memory of his wife, Star.

 

-Flashback-

"Honey, you don't have to do this! Let me take the death toll instead! It was my doing!"
"No, dear. Just take care of our son. Make sure he grows to be a strong stallion... just like his father..."
The guards strapped her to an electric chair and put a helmet on her. At just the push of a button, she was fried, and Eclipse had to watch her die.

"STAR!!"

Although, this memory left the white stallion confused.

 

Blast stopped pushing the stone statue of Red and left him there perfectly intact. He then saw an agreement of cooperation between Eclipse and Kingfisher. As Eclipse walked away, Blast began trotting beside Kingfisher and let out a slight "heh"

"See? I told you he wasn't all bad. Though, he can be a little irritating." He remarked to her. "I just hoped that we've covered some ground between us and Orion for awhile..."

[Umbreon 569]

Pavisa

 

@, 

 

Pavisa flinched slightly at Kingfisher's initial rebuttal, but didn't put too much concern into it.  She accounted it to the other mare's grieving, and simply nodded her head.  Focus on the mission...  Right.  

 

She felt like she should say something else, but everypony else seemed to be vying to exchange words with Kingfisher.  Pavisa was content for now to walk alongside the others quietly.  There were a dozen different thoughts bouncing around her head that she wanted to say, but now wouldn't be a good time for any of them.  For the moment she would just focus on putting one hoof in front of the other, and hope they could put some distance between themselves and Orion.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kingfisher.

 

@,
 

"You're looking at my... companion. Redwave - or what's left of him." Kingfisher said, moving on without looking at the statue.

 

@@Windbreaker,

 

"And yes, he did. I'd be dead if not for him... a lot of ponies would be." She shook her head. "Everything I have, everything I am is because of him. So if I seem in a foul temper that's why,"

Edited October 30, 2013 by Cinderscribe

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@,

Eclipse clutched his head at his sudden spike of memory. He felt like he was about to break down, but he had no idea why. He didn't recognize this mare at all and he didn't remember having a son. He also didn't remember witnessing the mare's death by electric chair.

 

Too many things were happening all at once for him. He now knew that not only he was gunning for the Litany, but so were a crazed alicorn and this group. He decided to step back a little bit and try to gather info on what was going on. The mare they called "Pasiva" seemed like a good choice at the moment.

"What in the world just happened?" He asked the mare. "Who was that alicorn? For what reason does he want the Litany?"

[Ihei 713]

@,

 

Aphrodite

 

"Well, I'd leave him be for now. Until we find something that can overcome his.. petrified-ness.. we'll have to leave him there. Besides, it's not like anypony would want to steal him." Aphrodite said, rolling her eyes at the thought and continuing down the trail. 

[Umbreon 569]

Pavisa

 

@, 

 

It took the guard a second to recognize the pony addressing her, she had been lost in her thoughts.  Blinking a couple times she turns her gaze back towards the road as she speaks.  

 

"I don't understand it very well myself...  His name is Orion, and he's already read at least half of the Litany.  That's why he's so ridiculously strong...  It has something to do with him believing the Litany will help him protect his sister."  She almost felt like she was choking as she said that word.  Protect.  You're doing about as good of a job at that as Orion is...  Actually, he's doing a better job than you are...

 

She shakes her head, trying to chase away her thoughts.  Instead she focuses her gaze back on the road as she continues to talk.  "Our only hope is to get to the Litany before he does...  If he finishes the Litany he'll be even more unstoppable than he already is."

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@,

Scribbler sighed with relief, believing he had truly managed to get out without being noticed. He peered back around, and glanced toward Orion, noting he had begun to follow the other ponies, still dragging the puppet of a spell with him. He thought for a moment about his next move. Was it still worth the risk? What was this Litany? Where were they all headed in such a hurry? And Why on earth would they have been fighting in the first place?

 

Scribbler lifted his invisibility, and followed Orion silently. Keeping himself at a distance that would not put himself in immediate danger, were he to be noticed. He stifled all magic usage to conserve it, knowing his teleportation spell would save his life in the worst case scenario. Which in this case, would be any confrontation with such a powerful alicorn.

[Mephisto 56]

Blake stopped and looked back at the... Redwave. He paused, but eventually began back forward. He hung around back, alone. He decided that right now, it was better to be silent, than try to be a friend. He was also sobering up. "In pace requiescat." He said in her general direction, he believed that she wouldn't understand, but he felt that it needed to be said. After that, he was silent.

[RAGESTAR 479]

Crimson trotted beside Pavisa and put a hoof on her shoulder. "You seem pretty stressed out Pavisa, you should try and calm down a little, I've learned that the more stressed you are on a dangerous quest, the more problems you run into...so just relax a little, ok?" Said Crimson.