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

[Umbreon 569]

Zintiik

 

@@SilverHeart,

 

Zintiik blinked as he heard his name, turning his head to stare at Mirror.  He hadn't expected anyone to look to him for conversation except for Willow or Orion, and he narrows his eyes in suspicion as she asks her question.

 

"...The first one."  It was a question he could have predicted, but that was a sore subject for the changeling.  It still made his head hurt if he tried to focus on finding the direction of the hive, and a large part of him still missed it sorely.  The hive had been his entire existence before Canterlot.

 

She's the one that smiled at me before...  Does that mean anything?  I've never seen a pony before that would smile at a changeling as a first reaction...  Zintiik was still suspicious about ponies other than Orion and Willow, and the two newcomers to their small party were near the top of his list to be wary of.

 

 

Pavisa

 

@,

 

A sharp intake of breath accompanies the first couple straps Kingfisher tugs on as Pavisa feels the armor tighten around her, though as the metal plates start to come off she begins to breathe easier.  Pushing her helmet off she tries to push herself back to her hooves, looking down sadly at the bulk of her suit which she was being forced to abandon.  

 

"I'm fine now, thanks...  And it has to be the Litany trying to protect itself.  That's the only thing I can think of."  She tries to shove her abandoned armor into a pile, hoping that she would be able to come back for it later.  She kept the reinforced armor around her forelegs that she had shown Kingfisher the first night, but she still felt naked without the bulky layers of steel.  But at least she could actually move now.

 

Pavisa turns to look down the trail which had to lead to the Litany chamber.  She couldn't see Midnight's advance group, but she couldn't imagine they were too far behind them.  She turns to look at Kingfisher again, nodding her head towards the cavern.  "Stay close in here...  We'll try to catch up to Midnight's party, but I don't want anything to happen to you."

 

As weak as I'm feeling, not sure what I'll be able to do to stop anything that does show up...  But Celestia help me if I'm going to let anything else happen to her while I'm still breathing.

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

(OOC: Fuck, guys. I have no idea where we are! Thanks alot.)

Blasted Nova went on his own, regardless of what anypony said. He began treading down the Falls rather cautiously, making sure he wouldn't slip and fall into the bottomless pit below. He intended to take the Litany for himself and take it somewhere Orion would never find it. Or, at least, cover some more ground when the group eventually catches up.

((OOC: Now that I know where we're at, I'll edit... majorly.))

Eclipse

Eclipse locked his eyes on the Litany and tired to use his psychokinesis to levitate it towards him. But, the Litany was too powerful. Eclipse was forced to drop the scroll again and he fell to the floor.

"No... I can't die without knowing what happened... I need to find out..." Eclipse began crawling his way toward the Litany, powered by determination.

Blast
Blast felt slower and less agile as they approached the Litany. Redwave was right. This thing was powerful, more powerful than he could imagine. He was slowly walking next to Pasiva and Kingfisher.

"Man... I didn't know it'd be this strong..." Blast muttered. "We need to get there before Orion... or Equestria... is doomed..." He said, beginning to slow down even more.

Edited November 12, 2013 by StevenEarthPony

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

The walls around them shifted.

 

Not physically - they didn't move, turn or fall but simple ceased to be. Others appeared in different places as the temple itself faded from view with the ponies inside, replaced with a second. Gone were the dull, dark caves and ancient stones: replaced by the true glory of the Temple of the Falls - A maze of halls built from fine marble, adorned lavishly with gold, silver and jewels. 

 

Strange green gemstones hung from the now towering ceiling, glowing softly and casting an eerie glow on everything around: casting long, creeping shadows which seemed to move of their own accord - accompnied by an unnatural whispering.

 

The trial had begun.

 

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Kingfisher.

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"What happened!" Kingfisher almost shouted as the floor changed beneath her hooves - the space behind her where the entrance had been only seconds before now sealed behind the huge marble bricks. As she turned in panic to try and get her bearings in the new place, so did her shadow - after an almost unnoticeable delay.

[SilverHeart 741]

@,

 

Mirror Image nodded slowly thinking back to when she lost her parents. He's probably from the group that attacked Canterlot then. Poor thing, even if he is a changeling losing your family terrible. Mirror looked at the changeling with pity before speaking, "Well for  what it is worth, I'm sorry to hear that. I lost my own family when I was younger. It is never an easy ordeal."

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@@SilverHeart,

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Scribbler peered back to Mirror over his shoulder, having overheard their conversation "Forgive my eves-dropping self.. But.. I too am in a similar boat. I had trouble with my magic when I was a foal, and ended up halfway across Equestria with a portal spell I couldn't control. I likely have parents still, but who or where they are, I cannot say." He looked down, feeling that same old melancholy, the emptiness of not knowing one's origins. "I was very young when it happened, I only have faint memories of them.." He continued, then fell silent, walking along.

[Icy Void 19]

Midnight Sky

 

Midnight had been prepared for traps, maybe even guardians, but not for his magic to be drained. By now he had tried several times to use his telekinetic scan, but each time had failed and left him with a slight headache. "Careful Eclipse! We don't know what might..." Midnight said too late as Eclipse tried to levitate the Litany. As soon as the Litany hit the ground, barely a few inches from it's pedestal, the whole temple changed as if they were going back in time, and both the Litany and it's pedestal disappeared from view. "Great mother! The Litany, it's recreated what this temple used to look like and even moved itself, though I can still sense it's presence somewhere within this area. On top of that all our powers are drained so I can't tell if this is just an illusion or if the Temple really has been reconstructed by the Litany, so I'm open to suggestions. And Eclipse, try not to rush in next time. Besides, we can solve the problem with your past without the Litany, that scroll is too powerful. Nothing that good can exist without an equally bad drawback." Midnight said, unsure about what to do now. What he didn't say was that the architecture was hauntingly familiar to him. The Temple of the Litany looked just like the ancient temple that he discovered hidden beneath his mother's castle back home. Back then he didn't know what to make of it, but now it could suggest that at one point there had been a Litany in his homeland as well. What he wouldn't give to be able to use his magic right now.

 

 

Sunshine Rays

 

Sunshine was in awe of the situation. She knew her brother understood what was happening better than she did, but even she knew that this was some impressive magic. "This would be really amazing if it wasn't so dark and creepy! Give me a month and this could be the nicest temple on this side of the Crystal Mountains!" Sunshine said cheerfully. Even though the situation seemed bad, she had no doubt that her brother and his friends could solve this problem. Besides, if she didn't keep the mood light, who would?

[EcstaticWind 572]

Aegis took stock of the situation. His wings were rendered useless, and likely his Pegasus durability as well, meaning if he were to try and kick the walls, his legs would likely shatter before the walls did. Regardless, he stood firm as the  Temple changed.

 

"Never seen stuff like this before. What's your orders, my Liege?" Aegis asked, directing the question at Midnight and immediately regretting his choice of words.

 

'Aegis, you're an idiot. He doesn't like royal terms, and last I knew, 'liege' was a royal term...'

[Umbreon 569]

Zintiik

 

@, @@Midnight Scribbler,@@SilverHeart,@,

 

 

Zintiik frowned as he buzzed alongside the bridge quietly, his frown deepening as he listened to Mirror and Scribbler.  "They're not lost!  I just...  Don't know where they are...  You're ponies, you can't understand!"  With an angry huff he slows his pace to fly closer to Willow, feeling a little more comfortable next to her than by the others.  

 

"Being cut off from the hive isn't like losing your family.  It's more like I lost my head, and another one is trying to grow in its place!  The hive is EVERYTHING to a drone!  Without it...  Without the hive, I have no purpose."  He spares a glance to Orion and Willow before looking down again, the topic obviously a sore subject for the changeling.  "...That's why I need to find a new one."

 

 

Pavisa

 

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Pavisa did her best to brace herself as the temple shifted around them, turning rapidly to try and take in the situation.  "It has to be the Litany...  It's trying to defend itself!"  She looks at Kingfisher and Blast, a little shaky on her hooves after the rapid transition.

 

"Stay close...  If it can change the temple itself, we can't let it separate us.  We should try to find the others."  She was trying to stay confident despite feeling weak and being disoriented by the change.  Or to at least act confident for the sake of the others.  "As long as we stay calm and work together, we can handle whatever it throws at us.  Let's try to find the others."

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

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@@SilverHeart,

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Scribbler shook his head, feeling as though he'd been practically unheard by the changeling. He spoke, but didn't turn around, he merely kept walking.

"Zintiik, I don't mean to sound rude, but. You and I seem to have a similar story here. I didn't lose my parents either, and my destiny was carved out when I ended up apart from them. I can relate to that more than you seem willing to believe. I don't know what it's like to be part of a hive, but I do understand the loss of connection to the only family you have." He looked back to see what reaction the changeling had to his response. Hoping for the best, but not expecting much more than he'd already gotten out of Zintiik thus far.

[Umbreon 569]

@, @@Midnight Scribbler,@@SilverHeart,@,

 

Zintiik

 

Zintiik shakes his head again, bringing a hoof up to his head.  He was watching the spikes underneath him now instead of looking at the others.  "That's just it...  You don't know what it's like to be in the hive!  It's not like losing family, it's like...  It's like losing your identity!"

 

He flies over to the bridge, landing next to Willow instead of flying.  He wasn't confident he could fly straight while on a topic like this.  "Have you ever heard of a 'hive mind'?  Using your family analogy, imagine this.  Imagine you were born with dozens of brothers and sisters.  Imagine you were raised by all of your aunts, uncles, cousins.  Every moment you were surrounded by dozens of others, just like you, and you could understand exactly what all of the others meant without ever needing to say a word."

 

Zintiik lowers his gaze again, shutting his eyes.  He might have been on the verge of tears, but that would be crazy.  Could changelings even cry?  "And then, one day, every single voice goes quiet.  Even the Queen's.  One moment you can hear all of them in your head, you know just who you are and exactly where you belong, and the next moment NOTHING!"  

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@,@,

 

Blast

Blast began slowing down even more, treading further behind Pasiva and Kingfisher. But, he was trying his best to push forward. He began thinking about what was at stake here; Equestria. If they couldn't get the Litany, that would mean destruction for the entire land. He wasn't about to let that happen.

Powered by determination, Blast began taking giant steps forward, practically crawling towards the scroll.

"No... won't give up now... can't... let... the alicorn... win!"

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@@SilverHeart,

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Scribbler glanced over his shoulder, with a sympathetic look. Zintiik seemed as though he was almost a pony, yet in so many ways he was his own thing entirely. That minor amount of similarity made Scribbler feel for the creature. Although he knew little of Changelings, he'd never met one, and certainly didn't expect to be speaking or relating with one. "Perhaps you're right Zintiik. I can say I'd probably go insane hearing others thoughts though.. But seeing as that is how you were born, and who you are. I can understand how being detached from it would be rather.. discomforting." Scribbler had only heard bad things about changelings, but this one didn't seem so evil to him. He had a fiery attitude and seemingly a sense of humor for scaring ponies with his appearance, but nothing that would warrant the label 'evil'. "I never had an identity when I was lost, I had to build one from the day I was old enough to understand what identity was." He turned back again. Facing where he was going.

[Ihei 713]

@,@@Midnight Scribbler, @, @@SilverHeart,

 

Willow Starsinger

 

Willow gave a slight smile to Zintiik as he flew next to her. She looked at Orion who seemed to be thinking to himself: he barely talked to her since.. well, since Mirror Image and Midnight Scribbler came along. She had to admit: she had been spending more time with Zintiik than Orion. And she had spent more time trying to save Redwave than to spend quality time with Orion. Oh, how she longed just to go home with no worries: no Litany, no nothing. They seemed to grow a little-no, a LOT more distant since the Litany came along.

 

She trotted over to her brother and nuzzled his cheek with hers assuringly. She wanted him to be sure that she still cared for him even though she's trotted away from him consistently. She looked over to see Mirror Image, Zintiik, and Scribbler talking to each other. She gave a small glare to Mirror Image and quickly glanced away. "I can't hate her.. I just.. can't!" Willow was surprised when Zintiik flew over with his eyes shining with tears. "Zintiik? Are you alright?"

 

@,@, @,

 

Aphrodite

 

"Ooop! Where's everypony else?" Aphrodite smiled to herself, brushing herself off when she heard the temple entrance slam. "I guess I'll have to find everypony else!" Aphrodite skipped down the dark, spooky hallway. "Whoop-I almost crashed into you, spider! How silly of me!" Aphrodite said to a tiny spider hanging down from the ceiling, bouncing down the hallway. "It's fun to get lost!" Aphrodite sang out loud, her voice echoing.

Edited January 9, 2015 by Kaia

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kingfisher.

 

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Pressing against Pavisa, the mare glanced around her.

 

"Uhm, you!" Kingfisher called out, failing to recall Blast's name as she saw him not far from them. "Are you okay? Stay close - i don't want any of us to get lost in here and..."

 

She stalled mid-sentence. Something catching her eye. When she turned to look at it, there was nothing but her shadow against a wall. She watched it for a moment and it mimicked her, before she looked back to the other two.

 

"I don't like it in here... I keep thinking that I can see things out of the corner of my eye, but when I look its just my shadow or something! How does a book do this? It's not right!"

 

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

 

Orion Starsinger.

 

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The headaches were starting to return: slower than before but still noticeably. He didn't mind - Scribblers spell seemed to be keeping the worst if the pain at bay still.

 

Smiling somewhat at the affection from his sister, Orion followed (and misread) Williows glance towards Mirror and nudged her gently in the side.

 

"So...?" He asked proudly. "You said that you were lonely... now we have friends who we can trust!"

 

Right at that moment, Zintiik approached, looking surprisingly emotional for one of his kind: admittedly, Orion had little past experience with Changelings, but he had never seen one openly looking upset.

 

"What's wrong my friend?" The Alicorn asked cautiously, following Willows example.

[SilverHeart 741]

(OOC: Posting quickly from my phone before work. No italics. Everything in the quotation marks are thoughts.)

 

Mirror Image muttered an apology to the changeling and continued to walk after the group. More or less certain that he hadn't heard it, for a moment she thought of apologizing a bit louder. She looked ahead just barely in time to catch Willow's glare. "What in Celestia's name was that?"

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@,@, @,

 

Blast

"I wonder if it can do the same to our little alicorn friend." Blast speculated. Still, he didn't want to find out. All he knew was that he'd have to somehow regain his strength to get to the Litany. He then noticed that something was terribly wrong.

"Wait... where's Aphrodite? She should be here with us!" He asked, becoming worried.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

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@@SilverHeart,

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Scribbler fell silent, and averted his gaze from the group. He instead peered out across the cruel fields of razor stones, wondering how such a thing could have formed naturally. In his head, a multitude of things began racing through. Thoughts of what the Litany would mean to the world, and what would happen if they found it. Would Orion truly be able to control such power? Scribbler began to feel somewhat worried, he glanced at Orion, then back to the bridge at his hooves as he walked. "His ambition could be his own demise, but I cannot doubt his intentions..They are righteous in nature. I don't trust his judgement on the use of this Litany, having such little knowledge in magic as he seemed to have when he first encountered it. Would it overtake his mind? Would he be able to control such power? Something doesn't sit well, and though I do not wish to cross him, I cannot just watch as he tears himself apart with powers that are beyond him... Perhaps there is another way.."

[RAGESTAR 479]

Crimson's normally strong posture and form, now seemed to fade a bit, almost as if something was weakening him. "wait...silver pieces? Oh shit...uh, hey guys...I'm afraid that my powers won't help us here...and what's worse, this pressure is also limiting my physical prowess as well...let's hurry up and get that damned book!" said Crimson as he followed the rest of the group, panting slightly.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

@@Midnight Scribbler,

@@SilverHeart,
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The bridge served its purpose better than Orion could have hoped: the five of them were clearing Splinterhoof at more than twice the speed that the previous group had - and sustaining a good deal less damage on the way. As the falls came into view in the distance it was clear that something was wrong: for one, there was an ornate marble staircase spiraling around the waterfall itself: which in turn seemed to only be flowing at a fraction of the rate that it should be.

Orion had never been here before, but even so it was obvious that this was not how the falls were supposed to appear.

 

'Oh, well... that is...' The voice in his head - Legion - sounded surprised. 'The aura... you might not see it, but there is a lot of magic around there.

Edited November 14, 2013 by Cinderscribe

[Umbreon 569]

Pavisa

 

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Pavisa glances around at Blast's words, trying not to bite her lip in worry.  He was right, Aphrodite was nowhere to be seen.  She places a hoof reassuringly on Kingfisher's before nodding in what seemed to be the only direction to go.

 

"We'll have to find her before anything guarding this temple does, then.  C'mon, I don't like this place either, let's find Aphrodite and the others so we can find the Litany."

 

She was thinking about what Kingfisher had said about feeling like she was seeing something.  That wasn't good - Pavisa had thought she was just being paranoid, but it DID feel like something was watching them.  She had said it before, but the guard couldn't help but lean over to Kingfisher to whisper to the other mare.  "Whatever we run into, stay close to me."  

 

Wishing that she hadn't had to abandon the majority of her armour, Pavisa turns to start leading the others down the dark corridor before them.

 

 

Zintiik

 

@,

 @, 

@@Midnight Scribbler,

@@SilverHeart,

 

Zintiik shook his head and brought a hoof up to wipe the thin layer of moisture out of his eyes.  He couldn't remember ever crying from conversation before.  The only time he remembered ever crying before had been after he had been separated from the Hive, actually.

 

"It's...  It's nothing, just feeling..."  Feeling what?  Homesick?  That wasn't accurate.  It wasn't the Hive itself that Zintiik missed, it was the sense of belonging that came with the Hive.  He didn't miss the company of the other changelings as much as he missed knowing that they were there in his mind.

 

Unable to come up with a proper word and feeling all the more awkward as he stalled, he instead decided to try and change the subject.  Zintiik thrusts a hoof towards the falls as they come into view.  "Woah, is that a normal pony structure!?"

[SilverHeart 741]

@@Midnight Scribbler,

 

Mirror sped up until she was keeping pace with Midnight while doing so she took a quick glance at Willow, trying to gauge her reaction to her presence. "So Mr. Scribbler you mentioned that you...." Mirror trailed off as she took in the sight of the falls, namely the marble stairs twined around the waterfall. "Oh...wow...that's...gorgeous."

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

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@@SilverHeart,

 

Scribbler glanced to Mirror, surprised by her sudden desire to speak to him, after being so silent all the way. He looked up to what she pointed out, gazing with admiration at the unusual structure. "This is an interesting place indeed." He thought. He'd never seen waterfalls like this, let alone with stairs leading through them. It was a sight to behold. Scribbler turned his head again to Mirror. "Er.. you were saying?" He smiled.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kingfisher.

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Kingfisher looked back at the pirate mistrustfully - still not comfortable with having such a dangerous individual nearby. Still - at least he seemed to be there to help them. She stepped forward into a section lit by two of the strange crystals: the multiple lights causing her shadow to split into two - and will her with an instant feeling of paranoia. Pushing it down she took another step.
 
One shadow mimicked her perfectly. There was a short delay before the second did. As she passed the crystal, the light returned to a position where she should have cast only one. The second shadow however simply continued to follow. Whipping her head around suddenly, she saw it: her second shadow delayed a moment too long and for a second, they were staring at each other. Then it faded to nothing, leaving an ominous feeling in the mares stomach.
 
"Pavi..." She started to say, pausing as she realised that she could remember the guards name! There was no time for congratulating herself though. "... Pavisa, there's something following us..." She half-whimpered, reaching for the sword in a panic.

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

Orion Starsinger.

@,
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@@SilverHeart,
@@Midnight Scribbler,

"I don't think so..." Said Orion blankly. "The other place didn't do that."

'Well?' He thought.
 
'Well what? We told you what we know: remember, we were always inside the temple...' His mind answered in an irritated tone. 'Far more magic than we expected: we have not seen the defenses from this angle before...'

Edited November 14, 2013 by Cinderscribe

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@, @,

 

Blast

Blast began moving in the opposite direction of the Litany, hoping to find Aphrodite if they backtracked a bit. He could feel himself beginning to regain his strength as he moved away from the magical scroll. Though, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them from afar. This temple was pretty much the definition of creepy and dark, The only thing he could do was keep moving, hoping that whatever was watching them would eventually stop.

 

Eclipse

@Pretty much anyone who was with Eclipse at the time (AKA Midnight and his group.)

Eclipse continued to claw his way towards the Litany. The only thing keeping him going was determination. He felt as if he was going to die right there. There was no way he was going down without knowing of the truth of his past. Eventually, the Litany finally overcame him. He ended with a thud on the ground and collapsed.

[Umbreon 569]

Pavisa

 

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Spinning back around at Kingfisher's voice, Pavisa glanced around warily for what she said was following them.  "Where?"  She moves to try and step ahead of Kingfisher again, still protective of the other mare despite her weakened state.  The crystals threw shadows throughout the cavern - their follower could be anywhere...

 

In the back of her mind Pavisa was happy to hear Kingfisher say her name, but there would be time to address that later.  She glances at Kingfisher's sword out of the corner of her eye.  "Think you can remember how to use that if you need to?"  For once Pavisa wished that she had brought a weapon herself - her armour had always been more than enough for her.  She hadn't once considered the possibility she would be caught without it.  At least she still had the thick shields around her forelegs...