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

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kingfisher.
 

With their distraction, there was just enough time for Kingfisher to try and formulate a plan. Failing that, she looked for other options.

 

@@Icy Void, 
 
"Do what she says!" Shouted Kingfisher, flailing a hoof towards the mare urgently as a tendril of shadow formed and started to wrap itself around her leg.

 

@@Windbreaker, 

 

"Aegis! Don't you know any stories about anything like this? Come on, your a bard aren't you? Think!" She grunted towards the stallion.
 
'Wow, what was that? What am I even talking about? A bard? He's a writer, what the hay is a bard? Wait, hes a writer! I remember!'
 
---------------
 
Orion Starsinger.
 
@@Midnight Scribbler,
@@SilverHeart, 
@, 

"By the Ancients!" Grunted Orion. "She's going to be the end of me if nothing else... Quickly!"
 
Galloping towards the falls, he began to ascend the steps as quickly as possible, as he reached the top, he stumbled, staggering before falling to his knees. He grunted, trying to use his wings to push himself up. He couldn't.
 
They were gone.

Edited November 15, 2013 by Cinderscribe

[Mephisto 56]

He revealed his knives, in wait of the nearest hostile. The blades were long, slender, and curved. They shined a brilliant bluish silver, with a golden finish. His mind wandered back to the day he inherited these... From his father.

 

(Flashback)

 

"STOP!!!! NO!!! THEY DIDN'T DO IT!!!" Screamed a young Blake as he was held back by several guards. One placed a sword to his throat.

 

"Back boy, or you'll be up next." A guard said as his father, mother, and brother were walked up to the hangman's noose. He could only look away as the sound of boards dropping and roped tightening cracked through the air.

 

".........."

 

(End)

 

His mind snapped back as he felt something touch his side. He freaked out, only to see that it was Kingfisher. He contained his embarrassment, and took a swipe at a shadow.

Edited November 15, 2013 by Blake Diamante

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@,

 

Scribbler took off after him, following closely, and nearly running into the back of him as he stumbled. "What happened? Are you al.. Wait, what happened to you? Your.. Your wings are gone!" Scribbler was somewhat frightened by the notion of something powerful enough to just cause an alicorn's wings to vanish like this. "What sorcery is this?" He backed up slightly, confused.

[Ihei 713]

(( OOC: Even though I didn't mention you, this is an important post. Read. ))

 

Willow Starsinger

 

Willow trotted through the temple until she felt a strange sensation around her body. She looked back and didn't see anything happening to it, but she felt like something was.. forming. She ignored it. She trotted for another hour and looked back again; nothing. Just bumps. She paid no attention to it again. Then, when she started thinking she was trotting in a circle, she grew bored and looked at her belly again: to see tiny, tiny, little feathers. She realized: she was growing wings. "No.. this can't be!" Willow grew panicked. She ran around in a circle yet again and took deep breaths. 

 

"There has to be a way this happened.. there just got to!" 

 

Willow thought back. When Orion and her were at home and he stumbled upon the Litany, he had spent hours, days, weeks, reading, studying, and earning power from that book. She had grown curious about just what is so interesting that made Orion read it for so many days, and she decided to read it. And she read, and she read.. she had read almost 10 pages until Orion was back in the room. She quickly stopped and lied, saying that she was simply dusting his room. He believed her. That night, she had craved to read more of the book. She crept into his room to find him reading it more and more until it had vanished from his desk. It had fled from them: abusing its power. She decided to promise herself that she won't read it anymore. 

 

And she had read so much of it that she had grown wings. 

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Orion Starsinger.
 
@@Midnight Scribbler,

The magic of the Litany was powerful: more powerful even than Orion, in his enhanced state. The power that had drained off power, strength and talent was even enough to affect the Alicorn - reducing him to little more than his usual self. A faint blue glow hung in the air marking the point where his abilities had been reclaimed by the Litany - if only temporarily.

"I don't know..." Winced the unicorn.
 
'What's happening to me?'
 
'...'
 
He heaved himself upright. "It wants us to do this on equal terms... Fine. Willow's in there, I'm going."

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@,

 

Orion seemed determined, and there was no stopping him now. He was on a mission, his sister was now in danger. "I'm right behind you Orion. It's interesting to finally see what you look like underneath all the magical enhancements.. but, do you still have the powers of the litany? It may be important to know before you go in and try to do something you can't do anymore." He began to wonder what might happen if they met up with the bandits before they reached Willow. With only four of them together, the fifth missing. Who knows, Scribbler had no idea how many bandits there even were, he'd only caught a glimpse of a couple of them, the rest seemed to have taken to their hooves that first night before he could count how many there were. "You were right about the magical aura, I can feel it, and it's quite strong." He felt his horn tingling from the magical presence, not energizing or positive, but seemingly hostile in nature. Such was to be expected of a defensive barrier, he thought.

[SilverHeart 741]

Mirror trotted after the others, easily falling behind the rest. The mare had started out strong keeping pace until she started to slow. Try as she might the others were She found herself winded and feeling lightheaded once she reached the stairs. Panting she came to a stop and looked up. Orion and Scribbler had already ventured ahead Zintiik, however was nowhere to be seen. He had probably already chased after Willow. Looking up she pulled the hood of her cloak over her face and began the slow, time consuming, climb to the top.

[Mephisto 56]

Blake thought about something for a moment and had an idea. He held his torch fast and swung it at a shadow nearby. The thing seemed to smoke and recede slightly at the mere presence of the torch, it even hissed. "What does evil and darkness fear most?" He whispered to himself, repeating an old tale. "To be seen for what it truly is." He said as he swung the stick of light at and shadow daring to get near.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

???.

 

@,

 

Quite unlike the others in the temple - the nameless, tainted aspect was having an excellent time. The aura of magic was decidedly tasty and he was warm and comfortable curled up around the neck of the mare - feeding off the magic in the air... at least until Willow started to panic.

 

"Kree?!" It crackled curiously at the wings as it was displaced - quite happy with not trying to eat them, but nuzzling against them inquisitively instead. It never quite understood what wings were supposed to be for - not needing them to fly itself.

 

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

 

Redwave.

 

Pushing through the last few rocks of the Splinterhoof hills, Redwave tore off one of the strips of red sailcloth from his side and wrapped it tightly around a particularly nasty gash with a wince and slight sigh. There was no sign if either his companions or the group that he had been following: the bridge had given them a huge advantage ofer him in crossing the hills.

 

"Of all the foul luck..." He muttered, pulling out the compass again.

 

"Willow..." He muttered.

 

No response.

 

"Kingfisher?" He tried.

 

No response.

 

Dropping it to his side, he started to make his way towards the falls: hoping for the best.

[EcstaticWind 572]

Aegis Dare

@, 

 

“I’m TRYING to think! You try having your mind flooded with all your doubts and fears, then making yourself sick on top of it!” He yelled back, trying to stem the tide and reclaim his senses. But it was difficult with his stomach churning and his head spinning like a top. He clutched his head in pain, not noticing a shadow attempt to attack him from behind…

 

 

Noble Persona

@, 

 

The day was not yet over, and much ground had been covered already. A stranger clad in a simple, but badly ripped and tattered, black cloak stood before the temple. He’d been searching for this for some time, and all the better that others had gone ahead before him. They would clear the traps for him and reveal other dangers. Dangers he could then plan for.

 

He paused as he sensed another approaching, then darted into some nearby bushes where he watched. When he caught sight of the other pony, he donned a black mask and leapt out, sword drawn and violet eyes sparkling through the eyeholes.

 

“Speak your name!” He said in an imposing tone, intended to intimidate.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Redwave.

 

@@Windbreaker,

 

"Sweet mercy of the sisters, can I not have a moment to myself without these infernal interruptions?" Redwave loudly asked a nearby rock before turning toward the pony blocking his path with a heavy sigh. "Since the last time I slept I have been cut, I have been thrown, I have been beaten, shredded, turned to stone and I have had a piece bitten from me by a tiny creature that by all accounts should not even does not even exist. I do not have time for this!" He complained dismissively.

 

It wasn't often that Redwave lamented bad luck - it was just an unfortunate fact of life - but he had really jus had enough of things going badly.

 

"And to top it off, I am sober!" He finished climatically, waving a hoof widely as if this was the worst crime of all.

[EcstaticWind 572]

Noble Persona

@, 

 

The masked stranger lowered his sword. He couldn’t fault the complaining pony’s courage in the face of an armed adversary, but that was simply avoiding the matter at hand. He prepared two spells in his mind. A flash spell to blind and a concussive shot to stun.

 

“My heart bleeds for the unkillable unfortunate, but is there a name to go with this fountain of complaints? I don’t want to repeat myself a second time, so if you’re quite done, speak your name.” His words had a sarcastic edge to them, which not many ponies picked up on.

[Icy Void 19]

Midnight Sky

 

As Midnight forced himself back to his hooves, he was immediately met by the sight of Aegis standing still in pain. That was when he noticed a shadow approaching the writer from behind. "Look out!" Midnight managed to yell at Aegis as he half jumped half stumbled his way between Aegis and the shadow. He figured his armor would fair much better against the shadow than Aegis would, so he might as well help. Helping just happened to come with the side effect of another burst of pain from his headache this time.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Redwave.

 

@@Windbreaker,

 

Red looked at the pony with a weary grimace: somehow still managing to keep the cocky look in his dropping eyes... how long had it been since he last slept? His luck had to run out sooner or later - he needed to rest, not get into a fight with fashion-disaster here.

 

"Oh stow it: I fully intend for you to know my name." He said, drawing himself up as proudly as one could with only half - functioning muscles, a slashed leg and a rather unpleasant feeling of sickness welling up in their chest. "I am Al-Ahmar! Erythrá! or if you prefer simple Equestrian, Redwave, of the Dawn Dreamer!"

 

It struck him that the speech was more impressive when he wasn't only half alive, and stopped short of listing his self-claimed titles.

 

"... and if you intend on using that sword, might I ask that you cut the dramatics short and do so? My attention is required elsewhere..."

Edited November 15, 2013 by Cinderscribe

[EcstaticWind 572]

Aegis Dare

 

Aegis couldn't react fast enough. The shadow lunged for him, stopped only by Midnight's intervention. The shadow seemed puzzled, then resumed its attack.

 

"STOP IT!"

 

The shadow stopped once more at Aegis' command, if only out of curiosity. Aegis slowly made his way to Midnight and stood beside the former prince. His blurry gaze locked onto the shadow, which stared straight back. "I think I understand. You're not evil, are you? You're just that part of us that we'd rather forget about. Our darker side. Our pain, rage and sadness brought to a strange form of life by the Litany."

 

The shadow inspected Aegis curiously, looking him over from head to hoof. Aegis reached out to it, and it likewise reached out to him. "We all have a little darkness inside us. But we shouldn't fear it. Because the dark isn't evil. It simply exists."

 

 

Noble Persona

@, 

 

He sheated his sword and removed his mask, revealing his handsome, but decidedly sinister, face. He regarded the half-dead captain with a look of bored disinterest having determined that he was no threat.

 

"I've no interest in unecessary killing, and you wouldn't be much fun to fight in your current state anyway. My name is Noble Persona, but I also go by the name Artorias, after a great knight who fought against Discord 1000 years ago. Now, I must be on my way. There are only so many hours in the day."

 

He turned and walked in the direction of Neighagra Falls. Towards the hiding place of the Litany...

 

(OOC: yes, describing Noble's looks is necessary.)

Edited November 15, 2013 by Windbreaker

[RAGESTAR 479]

Crimson paused in mid swing, when attacking the shadows, to give Kingfisher a stoic look. "Listen...I know you may not trust me very much...but I want you to do me a favor...take everyone and go find the litany...I'll hold them off...can you do that for me?" Asked Crimson as he defended from the shadows as best as he could.

[Mephisto 56]

 

Aegis Dare

 

Aegis couldn't react fast enough. The shadow lunged for him, stopped only by Midnight's intervention. The shadow seemed puzzled, then resumed its attack.

 

"STOP IT!"

 

The shadow stopped once more at Aegis' command, if only out of curiosity. Aegis slowly made his way to Midnight and stood beside the former prince. His blurry gaze locked onto the shadow, which stared straight back. "I think I understand. You're not evil, are you? You're just that part of us that we'd rather forget about. Our darker side. Our pain, rage and sadness brought to a strange form of life by the Litany."

 

The shadow inspected Aegis curiously, looking him over from head to hoof. Aegis reached out to it, and it likewise reached out to him. "We all have a little darkness inside us. But we shouldn't fear it. Because the dark isn't evil. It simply exists."

 

 

Noble Persona

@, 

 

He sheated his sword and removed his mask, revealing his handsome, but decidedly sinister, face. He regarded the half-dead captain with a look of bored disinterest having determined that he was no threat.

 

"I've no interest in unecessary killing, and you wouldn't be much fun to fight in your current state anyway. My name is Noble Persona, but I also go by the name Artorias, after a great knight who fought against Discord 1000 years ago. Now, I must be on my way. There are only so many hours in the day."

 

He turned and walked in the direction of Neighagra Falls. Towards the hiding place of the Litany...

 

(OOC: yes, describing Noble's looks is necessary.)

 

 

Blake swung at another, but It grabbed him this time. The very moment that it touched his skin, his eyes went blank, almost as though he were deeply entranced.

 

(Flashback)

 

"Son, your family left you something. It's an old box, and we have no idea what it is, but... it's to be given to you." droned an elderly stallion from a swivel chair across a desk. 

 

Blake was outside when he opened it. He first found a note with dark red outlining. He read it.

 

'Blake, I'm sorry that we had to leave you. We knew that it was only a matter of time before they framed us for something. You live on, but you must go, for staying will mean your certain death... we left you a present so you'll always be safe. I was always hard on you, but that's because I didn't want you to turn out like us. Goodbye, we love you.'

 

Blake began to weep as he drew the daggers from the box. Along with a strange collar. He put it on.

 

"There he is! Arrest him!!" shouted a guard as he barreled at Blake. He didn't stop for words before he ran. As he ran for city limits, a guard stepped in front of him. He couldn't stop now. He shut his eyes, and heard a sickening slice as he plunged the dagger into the guards throat. He ran until the sun began to drop.

 

'I killed him....' he thought with horror.

 

(Flashback end.)

 

The shadow dissapated as 2 words left Blake's lips. "I'm sorry." he cried as the tears rolled down his face.

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@@Icy Void,@@Windbreaker,

 

Eclipse

Eclipse got up to the shadow being and began to charge his psychic ball from his horn, but was stopped by Aegis . It seemed as if he was trying to make peace with the shadow creatures.

"Be careful with what you're doing, Aegis." Eclipse said, charging up his horn. "After what these guys are doing to Blast and Pavisa, I don't trust them one bit."

[Umbreon 569]

Pavisa

 

@@Windbreaker,

@,

@(Everyone else in Kingfisher's group)

 

Pavisa's front legs felt like she had been trying to stop the Falls themselves with her shields, each block rattling her body in her weakened state.  As she tries to reposition herself her legs finally give out on her, causing her to collapse with her front legs splayed out.  She gritted her teeth while waiting for the inevitable blow to come, but from somewhere behind her she heard Aegis' voice before any of the shadows could strike.

 

 

 

"I think I understand. You're not evil, are you? You're just that part of us that we'd rather forget about. Our darker side. Our pain, rage and sadness brought to a strange form of life by the Litany."

 

As the shadow pony brought a hoof down into Pavisa's face, she didn't flinch.  She stared straight at the shadow...  And the limb passed through her, as harmless as what it was made of.  "I get it...  You can't conquer your fears with force, you have to accept them and move past them...  Nopony will get hurt if we can help each other overcome our fears."

 

She shakily tries to push herself back upright, though she stumbles on her sore legs and ends up falling onto her flank.  Breathing a sigh of relief just to be out of the immediate danger, she turns her head a little to call back to the author.  "Hey, Aegis...  Good job, soldier."  

 

 

Zintiik

 

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

 

Upon realizing that Willow was missing, Zintiik didn't wait for an order this time.  He had flown ahead of the group straight into the temple without hesitation.  "Willow!?"  He was worried about the mare, so much so that at first he didn't even realize when he had passed through the magical barrier around the temple.

 

The magical field designed to test ponies had seemingly not been created with Changelings in mind.  Or if it had, it hadn't been meant as a test so much as a strict defense.  Two things happened to Zintiik as he flew into the temple.

 

First, he began to lose control of his shapeshifting powers.  The barrier affected the natural talents of those who entered it - as a changeling, Zintiik's natural talent involved changing his body to take the identity of other ponies.  He wasn't losing his ability to shapeshift, though, as much as he was losing his ability to control it.  The changeling who had spent so much time masterfully stealing the guise of other ponies was now having trouble maintaining his natural appearance.  His wings changed into those of a pegasus for a minute before changing colors, then back to those of a changeling, then a pegasus' again.  His body continued to change color without his consent, as did the length of his chipped horn.

 

But, that was nothing compared to the second thing that affected the changeling.  He could have dealt with the transformation loss - it was the mental loss that hit him the hardest.  The special talent that was imprinted on him since before he was born, the talent present in every recorded predator-prey interaction.  The ability for the predator to repress the feelings of the prey.

 

This barrier sapped that talent from Zintiik that he hadn't even been aware he had, and in the span of a second a lifetime of emotion flooded the changelings mind.  He saw the ponies he had fed from, the way they had looked at him believing him to be a loved one as he drained them of strength.  The ponies he had lied to.  Betrayed.

 

And for the first time, Zintiik felt guilt.  He felt grief.  He felt a wave of emotions for the ponies he had victimized washing over him, thoughts he had never had before.  Unable to see where he was going, Zintiik flew face first into a wall of the temple.  He didn't even feel the physical pain over what was going on in his head.  Slumping down onto the floor, the changeling tried to feebly cover his head with his hooves as he shrieked.  "Make them stop!  Please!  Somepony make them stop!"

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@,

 

Blast

Blast looked up at Pavisa through black eyes. The shadow beings really put a beatdown on him, especially since he didn't have any armor whatsoever.

"Why are you so non-hesitant to forgive these guys?" Blast asked through head breaths. "They nearly killed us, and you're forgiving them for it?"

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kingfisher.

 

The mare drew back her sword, about to lash out again before halting: the faceless shadow staring at her with a barely suppressed anger. Whatever the writer had done - it was working.

 

"Go!" She hissed, waving a hoof down the hall. "Quickly Get to the book thing!"

 

The assault had stopped, but the feeling of malevolence coming from these creatures lingered. Aegis seemed to think that they were, what, their dark sides? Maybe he was right - but she didn't want to be near them any longer than she had to be.

 

...

 

With the fears of the Changeling running through the tunnels the shadows started to writhe again. Not immediately near them - those ones around her simply looked... blank. Not hostile, not passive but just like shadows should

 

But a presence that was far more aggressive was getting closer like a tidal wave of darkness. 

[EcstaticWind 572]

Aegis Dare

@, 

 

The shadow and Aegis embraced one another, and Aegis felt some of his strength return as the shadow vanished and his head cleared. He turned to the Guardspony and smiled. "Thanks. It's Pavisa, right?" He asked.

 

@, 

 

"It's not about forgiving them. It's about accepting your past and the darkness we all have inside us, and coming out stronger," Aegis said. He paused as a malevolent aura seemed to hang in the air. "That's not good. There's a story like this. The hero's final test was his greatest fear, and it began the same way as now. A really bad feeling, and lots of running. I say we follow his example."

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Orion Starsinger.
 
@@Midnight Scribbler,

@@SilverHeart,

 

Blinking as his eyes ajusted to the sudden loss of his enhanced vision, Orion tried to summon a light to better help him see as he looked into the entrance of the ruin.

 

The spell fizzled into nothing - the draining field effecting him just as much as anypony else.

"Okay, lets go." He stated as he stepped into the tunnel - gradually making his way along the incline before the world seemed to shift around him.

 
'... typical. Now, where is Willow? And Zintiik for that matter?'
 
'...'

'... and the Litany...'

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@@Windbreaker,

 

Blast

Blast could make out the aura above him. It was glowing a faint green, much like the aura that appears around Eclipse's horn whenever he's about to activate his psychokinesis.

"You mean we have to follow the aura? That shouldn't be too hard." Blast said, trying to get up. However, the shadow creatures did so much damage to him, it practically completely immobilized him. "I guess my dark self didn't know it's own strength." He said, giving a false laugh.

[RAGESTAR 479]

Crimson sliced and slashed as many of the creatures as he could, but they just kept coming. "I hate to burst your bubble guys...but even if you can accept these freaks to death, there's a little to many to just stand here and waste our time doing that...so I want you all to get out of here, and get to the Litany, before Orion does! I'll hold the, off...just get to that damn book!" said Crimson as he continued to fight off the hordes of shadow creatures, taking the attention of most of them.