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

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@,

@@SilverHeart,

 

Midnight glanced up to Orion "Do you know what we could face in here, Orion? I feel as though we should know more of what the Litany does if we are to be successful in countering it's magic. If we wish to reach it, this could be imperative to our survival. I don't mean to push you.. but if you do know anything more.. well, I want you to know, you can trust me. I won't use this knowledge for my own purposes, and I have no interest in reading from the book myself, for the time being. We need to know what we're up against here." He looked to him with hope for answers, and hoped his transparency would help. He continued to listen for any trace of voices or hoof steps ahead of them, and returned his gaze ahead, remembering that he alone could see the path they walked. They were relying on his eyes, he couldn't fail them now.

[Umbreon 569]

Pavisa

 

@@Windbreaker, 

@,

@(The rest) 

 

Pavisa squints at Aegis before smirking.  "Madame?  Well that's a first."  She smiles at Kingfisher as the other mare makes it across, a little surprised by how cheerful she sounds.  "Fisher!  Sounds like you're starting to feel better?"

 

 

Zintiik

 

@,

 

Zintiik sits in front of Willow, slowly rubbing his head.  Now that the emotions had slowed somewhat, the physical pain of ramming face-first into a wall repeatedly was starting to sting.  The changeling shakes his head and mumbles quietly, not thinking before he speaks.

 

"Not equal, yours are prettier."  He quickly clamps a hoof over his mouth as he says it before smiling at her.  A flush of red rises to Zintiik's cheeks - another unwilling transformation, or is the changeling actually blushing!?

[EcstaticWind 572]

Aegis Dare

@, 

@, 

@ Everyone Present

 

"I've got plenty more where that one came from. They work so much better than my pick-up lines, I assure you." Aegis said in a half-joking manner. His earlier decision to leave seemed quite foolish and ill-considered in hindsight. He smiled at Kingfisher as she came across. "Feels good, doesn't it? The excitement. The rush of adventure."

 

 

Noble Persona

 

Noble awoke from his all too short nap to the sound of voices echoing through the tunnels. He fished out his mask and placed it over his face, though this time, his eyes didn't sparkle. He wrapped himself in his cloak once more and waited for the voices to come closer, ready to draw his sword by hoof if necessary...

[Ihei 713]

@,@,

 

Willow Starsinger

 

Willow smiled, playfully nudging the changeling. "So, you're insulting Orion's wings?" Willow laughed, "I think they look the same anyway. Your secret's safe with me," Willow smiled, only in a kind way and reassuring one. She nuzzled the changeling and then plucked the Aspect out of her mane and put it on the floor. 

 

@,

 

Aphrodite

 

Aphrodite made a disgusted gasp. "Ladies first!" Aphrodite huffed, tightroping across with ease. Did she mention her parents grew her up with elegance and grace?

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@,

 

Blast 

Blast shrugged and jumped to the bottom of the rope. He then began climbing along the rope as if it were a set of monkey bars on a school playground. He found this to be a better method, as he wasn't as graceful as somepony like Aphrodite was. He couldn't help but admit that she actually looked kind of good being so graceful like that. He couldn't help but think where she learned that.

[RAGESTAR 479]

@

 

Crimson sighed in relief as he decapitated the last shadow creature, watching as its body faded into the ground, leaving a black stain in the earth, joining the other 49 of them. Crimson stood there, panting, struggling to stay concious as his wounds had caused him to lose a lot of blood. "Damn...that was a little too close, but not close enough...maybe next time boys...anyway, I've gotta hury up and catch up to Kingfisher and the others...before I..." mumbled Crimson, before stumbling forwards and falling to the ground unconcious.

[SilverHeart 741]

@@Midnight Scribbler,@,  

 

"Oh...I see." Mirror Image said quietly as she used what little magic she could to tie the mask's ribbons behind her head. With the mask now in place, Mirror resumed her pace to catch up with the others. Keeping her attention mainly on Scribbler trying to catch any suspicious movements. The lack of light made it difficult for her to see but she felt confidant that she would notice any odd behavior or reactions. A few minutes passed and her mind began to wander... Huh.....I wonder what Orion looks like without his wings or horn...

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kricket.

@,
@,

The up-until-recently-emotionless Eldridge entity crackled in a disappointed way and nosed at the changing creatures legs - sulking a little at being removed from its resting place as it wondered why the changing creature seemed to want to change so often. Still believing that it didn't look comfortable at all, the dragon aspect busied itself by chasing a couple of moths that seemed to enjoy the light of the crystals in the roof - they didn't taste very good either but they were fun to chase after anyway.

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

Orion Starsinger.

@@Midnight Scribbler,
@@SilverHeart,

Orion though for a moment - Legion could have told him, had he not lost contact with it when passing the barrier of magic - but other than that, he knew precious little.

"If its anything like the other, then we might get lucky with the traps here. In the last place, we didn't see anywhere near as much danger on our way out - maybe the thugs ahead of us will have taken the worst of them..."

@,

It was at that very instant that he proved himself correct - stumbling upon a pony - sized shaped on the ground.

"What the... can you see this thing down here?"

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

Kingfisher.

@,

"Yeah, I'm remembering... bits. Names and things... and I'm great at balancing for some reason!" She nodded as she forced herself to calm down a little - her heart was still pounding at the inside of her chest and her mind was still locked in overdrive trying to figure out why she would have developed a balance like that - she she felt so comfortable above what might easily have been a bottomless pit... Regardless, she was glad that it was something she felt good about that she was remembering.

 

@,

 

She turned to the other pony addressing her and shrugged.

 

"Uh... I don't really remember that. I'm sure it's fine though - Pavi's a guard and shes really great!" She said. "So don't worry about it! I don't hold it... whatever it was... against you!"

Edited November 18, 2013 by Cinderscribe

[EcstaticWind 572]

Noble Persona

@, @@SilverHeart, @@Midnight Scribbler,

 

He grew tired of waiting. Noble seized the light crystal and headed in the direction of the voices with his vigor and senses restored. Quickly putting out the light as he approached, and saving precious time, he hid by a wall as he surveyed the group as best he could in the dim light.

 

'Three, maybe four, ponies. One is definitely incapacitated, but the others could be a threat. They could be more apparitions, too. Either way, I need to deal with this now, or it could sabotage me later. Here goes...'

 

He leapt out in full view, triggering his light crystal once more and drawing his sword. "Who goes there? Apparitions? Artorias commands you to answer!" He said in a grand, over-dramatic tone. 'Their reaction will tell me what I want to know...'

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@,

@,

@@SilverHeart,

@@Windbreaker,

 

Scribbler peered down at the pony on the floor, Orion had just kicked blindly. He was badly wounded, and the remnants of things he'd seemingly killed were scattered about. He was bleeding badly.

"You just stumbled over a pony.. Not sure who he is..White, with a red mane.. He's badly wounded or dead from what I can see. One of the bandits maybe. My apologies, I should have noticed him." Scribbler trotted over, inspecting the unconscious pony for signs of life.

"Well, he's breathing still. What should we do?" Scribbler's first instinct was to save the unfortunate pony's life from fading.

 

Suddenly another pony jumped out, yelling at them. Scribbler was caught offguard, but quickly readied himself. He had no idea who this was, and he was caught without magic at his disposal. This wasn't good. He looked to Orion, hoping he had ideas, and stayed silent. He had no idea what to say, and his mind was racing.

Edited November 18, 2013 by Midnight Scribbler

[Ihei 713]

@,

 

Aphrodite

 

"Need help, pipsqueak?" Aphrodite smirked at Blast, who was still crossing. She loved showing off her skills. She practically waltzed away on her hooves, continuing through the temple.

 

@,@,

 

 

Willow Starsinger

 

"Is there something wrong with your.. um.. changing? Looks like you have a unicorn horn with pegasus wings.." Willow said, still watching Kricket intently.

 

 

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@,

 

Blast

"Heh. In your dreams, Aphrodite." Once Blast got to the end of the rope, he did a little back flip and landed in front of Aphrodite as if it were a circus act. "I may not be as graceful as you are, but I'm agile. VERY agile" He said with over-confidence.

 

Eclipse

Eclipse finally made it across and let go of his psychic hold on the rope. The rope was just about to snap, too. It was just good timing on his part. He then looked over at Blast and Aphrodite and let out a "hmph."

"That's nice. Now why don't you two lovebirds stop gloating about each other and let's get a move on." He said, catching up with the group.

[Umbreon 569]

Zintiik

 

@,

 

"Huh?"  Zintiik crosses his eyes as though to look at his horn.  When he realizes that won't work, he tries to turn to look at his wings.  He goes around in a circle like a dog chasing its tail a few times before stopping to actually unfold his wings and look at them.  "Oh, yeah...  Ya know, with everything else, I almost forgot about that...  Something about this place is messing with my ability to transform.  Every couple minutes a body part just decides to change all by itself."

 

Looking back at Willow, the changeling smiles nervously.  He wasn't used to being this...  Weak.  He couldn't transform if he wanted to, and after the emotional assault on his mind he felt about as useful as a newborn.  While that would have been bad enough by itself, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed to be in this state in front of Willow.  He wasn't a very impressive sight at the moment, after all.

 

Zintiik forces himself to stand up straight, trying to look much more confident than he felt.  "That doesn't really matter, though...  What's important is that we managed to find each other, right?  We should probably try to meet up with your brother..."

 

 

Pavisa

 

@, (And the rest)

 

Pavisa smiles at Kingfisher before turning towards the next path.  "That's great, Fisher.  You'll have all of your memories back before you know it.  Now let's try and find this book, yeah?"  The guard took the lead this time, now that all of the others were across the pit.  It was dark, but the faintly glowing crystals at least made the path visible.  If they were walking into more danger though, Pavisa felt better being the one in the front.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Orion Starsinger.

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

Orion flinched as a tiny fraction more of his sanity slipped away - even without the Litany trying to force more knowledge upon him it had been a lot of stress in the dark with only a fraction of the power that it had given him at his command. Now here was another of the bandits: fashioning himself as some kind highwaypony from the looks of it, brandishing a sword of all things.
 
Orion was sick of having swords waved in his face - the pony at his hooves had done the exact same thing...

"Get behind me." He muttered in a voice not quite his own before glaring at the masked pony - his ethereal wings and horn were gone but he still a unicorn whom had read from the Litany, and still had some measure of power - however limited. "Put the sword down before I burn you from the inside out!" He threatened with much more certainty than he felt.

 

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

 

Kricket.

 

@,

 

Watching the changing creature gave the Aspect an idea: It looked about and caught sight of its own tail - beginning to chase i around in circles though the air, happily snapping at it as it fell just short. 

 

There might have been tension in the air - and it could feel the magic as well, shifting about them - trying to get close. It didn't mind though - the magic was good to eat and wouldn't come and closer - even while it was playing!

Edited November 18, 2013 by Cinderscribe

[Ihei 713]

@,

 

Aphrodite

 

"Doubt that," Aphrodite smirked, flicking her tail in Blast's face. She was happily trotting until she heard the word "lovebirds." She frowned and trotted over to Eclipse, stopping him by pulling on his tail. "Listen here, mister. You're not very smart to mention that word in front of me," Aphrodite glared, stomping on his hoof and following the group.

 

@, @,

 

 Willow Starsinger

 

"I don't know about that. I'm exhausted: I can't catch a break today.." Willow said, growing drowsy. She kept watching the energetic Aspect fly in circles. "Orion can find us on his own.." Willow mumbled before falling asleep on Zintiik's shoulder. 

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@,

@@Windbreaker,

@,

@@SilverHeart,

 

Scribbler backed up slightly, getting out of Orion's path of fury. He wanted to help this pony at his feet, but couldn't concentrate on that with hostility so close at hand. He readied what little magic he could muster, concentrating everything he could into his magic. Enough to cast one spell perhaps, if the aura would allow him to. It was taking everything he had to bring this energy to bear. His horn crackled with resistance in the aura, forcing the energy into the charge. He closed his eyes for a moment of pure concentration, then opened them revealing white energy in place of his normal eyes. They emitted light wisps of magic. He was maxed out, and still wasn't sure if it would work if he released it. For all he knew it would dissipate in the aura surrounding him, but it looked intimidating, and that's what he was hoping for at the moment.
"Orion, what of this one at our feet? Should we save him? He may be of use.." He asked, attempting to sound as though he didn't seem bothered by the sword wielding bandit.

[Umbreon 569]

Zintiik

 

@,@,  

 

"W-Willow!?"  Zintiik was caught off guard by how quickly she fell asleep, though to his credit he did manage to stay upright and catch her.  She must really be exhausted...  Is this because of the Litany too?

 

Being too weak to even considering carrying her, Zintiik's only option was to let her rest.  Careful not to wake her he lowers himself to the ground with her still leaning against him, letting the mare use him as a pillow.  Subconsciously he wraps himself around her protectively, looking up at the Aspect flying above them.

 

"Psst!  Hey, you..."  What had she called it before?  "Kricken!  Whatever your name is!  I'm kinda useless right now...  Can I trust you to keep an eye out while Willow rests?  For her sake?"  He had no idea about details of the Aspect - if it was powerful enough to defend them if something happened, if it even would defend them, or even if it could understand him.  But right now, Zintiik was out of options except for trying to let Willow rest comfortably and to protect her while she slept.

 

Surprisingly, he noted, he didn't feel so worthless being close to her like this.  Rest as much as you need, Willow...  I'll keep you safe.

[EcstaticWind 572]

Noble Persona

@@Midnight Scribbler, @, @@SilverHeart, @Anyone I missed

 

"There will be no need for violence," Noble said, lowering his sword. "I hope you can understand that, given the circumstances, it was necessary to draw my blade. I've no wish to use it unnecessarily. I am Artorias, a fellow traveller who has come to this place in search of the Litany of Magic."

 

He sheathed his sword and stood still, as a sign that he meant no harm. They were flesh and blood ponies, which meant potential allies. 'It would be inconvenient to kill them, though I suspect the one directly in front would pose the biggest threat. If things go wrong, I'll have to deal with him first.'

[SilverHeart 741]

@,@, @, 

 

 

Mirror looked at the stallion that had blacked out on the floor. "The only other ponies that are supposed to be here are the bandits right? If so, shouldn't we just leave him? It'd be better than taking him with us only to have him try and hurt us later on. It might even be a trap..." The mare moved past Orion and Scribbler hoping that it might somewhat persuade them to leave the brigand behind.

 

 @@Windbreaker,

 

Before she could hear what the others wanted to do about the unconscious stallion a new pony, most likely one of the thieves, appeared. Listening to Orion's command Mirror stepped further back into the hallway. Without her magic she wouldn't be of much use against somepony that had already seen her.

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@,@, @Pretty much everypony

Blast

"Heh. Yeah, it's official. She's totally into me." Blast thought to himself as he progressed forward. He began to noticed the glowing crystals on the walls. They glowed of faint greens, blues, reds, and purples. They were a marveling sight indeed. They just barely lit the way for the group, though. It was enough to help them through however.

 

Eclipse

Eclipse grasped his stomped hoof, which was stinging with pain. This mare had some bite, that's for sure.

"Stubborn little..." Eclipse muttered to himself, progressing through the corridor of glowing crystals and cave-like walls.

[RAGESTAR 479]

@@SilverHeart

 

Crimson groaned in pain and coughed as he cracked his eyes open, waking up just in time to hear Mirror's comment. "Ugh...w-what the...hell...who are you? Wait...oh shit! Run! Its that crazy alicorn! Get away, I'll try holding him off!" said Crimson, yet stopped and cursed as he realized that he couldn't move his body, he had lost too much blood. "Listen to me! You have to get away from that guy! He's a maniac! He's trying to kill us all! The Litany drove him crazy! You've gotta believe me!!" said Crimson desperately, still struggling to move.

[Mephisto 56]

"Umm, okay. I thought that there would be more yelling, but.... I'm not complaining. What kind of weirdo likes to be yelled at." He walks ahead into the darkness a bit. "I'll scout ahead a bit. I know ancient ruins like the back of my hoof." He stated, not quite braggingly, but matter-of-factly. He pushed on through the cloudy darkness, looking for booby traps as he walked.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@@SilverHeart,

@,

@,

@@Windbreaker,

 

Scribbler gazed down at the wounded pony with his eyes still blazing white, somewhat surprised to hear anything from him. His voice echoed strangely with the energy filling his body. "Who are you? Why should I heed the words of a wounded bandit, whom I've only just met. You lay there bleeding to death, and claim you can defend against him, yet you cannot even move. Foolish. I pity you, friend." Scribbler glanced back to Orion "What now?"

[RAGESTAR 479]

@@SilverHeart,

@,

@,

@@Windbreaker,

 

Scribbler gazed down at the wounded pony with his eyes still blazing white, somewhat surprised to hear anything from him. His voice echoed strangely with the energy filling his body. "Who are you? Why should I heed the words of a wounded bandit, whom I've only just met. You lay there bleeding to death, and claim you can defend against him, yet you cannot even move. Foolish. I pity you, friend." Scribbler glanced back to Orion "What now?"

 

@@SilverHeart @ @@Midnight Scribbler

 

Crimson looked offended. "Ok, first off, asshole, I'm not a fucking bandit! I'm Crimson Grin, pirate captain of the Blaze of Glory! Second, I don't need your god damned pity! I need you to run away from that alicorn, from whom your so blindly taking orders from! He's insane! That bastard is obsessed with finding the litany to kill anyone he sees as evil! But he's mentally unstable! He already killed one of my friends! If you don't listen to my warning now, he's gonna kill you!! RUN DAMMIT!!" yelled Crimson, using all his strength to stand up on his hooves and point his sword at Orion, swaying slightly. "I may die here today...but as long as it means a stallion like you doesn't get that power, then I'm fine with that..." panted Crimson, looking like he might keel over at any moment.

Edited November 18, 2013 by ragestar

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@,

@@SilverHeart,

@,

@@Windbreaker,

 

Scribbler immediately took aim at Crimson's sword, firing a bolt of telekinetic energy, attempting to knock the sword out of his hoof and into the wall behind him. It turned out to be about the extent of his energy's capability in the tunnels. The aura was powerful, and forced the rest of his stored energy down, his eyes returned to normal once again. "You attack what you do not understand, and blindly wave weapons at a pony you barely know. He defends himself against hostility, and so do I. What makes us so different?" Scribbler stated calmly.