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

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Scribbler, hearing the commotion remained under his fallen tree. Hoping to Celestia, this would all blow over. But something caught his ear, something ancient and powerful. Something he recognized from his studies somewhere, but from where?

"The Litany?" He thought to himself out loud.

Scribbler dared to venture closer to where all the turmoil was taking place. He began to feel his nerves breaking as he neared the edge of the trees. Pondering a moment, he used his invisibility spell to avoid contact for the time being, if possible.

He peered out, to see a large angry looking alicorn, shimmering with energy. A mare next to him, who angrily storms off toward him. Two silhouettes were running towards the alicorn, a third standing still, not appearing to move at all.

"What in Equestria is going on here?"

Scribbler picks a place to stand that won't be in this pony's way. His heart is racing, wishing he was home, but curious enough to stay and watch, just to see how things play out.

Edited October 28, 2013 by Midnight Scribbler

[Icy Void 19]

Midnight Sky watched in horror as Orion's spell turned Redwave to stone, and continued to expand towards the group. In a fit of shack and desperation to get away from the spell, Midnight used his sympathetic telekinesis to pick up four of his sticks and throwing them at Orion, which then caused our trees to lift up into the air and fly towards the clearly angry alicorn. "Everpony get moving! This is some very, very advanced magic that he's doing, so run. I'll bring up the rear, my magic is nowhere near strong enough to stop that spell, but I might be able to slow it down a little, give the rest of you more time to run. Once you're all away I'll teleport myself and Blizzard to you, so get going!" Midnight yelled to the others, some of whom were already on their way. Midnight couldn't help but notice how noble and self-sacrificial he had sounded, reminded him of some of the cliched stories he had read before. In truth, Midnight honestly didn't know if he would have any effect on the spell, energy manipulation was never really his specialty, but he figured if he might as well give it a try. 'A test of my magical powers against that of the Litany. I guess going down in a cliche isn't the worst death, though I fully intend to survive. If it comes down to whether I stay and die to save somepony else, or to run away with Blizzard and forget some other pony, well unless my sister shows up then I'm not going to sacrifice myself for a stranger. Anyway, time to get to work. The spell works through an expanding area field, so I should be able to slow it down if I cast a force field around it to hold it in. We'll just have to see how long I can maintain something like that, because here we go.' Midnight thought as he cast his force field around Orion's spell, hoping to hold it back to give the others more time.

[00Pony 286]

@,@@Icy Void,@,

 

Things unfolded rather quickly after this point. More shouting, attempts to reason with Orion, though somewhat hostile in nature, and now the Alicorn had reached his boiling point. Having ignored nearly every word spoken to him, the afflicted stallion had become slightly enveloped by a silver aura, mirroring the hue of his mane and tail, and even Saronyx's own eyes. The silver aura grew in intensity, and the Crystal stallion found himself unable to tear himself away.

 

What happened next actually stunned him. Redwave throw a bottle at the side of Orion's head, making a solid contact. What should have knocked the angered pony to the floor, had little effect other than drawing his attention to the bold Captain. And the stallion in question began to... Solidify. Petrification spell... A highly advanced form of magic that not many Unicorns were able to cast. The Litany's power was truly frightening. Even more so than Saronyx had speculated.

 

Redwave had ordered them to move, shortly before being turned to a complete statue. Kingfisher seemed to have gotten the message, and reinstated the order to the others, who subsequently began to obey. Saronyx, however, remained where he was. He was stunned by two things: Redwave was either the most foolish, or the bravest stallion he had ever met. And the fact that the Visionary himself could barely move at all! If Saronyx was not frightened by the litany before, he certainly was now. It was just as he had worried. The power of the arcane force was enough to break past the Crystal pony's natural resistances to magic. Even with the Crystal Heart in place and more powerful than ever, Saronyx was still becoming petrified!

 

He was broken from his shocked stupor by te sound of somepony calling the captain's name. Whoever it was, they had Saron's thanks. Willing his solidifying muscles to move, Saronyx ran after the rest of the group, the effects of the spell lessening the further he managed to get. As he ran, he called out to whoever has shouted to the Captain, "I would suggest you run, unless you wish to join him!!" He could not see the speaker, but he hoped they had heard.

 

Somepony had stayed back, shouting after the group that he was going to try and hold the field long enough to provide the party more time. It seemed that there were plenty of brash, or brave, ponies in this group.

 

Eventually, Saronyx managed to break completely free of the magical field, giving the self-sacrificial stallion a look the read both 'thank you' and 'get out of here'. The afflicted sections of Saronyx's body were still horribly stiff , but they were subsiding. As he neared the group, Saronyx allowed himself both a moment of relief - that though they failed to shield him completely, his genetics had slowed the process of the spell - and also a moment of macabre, and ironic satire - rather than being turned to stone, as was Redwave's fate, Saronyx had begun to turn into a literal crystal.

 

The Visionary had the state of mind to keep from chuckling at the dark humor of fate as he fell in with the group, somehow ending nearer the front near the mare named Kingfisher. As he went, Saronyx had begun to silently pray in the old tongue of the Crystal ponies, "Mperatrix mi, oro uos anima Redwave custodia ducem, ut custodiant excubias tua, donec rediret ad nos in refrigérium. Redde, oro ut, quoniam amici causa. Per Crystal luminum, et aurata tecta corpora luminosa, quaeso hanc gratiam facias mihi comites. Pax et finis ego Amen."

 

Saronyx was not sure what the Captain may have believed, if anything, in such regards, but he still felt it necesarry. His mind went back to the stallion that had stayed behind, and the one who had broken him from his shock, as well as the mare named Willow. Saronyx added into his prayer, "Et iterum rogo et te custodiant excubias et nobile eriperet, et de manu hostis arcanum. Et feceritis ea, ut sororem suam. Pax et finis ego Amen."

 

And with those words, he fell silent, slowing slightly in his pace.

[RAGESTAR 479]

Crimson's eyes widened in shock and horror as he saw Redwave get turned to stone. "Red!! Noooo!!" Yelled Crimson in vain before turning back towards the enraged alicorn with murderous intent in his eyes, his flames now expanding dangerously close to everypony else. "I'M GONNA FUCKING GUT YOU!!! ELEMENTAL BEAST, FLAMING DRAGON!!" Yelled Crimson in a rather demonic sounding voice before unleashing a massive golden flamed, chinese dragon from his hooves, aimed straight for Orion. Crimson stood there panting, his flames now noticibly smaller after using his attack. "The next time we meet...I swear I'll kill you...for Red's sake..." said Crimson darkly before quickly turning away from the psychotic alicorn and running away with the others, only sparing one last sad glance at Red before dissappearing into the brush, not even stopping to see what effect his attack had on Orion.

 

((If you think this post is too OP then just say so and I'll edit it))

[Kulstor 254]

Rakon took to the air as he saw the light and the effect it had as well as some other ponies starting to run, soon all of the ones he could see were running.  He wondered how that pony who just suddenly appeared did what he did.  Was it the power of the litany thing that he heard mentioned before by some ponies and their ultimate goal.  He flew into the air, staying with the other flying ponies, he looked to make sure other ponies, including Sand, were all running and keeping pace with most of the group.

[EcstaticWind 572]

‘The stillness of the night. The soft chill of the wind. The unending boredom of not having anything to write about…’ Aegis Dare thought as he propped himself against a tree. Until he heard what sounded like a fight. “Well, something exciting is happening at least.”

 

He jumped up and grabbed his saddlebags, flying toward the disturbance. Not wanting to interfere yet, he watched from a nearby tree, noticing the ponies running away. Then he saw what they were running from. ‘No idea who that guy is, but every fibre of my body says that he’s not friendly. Can’t write about this stuff if I’m dead, either.’ He thought to himself as he attempted to climb down the tree and follow the others without being seen.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Orion Starsinger

 

@,

 

"Nothing, Willow. Stay away from the light now: the counterspell is potentially too difficult even for me."

 

Orion watched the resulting pandemonium with a sense of satisfaction: content in his ability to protect himself. As a bystander in his own mind he felt safe: secure and so much more powerful! Ready to impose order on Equestria!

 

After he recovered the book that was: facing armies would be far different to this pathetic gathering of villains.

 

@,

 

 

Perhaps a little but don't edit it - I have an idea.

 

 

As one of them fired a spell of some kind at him he took control of his body again: it was becoming more fluid, switching places with the voice. Digging into the knowledge of the Litany, he stomped a hoof into the ground and glared at the dragon.

 

"Obey me!" He commanded in a voice and language that, this time, were very clearly not his own.

 

The spell didn't dissipate: didn't fizzle or explode. It simply stopped: looking at the Alicorn with a quizzical look that implied some kind of sentience beyond its simple existence as its form started to warp and shift: twisting painfully a cruel mockery of its former self - it's light turning to the ethereal hue of his magic and its fire changing to the cold blue flames as it writhed in place.

 

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

 

Kingfisher.

 

"Stop helping him and run!" Yelled the mare almost hysterically as she watched some of the group leave, but others stay and try to fight.

 

Herself: she had been given an order. The captain might be in no condition to enforce it but he had still instructed her to find the Litany: she had no intention of failing him.

 

She fled down the path they had been taking - heading determinedly towards the road to the falls.

[Mephisto 56]

"Oh shit, not good." Blake said as he hopped into a tree and followed the rest of them. "This is a questionable turn off events, and where there're people there are answers." He said as he ran, attempting to save his own skin, and completely oblivious to the moments last past... And all of this because he wanted to go for a walk.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Scribbler, still invisible and hiding within the cover of the tree line, continued to gaze out into the fray. His jaw wide, watching the alicorn take full control over such a potent spell. This one was nopony to mess with, and he was clearly under the influence of something powerful, beyond his own means. He could see the silvery tendrils of light, petrifying everything they touched, and kept his distance, knowing he could not reverse such things, even with the level of magic he knew. If that dragon was nothing, his magic would be no good either, at least nothing offensive. He wasn't going to risk needing to try his defensive spells though, his instinct told him to stay hidden, and hide, he did, at least for now.

He had noticed a large number of ponies taking flight to the road away from the fight as well. Furthering his need to stay out of it, fearing they too may be a threat, and not being sure who was the cause for conflict here. Though their friend being turned to stone swayed in their favour in his mind. He thought to himself, maybe I can find allegiance with them, if I can manage to salvage that statue. Returning it to them may buy their trust, and maybe some information about what has taken place here.

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@, 

Eclipse picked up the wounded Redwave with his psychokinesis. He then called to Kingfisher.

"I'll take your captain along with us! Get going! You, too, Blast!" Eclipse yelled to the mare. Blasted Nova ran after the group anlong with Eclipse. Before Eclipse left, he turned to the alicorn.

"Try this on for size." Eclipse emitted a psychic push from his horn. Once he released it, he ran back to the group as fast as he could.

Edited October 28, 2013 by StevenEarthPony

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kingfisher and Redwave.

 

@,
 

As the statue was lifted into the air it started to creak: thin lines appearing across the brittle stone as the stress of movement started to put pressure on the fragile statue. Kingfisher ground to a halt and cut off the pony.

 

"It's a statue! Leave it behind, Carrying it around isn't going to help us!" She snapped, drawing her cutlass and extending it: halting the progress of the two of them. "Show some respect! You're not taking Red as some kind of glorified paperweight!"

[Mephisto 56]

Blake felt he'd put significant distance between him and the danger. He sat down in the tree and slightly pulled down the afghan around his head fully revealing his face. He took a few deep breaths and played with the collar on his neck. It gave him a telekinetic bond with his knives to a certain distance. "Magic is weird." He monologued to himself as he spun the knives around the air, and carving things into the wood.

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@,

"What are you trying to say, mare? Do you not want me to help your captain?" He asked. Eclipse was beginning to regret joining up with this group. "I picked up your leader with my psychokinesis. I'm going to help him by carrying him through this forest, preventing future casualties." He said, walking along with Blast.

"Now, what is this about a statue?" Blast asked.

[RAGESTAR 479]

Crimson panted as he ran through the forest, following the others and contemplating on how many ways he could kill Orion. "That pompous little shit with wings is gonna be extra fucking crispy when I'm done with him! I just hope that Willow is alright...I must have scared the crap outta her when I lost my cool back there...I hope she can forgive me...but her brother just isn't wanting to make peace. At this rate, he could be a threat to all of equeastria soon enough..." thought Crimson as he ran. Suddenly, Crimson began to stumble until he eventually hit the floor. "DAMN! I knew I shouldn't have used Ragestar so carelessly like that..." thought the cursed pirate before blacking out.

 

((Crimson blacks out after using Ragestar...))

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Scribbler notices the statue being lifted and taken away. "Damn.." He thought. That was his only course of action, right off the bat. However, this alicorn was still there, even after everypony else seemed for flee from him, one remained untouched.

"Maybe I can make friends with this one, or at least get some form of idea as to what has been going on here." He thought.

Midnight waited to see if the spell would fade away before he dared to go near. He knew there was no undoing what that aura did. He readied himself, staying calm, and conserving his energy, knowing that he'd need to get out of there if something went wrong. He knew he couldn't take the alicorn on in battle, but he did know he could escape immediate danger if things didn't go as planned.

Edited October 28, 2013 by Midnight Scribbler

[EcstaticWind 572]

Things looked bad. The group stopped as one held a sword to a Unicorn carrying a statue, and another collapsed. Aegis backed up, snapping a twig underhoof and giving away his position. The next thoughts that went through his mind were panic and possible imminent death. If they were hostile, then he was outnumbered and unarmed. If it were a single target, he stood a good chance. But he couldn't deal with a group this large.

 

‘This is very bad… I’m gonna die here, aren’t I? If they find me, I’ll just have to play it cool and hope to Celestia and Luna that they don’t decide to turn me into Pegasus filet. If things go bad… Well, I’ll get to that later.’ Aegis closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing, waiting to see what happens next…

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kingfisher and Redwave.

 

@,

 

"He's dead you stupid little foal! Dead! And I won't allow you to desecrate his remains!" Pressing the blade not against his throat, but his horn as she had learned to do when dealing with unicorns, she trembled with a passion that she hadn't felt since joining Redwave on his journey, since adopting the persona of who she was for him... "I'm going to give you one last chance and I swear by the Sisters themselves if you don't put him down and show some respect..." The frantic crew of the Dawn Dreamer seethed through clenched teeth - a cold, unstable look in her eye.

[Mephisto 56]

Crimson panted as he ran through the forest, following the others and contemplating on how many ways he could kill Orion. "That pompous little shit with wings is gonna be extra fucking crispy when I'm done with him! I just hope that Willow is alright...I must have scared the crap outta her when I lost my cool back there...I hope she can forgive me...but her brother just isn't wanting to make peace. At this rate, he could be a threat to all of equeastria soon enough..." thought Crimson as he ran. Suddenly, Crimson began to stumble until he eventually hit the floor. "DAMN! I knew I shouldn't have used Ragestar so carelessly like that..." thought the cursed pirate before blacking out.

 

((Crimson blacks out after using Ragestar...))

Blake was sitting with his knives, when he saw the pony doing the weird fire things. He hops down and checks him for life. "You know, I could rob you, but that would just be bucking a horse when he's down. He pulls him into a nearby cave. He starts a fire, he's not one to help somepony unnecessarily, but he'd probably die in the open. "Hmm, but what's your story?"

[RAGESTAR 479]

Crimson awoke with a groan after feeling himself being dragged somewhere dark, he then heard the voice of a stallion that he didn't know, ask quietly to himself about what his story was. Crimson, not wanting to raise alarm ad maybe even get stabbed from behind, answered slowly, even though the question wasn't necessarily directed to him. "My story...is a very long, and very sad one...so I suggest that if you wish to hear it without growing bored or depressed, to bring out a good bottle of liquor if you have it..." said the pirate quietly, but still loud enough to be hear clearly, before standing up slowly and cracking his neck, still seeming a bit dazed from the after effects of the spell. 

 

((I'm just assuming its been a few minutes since Crimson blacked out because it really only lasts a few minutes to a half an hour, depending on the length of usage))

Edited October 28, 2013 by ragestar

[Mephisto 56]

"I was gonna pull one out if you hadn't asked." He said already having a bottle of scotch out of his supplies, he takes a drink, and then passes it over to Crimson. "I don't get bored easily." He piles on as he dumps tinder and wood onto the fire igniting the cave, in a pale orange light, illuminating their faces. "Let's just start with the name."

[Umbreon 569]

Pavisa

 

@,@,  

 

Turning around when she heard the shouting, the guard stopped to run back to the scene unfolding before her.  She turns her gaze towards the unicorn, stepping up next to Kingfisher.  "We don't have time for this - do as she says!"  It was difficult for her to say, but she knew Kingfisher was right.  "If we loiter here, that crazed alicorn is just going to catch up to us!"

 

@@Windbreaker,

 

She turns her head slightly towards the sound of a breaking branch off to the side.  She didn't know who it was, but it was a fair guess that it wasn't going to be Orion skulking through the trees.  Raising her voice so that whoever it was could hear her, she adds  "That goes for you too, you don't want to wait around here!"

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@,@, 

"I'm going to give your captain a proper burial, then." Eclipse said, beginning to run. "You're group is beginning to get on my nerves." He commented, making it clear that he didn't like nearly anypony in this group. 

"This group is so stubborn, Blast." He said to him while running.

"Just give them some time. You'll warm up to them eventually."

Edited October 29, 2013 by StevenEarthPony

[EcstaticWind 572]

@,

‘Damn. Well, it doesn’t sound like they’re hostile. My best chance right now is to go along with them.’ Aegis thought as he stepped out in full view of the group.

 

“No need to attack. I’m unarmed, and I have no valuables. My name is Aegis Dare, and I’m a wandering writer and storyteller. I humbly request to join you for the time being.” He said, getting ready to bolt at the first sign of danger.

[RAGESTAR 479]

"I was gonna pull one out if you hadn't asked." He said already having a bottle of scotch out of his supplies, he takes a drink, and then passes it over to Crimson. "I don't get bored easily." He piles on as he dumps tinder and wood onto the fire igniting the cave, in a pale orange light, illuminating their faces. "Let's just start with the name."

 

 

Crimson smirks and accepts the bottle of liquor and takes a log swig of it before eventually lowering the bottle and giving Blake a neutral look. "Fair enough I guess...my name is Crimson Grinn, captain of the Blaze of Glory and infamous pirate, at your service...now, what's your name, kid?" asked Crimson in a rather interested tone.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kingfisher

 

@,

 

"A burial?" Kingfisher snorted. "He despised the ground! And do you see the sea nearby? You never even knew him!"

 

As a last resort before her grief turned to violence she appealed to the other two who had actually met the captain.

 

"Pavisa, Blast... We have to go. now: Red wanted us to protect the Litany and that... thing is going to be after us any minute! Talk some sense into this idiot before I carve out his horn!"