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

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Legion.

Uncertain where to direct his attention first, Legions attention snapped back to the unicorn speaking to him.

 

"I hold no prisoners! Orion could not withstand the power of my Litany so close: you are the one who brought it to him!" He thundered - crackling with energy as anger welled up - another emotion he hadn't felt in far too long. Forgetting the pony with the sword, he began to approach the unicorn that Orion had called Midnight Scribbler at a steady, unflinching pace. "I have but one purpose: to carry out his will in exchange for his strength when his time comes. He came to me: I guided him with the knowledge of each and every one to read the Litany before him... and when his will is complete he will be the one to guide the next to read from the Litany."

Edited November 26, 2013 by Cinderscribe

[EcstaticWind 572]

Noble Persona

 

'Did I miscalculate? How? That crystal should have worked...'

 

Even with a Barrier Crystal, Noble had been launched into a wall. His sword clattered to the ground beside him. But he was not one to give up, especially not now.

 

"I've...nngh...come too far...to be denied now..." He said, struggling to get to his hooves. His armour had absorbed some of the impact, but from the feel alone, he wagered he had more than a few bruises and broken bones. He produced another crystal, this one enchanted with a weak healing spell. It would mend his bones and dull the pain, but nothing more.

 

He picked up his sword and charged at the Aspect. 'It will be victory...or it will be death!' He placed the last of his hope on his blade as he thrust it forwards... directly at Legion.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@,

@,

@,

@,

@,

@@SilverHeart,

 

Scribbler's heart raced, the alicorn was coming for him. This was it. His charged horn was ready to cast, and he could think of no other alternative. His eyes began to glow brilliantly before he teleported across the room and went invisible. He stuffed the book in his bag, and ran towards Willow, who was still standing close to where they'd entered. He grabbed her hoof on his way past, and pulled her along. He spoke to her, quietly enough that it would be inaudible from across the room under the din from everypony else. His disembodied voice came from where her hoof was being pulled. "Willow, It's Scribbler, we have to run. Come with me, we can save your brother, but I need you to help me." He hoped she would listen, or this could end very badly.

[Umbreon 569]

Zintiik

 

@,

 

Zintiik wanted nothing more than to make sure Willow and Orion were alright...  But captain Redwave was making that impossible for the changeling.  Zintiik was now bleeding from where Blast had delivered a few kicks to him, but the weakened changeling was focused on Redwave.

 

As the stallion dove for his legs Zintiik ducked, rolling with the captain.  His fangs were still his only advantage in this fight, so as much as he disliked the taste he attempted to bite the stallion again.  "I liked you better as a pigeon rest!"  

 

Trying to squirm away again, Zintiik tried to glance around at the chaos but it was no use.  He couldn't make heads or tails of the situation while focusing on Redwave.  Orion...  Willow...  Where are they?  He couldn't end this fight quickly...  Maybe if he had known something about Redwave's past he would be able to use a transformation to exploit a weakness, but he didn't know the pony all that well.

 

As he prepares for yet another attack, Zintiik starts to tear up.  "Why are you attacking me!?  I need to get to her..."  The changeling knew he wasn't going to last much longer, even with Redwave not being at full strength.  It had been too long since he had fed, and it was really starting to drain him.  "I need...  To make sure... Willow is alright..."  By now Zintiik would be having difficulty standing - the exertion from the fight was something he hadn't been expecting.

 

 

Pavisa

 

Pavisa found herself unsure of what to do - they were fighting what seemed to her to be a ghost, and everything was happening so quickly!  She decided to instead focus on what she knew she could do.  She turned and ran towards Orion's prone form.

 

He may have been the enemy, but the guard wasn't about to leave a downed pony defenseless the way he seemed to be.  She knelt down to check Orion's pulse, noting the poor state he was in.  This isn't good.  

 

Legion seemed distracted by the unicorn assaulting him - that worked well enough for Pavisa.  She tries to pull Orion onto her back, attempting to get him to a safer distance so that somepony could take a look at his wounds.  "It's alright," she said quietly, unsure if he was even conscious enough to understand her.  "I'm with the Canterlot Guard.  I'm going to try and get you out of here."

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Legion.

Legion very quickly rediscovered three things from his previous lives...
 
Surprise, regret and mortality.
 
As he drew to a sudden stop, he wondered what kind of magic could have been mustered that could give him pause - a cold feeling piercing him. Looking down, he saw the blade prodruding from his chest.
 
"What have you..." He mumbled - twisting his head to meet the gaze of the swordspony.. "I knew... not to trust you... too much like... Artorias"
 
He dropped the the ground unceremoniously and reached out uselessly with a hood towards the prone form of Orion on the ground - the light of his body flickering and dying. "I'm sorry Orion... I... we failed you..."
 
...
 
There would always be a Litany of Magic. As its embodiment dispersed into the air it swirled about the attacker in a cloud of sparkling dust - a storm held it in place, one focused assault on Noble as the shining blue sand faded one grain at a time - sinking into the pony until nothing remained but an unnatural glow emanating from him.
 
---------------

Orion Starsinger.

Orions eyes snapped open as the sword plunged into Legion - he gasped as it's memories, as its intelligence, disattached from his own. Panicing as he saw onf of the bandit leaders above him, he forced a spell...

As it transpired, he maintained a fraction of the power he had gained from the litany. What he had not kept however, was the means to control it. His horn sparked brightly, crackled with energy and backfired - knocking the unicorn out once again.

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

Kingfisher and Redwave.

Kingfisher skidded to a halt by the two brawling... the one brawling pony and the insect. She hund on the edge of the fight - not knowing who to help, or how.
 
"Vengeful Celestia 'Fisher! Any assistance you were to offer would be a fine gift right now!" Redwave shouted.
 
She looked at the two and, not recognizing either of them, acted out of instinct. She drew her blade and held the point toward the scarred pony: It was clear enough to her that he was the attacker - not the insect.

And then she made out the shape of the Alicorn on the ground as she drew closer.
 
"Leave him alone: or with Celestia as my witness, I'll cut you down!"

...
 
Redwave froze up: he was exhausted, beaten, sick and ready for giving in - but his companion turning on him? It was too much. Kingfisher... Kingfisher couldn't be a traitor... just couldn't...
 
He didn't have a sarcastic comment - he merely remained silent as the tip of the sword danced in his face.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Cinderscribe

[Mephisto 56]

Blake drew his knives. He squinted at Legion. His mind raced at how he could do nothing right now, but let his mind go. He thought for a moment. He looked at his bag and opened it. A stone. He held it in his hoof. Even as he did so, it shrank. He panicked as it sprouted a string and wrapped itself around Blake's neck. It didn't choke him, but merely hung, like a necklace. He saw the images of thousands past, doing exactly as they'd done, but in the end the book always ended here. The stone then morphed, turning into an emerald spade. "Huh." He said as he tried to shake off what he'd seen. He spun around viewing the chaos. He drew a knife and threw it at Legion. He held the other one and shook his head. He sheathed it and ran. Something made him run, no matter how he wanted to turn back.

[EcstaticWind 572]

Noble Persona 

 

Thousands of years of memories surged into Noble, flooding his mind. Joy, pain, rage, sadness, regret. All of it, but most of all, Noble finally got what he wanted. At last, he had the power to bring his mother back from the dead. He reached up and removed the mask, revealing a sinister smile.

 

"Now then... I, Noble Persona, hereby give this command! With all the power of the Litany of Magic... Raise my mother from the dead!"

 

At Noble's command, a coffin seemed to phase through the stone floor. A light shone as it opened, but inside was no angel. Noble stared in horror at the twisted mass of flesh and bone. Whatever defenses he had against the Litany's influence were torn apart. He sank to his knees and laughed. A horrible, sorrowful laugh...

Edited November 26, 2013 by Windbreaker

[Icy Void 19]

Midnight Sky

 

By the time he walked through the door, Midnight knew he had missed something very important. Orion was down and didn't look too good while Pavisa checked him over to his left, that new pony seemed to be radiating magic similar to the Litany's as a coffin raised from the ground almost in front of him, and that one pony who was with Orion teleported off with the Litany itself. And even more baffling, a very beat up looking Redwave stood over some insectoid pony creature, Midnight assumed it must be a changeling though he wasn't certain, and Kingfisher was pointing her sword at Redwave. "What in the name of my mother is going on!" Midnight exclaimed, unable to contain his surprise. "Redwave, get off the bug, I'm sure he isn't our biggest threat right now. Kingfisher lower your sword, that pony is called Redwave. Try to remember, he's your captain and from what I could tell your closest friend or comrade." Midnight called over. While normally he wouldn't take charge of a situation, this was a special time and somepony needed to make sense of all this.

 

"Pavisa, stay with Orion and do what you can. He's really not a bad pony, he just had trouble controlling the Litany's power. And whatever your name is with the coffin and the creepy laughter, please calm down." Midnight continued before getting another idea. "Oh and Blast, maybe you and Eclipse should try and go with our teleporting friend from Orion's group, find where he went and keep an eye on the Litany. But please refrain from unnecessary violence." Midnight suggested to his companions to his right. He had no idea if anypony would do what he said, but at least he can say he tried to create some order out of all this. Midnight just hoped he was making the right calls since he had no idea what happened, he was just going off first impressions. But what really made him nervous was the laughing pony, he could tell that he had snapped mentally. No sane pony laughs like that, but then no sane pony has the Litany's magic radiating from him either. Just to be safe Midnight prepared what magic he could muster, if it came to a fight with an insane pony then he wanted to at least be somewhat prepared.

[Ihei 713]

(( OOC: I won't be mentioning anypony.. there's too many people to mention! ))

 

Willow Starsinger

 

Willow stood by the door in shock, knowing well that she couldn't do a thing about it. Orion getting hurt, this.. well, "Legion" is demanding the Litany, Redwave and the other group returning, along with Zintiik being beat down by Red AND Blast.. she never remembered the other group being so violent. Now Midnight Scribbler, somepony in Orion's group that she never talked to, was rushing her out of the room with the Litany. 

 

"But.." Willow started, wanting to help her brother. "What about Orion and Zintiik?" Willow asked sadly, stumbling along the trail Scribbler was trotting to. "What if they.." No. Willow didn't think they would die, they're strong enough to live. "Where are we going to hide the Litany?" Willow mumbled, but she doubted that Scribbler would be able to  hear her. 

 

"Zintiik.." Willow frowned, looking back into the chamber. She took a close look at the Litany and searched around for the temple exit, but there was none to be found. Why did everypony want that book anyway? Granting power isn't that big of a deal and it could only lead to chaos. And it did.. she wanted ponies to listen to her. Before this trip, there was a quote hung up on her wall that she always stared up at when she woke up. It read: "As long as greed is stronger than compassion, there will always be suffering."

 

But then one word popped into her mind: home. That's when she started to cry.

 

(( OOC: Bit melodramatic if you ask me.. but it's about time this happened! I was thinking about typing a post for Aphrodite but I couldn't think of anything.. Sorry if you were waiting for her post!   ))

[EcstaticWind 572]

Aegis Dare

 

Everything had happened so fast. In a split second, everything changed. Now the swordspony named Noble Persona possessed the power of the Litany, and Aegis could tell that he would not be friendly. Whether or not Orion could be reasoned with had gone out the window now.

 

"Everypony, it's time to leave. We've got to go!" Aegis yelled. When Noble snapped out of it, there would be no telling what he'd do.

 

 

Noble Persona

 

"It's... It was all for nothing... She's still dead..."

 

He kept laughing. That same laugh, over and over. A pair of pitch-black wings materialized on his back, and the laughter stopped. Noble stood up at looked at the mangled corpse of his mother with a fond look in his eyes. He closed the coffin with reverence and care. "I'm sorry, Mother. I shouldn't have disturbed your rest. It's ok... Sleep now, Mother."

 

He turned to the others with a mournful look and thinly-veiled madness as the coffin sank back into the stone. "Let me pass..."

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kingfisher and Redwave.

Redwave released the Changeling. He stared at the lost look in Kingfishers eyes over the tip of the sword.

 
"'Fisher..?" He asked blankly. "Kingfisher... what...?"

 

The mare held her ground: standing over the insect and glaring at the red maned pony - he sounded genuinely shocked that she had stood up to him... but he was clearly the aggressor: she had been raised properly and knew right from wrong well enough to stand up for those who couldn't.

 

Shaking his head slowly, he strode across the room toward Pavisa: drawing the sword-shaped stone from its place as her glared at the unconscious form of Orion - blind to the events taking place around him. "What did you do to her!?" He bellowed at the unresponsive unicorn.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Cinderscribe

[Umbreon 569]

Zintiik

 

The battered changeling looked at Kingfisher in confusion - he hadn't actually expected anypony to stand up for him, let alone someone from the captain's group.  "Th...  Thank you..."  Zintiik stumbles a few steps away, looking around, trying to figure out what had happened.  Orion was unconscious, and Willow...  Willow was gone!

 

"W...  Willow?"  He had to hope that she was safe...  Because as much as Zintiik wanted to go find her, he was at the end of his strength.  He had tried to go too long without feeding, and after the beating he just took he couldn't go any longer.  "Willow...  Orion...  I'm sorry..."  Zintiik tried to take another step and collapsed.  He was still conscious, but he was too weak to move.  The changeling would have preferred to let sleep take him, but it didn't seem as though that kindness was going to happen just yet.

 

 

Pavisa

 

It had taken Pavisa a moment to recover from Orion's spell - she was lucky that the backlash had knocked the unicorn out, because the sudden flash had still been enough to temporarily blind her.  Cursing under her breath she pulls the unicorn onto her back again, standing and turning to find Redwave...  And his sword, pointed at her.  Or more likely, at Orion on her back.

 

As Redwave demanded to know what Orion had done to 'her', Pavisa let her gaze drift back to where Redwave had been battling the changeling.  Seeing Kingfisher, the guard was able to piece together an idea of what had happened.  Nothing specific, but she knew that Kingfisher must have done something she wouldn't have done with her memory intact.

 

"Captain, it wasn't Orion!  Kingfisher lost her memory before we entered the temple, some kind of defense mechanism from the Litany!  It's slowly returning to her, but she still doesn't remember everything.  Please, lower your blade!"  Orion may have been their enemy throughout this quest, but the guard wasn't about to let somepony kill him in his sleep.  She really hoped that Redwave was listening to her, because she didn't want to go against him in a matter like this...  But she would defend the unicorn if she had to.

[RAGESTAR 479]

@@Windbreaker

 

"Well, isn't this ironic...I get lost for a mere few hours, and some asshole with a power fetish happens to have the power of the Litany. Why does all the important crap happen when I'm not around? Oh well, seeing as you hurt my friends, I'm gonna have to kick your ass now...and guess what? Now there's nothing holding me back! Flame Jet!" said Crimson, before using a burst of flames to shoot at Noble at high speed. "Meteor Punch!" said Crimson, as he punched at Noble's head with a flaming hoof.

 

((for those who don't know, Crimson is a flame elemental.))

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Redwave.

Redwave glared at the breathing unicorn for a few moments more before bellowing at the top of his lungs - hurling the useless stone blade across the chamber where it crumbled into dust on colliding with the wall.

 

Panting, he sunk to the ground - becoming aware of the pirate predictably attacking the glowing unicorn and managing to raise a hoof to his face before slamming it into the ground in a defeated gesture.

"Ugh... can anything else go wrong? Damn that bard for setting me on this course!" He muttered into the stone floor.

 

The bard... he was responsible. If Kingfisher was what he called a companion, then Bardic was what he called a friend. He couldn't have known what was going to happen: he seemed to know everything when he spoke, but he was far from prophetic.

 

"I demand alcohol, when we are through with this." He declared into the ground.

[EcstaticWind 572]

Noble Persona/Artorias

@, 

 

Noble blocked the blow with minimal effort. His eyes glowed as he released the power and sent the Pirate flying with a kick. He drew his sword as he lifted himself into the air on his dark wings.

 

"You dare to accuse me? Who do you think you are, Pirate filth? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING TO?!"

 

Violet flames surrounded Noble, and a terrifying smile spread across his face.

 

"If you desire your death so badly, then come. I, Artorias, shall grant thy death wish!"

 

 

Aegis Dare

 

"Crimson, don't fight him! We have to retreat and think of a plan!"

 

'This is bad. Very, very bad. I can't let Crimson fight that pony, but the others... Dammit, I can't risk everypony else for one pony.' Aegis was shocked that he, of all ponies, had thought that. But Crimson had proven difficult to kill, and the others wouldn't be able to fight if he went down. All they could do is run. Regroup and think of a new plan. He turned to Midnight Sky.

 

"Help me gather the others. We're leaving now." He said.

[RAGESTAR 479]

@@Windbreaker

 

Crimson turned in mid air and skidded to a halt, grinning up at Noble, with a smile that looked just as crazy as his. "oh, I don't think I'm anything...I know I'm the warrior that's gonna kick your ass! Aegis, get everyone out of here, I'll hold him off! This is between me and him...don't waste another second on my account, just RUN!!" said Crimson before teleporting above Noble attempting to kick him in the head with a flaming hoof.

[Umbreon 569]

Pavisa

 

@,

 

Relieved to see Redwave toss the blade away, Pavisa reaches out to take the captain's hoof.  "I'll buy the first round once we get back to Canterlot, alright?  Right now we should really get out of here though.  The unicorn that took the Litany disappeared during the chaos."

 

She spares a moment to glance back at where Crimson was trying to attack Noble.  Stupid stallion...  What is it with them and fighting!?  She brings her attention back to Redwave and nods back towards where Kingfisher was standing.  "Let's get everyone out of here, yeah?  And...  It's good to have you back, Captain."  She smiles briefly at Redwave before starting to move towards Kingfisher, hoping to help get everypony organized so they could fall back.

[EcstaticWind 572]

Noble Persona/Artorias

@,

 

The attack hit, knocking Noble down in a flash of violet flames. But it didn't even leave a mark.

 

"You don't think at all... Have you considered your opponent? Or their skill?" Noble said, teleporting behind Crimson. "You just fight and fight and fight. Calling your attacks like it's some game. You don't deserve to be called a warrior!"

 

Noble unleashed a torrent of water at Crimson, with the intent on drowning the pirate.

[RAGESTAR 479]

@@Windbreaker

 

The torrent hit Crimson dead on, but instead of hitting the floor, or even struggling, his form disappeared with a hiss. Noble had attacked a flaming clone of Crimson. At that moment, Crimson appeared next to Noble, he had used an invisibility spell and hid when Noble was distracted. He struck at Noble's neck with a now Flaming Helios. "And you shouldn't mock your foe or brag of your power during battle, dumbass!" said Crimson.

[EcstaticWind 572]

Noble Persona/Artorias

@, 

 

His blade flashed into position, blocking the strike and defended against the heat with the power of the Litany. Noble turned to face Crimson and punched him across the face, then pushed him back with a magic burst.

 

"It's not bragging, it's stating basic common sense. But then, you pirates have always been slow to learn."

 

A dark aura surrounded Noble, and two coffins raised themselves from the stone. This time, there was no light and no gentle opening of the caskets. Instead two abominations sprang forth, breaking the coffins to pieces.

 

"Now, my beasts, tear this pirate to pieces..."

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@,

 

Scribbler looked back at Willow, her eyes questions passing over him, as he frantically attempted to get distance between them and the quarreling in the Litany's chamber. She began to cry, striking a chord in Scribbler's heart. He couldn't bare to let her suffer, and dropped his invisibility. He stopped for a moment, having felt they'd moved far enough away that they wouldn't be found easily. Placing a hoof on Willow's shoulder, he looked to her with compassion. "Willow, I know this is all a lot to take in. And We haven't even exchanged words yet until now.. but I made a promise to your brother, that I would not allow you to come to any harm. I know you worry for him and Zintiik.. But right now, unless we deal with this book, none of us will survive this accursed magic. The Litany's power now lies within you, perhaps you can muster some of it's energy to break the protection it bears, so we can all see an end to this quarrel. I would sooner sacrifice myself to destroy this, than let it's power consume another mind the way it has here today. It is as though almost every one of those fools is so blinded by power that they cease to see the danger. We have the book, Willow, you and I. We can end this here. But I need you to help me.. I cannot break it alone. Orion, and Zintiik will be alright, I'm certain.. Once we get rid of this book, I can restore them both." Scribbler tried to comfort her with this, realizing the last part was only a half truth. He didn't have any idea if the destruction of the book would in turn destroy the ones linked to it. He only hoped that wasn't the case, and was somewhat reassured by the fact that Orion had survived being severed from it already.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Redwave. and Kingfisher

 

"Just once, I would like to make an entrance without the gates of Tartarus themselves trying to overshadow me..." Grumbled Redwave as he limped after the guard. "'Fisher! We're leaving!"

 

Kingfisher glared at the violent pony: this was the 'Redwave' that everypony had been praising?

 

She refused to believe it.

 

That said, leaving did seem like the correct course to take: she grabbed the bug roughly and pushed him onwards - seeing the lack of inclination he seemed to have for moving unassisted.

 

"Lets just get out of here, then I can decide what to do with the two of you..." She muttered.

[Ihei 713]

@@Midnight Scribbler,

 

Willow Starsinger

 

Willow stopped. She felt comforted by Scribbler's words, but was still afraid for Orion and Zintiik's safety. She took the Litany gently from his hooves and stared at its cover. "What are we going to do with this--" Willow began, but the book began to vanish from her hooves. "AAH!" Willow yelped and abruptly let go of the book and hid behind a corner. "Wh-wh-where'd it go?" Willow asked, trotting back to the place it disappeared. "At least it's gone.. nopony can find it now," Willow sighed relieved. "I'm sure Orion would try to find it again though."

 

(( OOC: Just so you know, the Litany didn't just disappear. It just stored itself away somewhere. I'm sure somepony else would try to find it still. ))

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@,

Scribbler became frantic "No.. NO! Nononono.. What happened? Where'd it go?? We have to destroy it! It's gone, but not unreachable. Somepony will find it, and all of this is just bound to repeat it's self all over again."He pawed at the ground all around where it fell, hoping it had merely gone invisible, but nothing met his hooves except stone. He calmed down for a second, taking a couple deep breaths. "Whoever has the link to the Litany will be able to locate it.. And.. I'm afraid that Noble was the last to gain the power.. I don't trust him.. Haven't since I first saw him." He shook his head with disbelief "We had it.. We could have destroyed it.. I should have at least tried.." He sat down, feeling defeated, looking into the cold stone floor. He had at least done one thing, he'd held his promise to Orion. "Your brother is a good pony.. and I won't abandon him, just as I won't abandon you or Zintiik. But I promised him I'd protect you, and judging by the violence that just erupted in there, going back now would be a sore move on our parts. Let's wait here and see.. My magic is restored, so I can better serve to protect you if I must, and the tunnel is at least more advantageous for a defensive against them. Let them come to us.. We can speak to them if they wish to be civil."

[RAGESTAR 479]

@@Windbreaker

 

Crimson rolled a few feet away and skidded to a halt, wiping blood away from the corner of his mouth, smirking. "Sorry to tell you, nutcase, but I'm not like most pirates. Actually, I'm more of a foul mouthed, sea fairing robin hood, with flame powers, and a slight drinking problem. I may steal, but only from those who can afford it, but enough about me...since when did you become the new wannabe hero? I thought that was Orion's job..." said Crimson, before cutting the monsters down with his flaming sword, he then shot a large wall of flame at Noble.