open A Darker Fate: Beyond these Walls Chapter Two.

[Commander Tangent 861]

@@Midnight Scribbler,

 

"Do remember I am here as well " Icarus reminded Clockwork as they sat in the cave. 

 

The injured pony had still not responded to his question, but did not seem to be in to much trouble. Hopefully she would be able to give him what he needed to help her with her injuries.

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@@Midnight Scribbler,

 

Blast

Blast gave a small smile back to Clockwork. It was obviously a forced one, though. The crazy doctor had a point. Ponies often told the stallion that pain builds character. Maybe this would help out in that respect. Still, he could only look down at his injuries.

"I just wish that I could be more help." Blast said with a small sigh. "I've always been up and moving, but now, I can't do anything but sit here and wait for my wounds to heal. You know how much bites?" The stallion tried leaning back onto the cold canvas of the cave wall. It felt better to recline on something. "What can I possibly do to help considering my injuries?"

[Frosty V 309]

@

 

Frost kept distance between him and Kingfisher as she trotted into the cave. When she came out asking for some way to light the place up he wasn't surprised. He had little experience in fire magic, he rolled his eyes, remembering that he could at least use some light magic to light their way some what. He closed his eyes and his horn started to glow a bright white. He once again opened his eyes and stepped into the cave to see how bright his magic was. "Well.....it's not super bright, but I think it will manage for now." He muttered, turning his head to look into the pitch black darkness in front of him.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

@,
@,
@,
@@Icy Void,

The wind changed directing as the ponies turned in the direction of their destination - it was directly opposing them: pushing against them and amplifying their burdens: pushing downwards, it added weight to everything they were carrying.

 

The lightning struck again: too far forward this time. Perhaps the weather was working against whatever was hunting them, or perhaps there was some other reason that it had been unable to hit them? Regardless, the second strike was undoubtedly closer.

Dangerously so.
 
The purple light spread through the fog as it thundered down with a might crash, momentarily illuminating the world in vivid colour before the storm returned.

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

Kingfisher.

@@Windbreaker,
@@Frosty V,
 
"Thanks." Said Kingfisher, distracted as she tried to make out what she was seeing further into the cave. The light dispelled the darkness in the immediate area but failed to reveal the full depth of the cavern - there was a sound in the distance: wind perhaps? It came from directly ahead - though as far as she could see, there were a number of smaller, shadowy nooks to either side of them.
 
She shivered. "Damn... If anythin' lives down here then I sure wouldn't want to meet it...  watch your step."
 
Stepping carefully forward, she double checked the sword at her side before looking back at her companions. Aegis was armed - not exactly something that filled her with confidence - she hadn't seen any evidence of him being accomplished in combat at all but... it was better than nothing. Frost followed some distance behind.
 
"C'mon, we'll see how far back this goes. don't lag behind Frost, we need you up front with the light."

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

Orion Starsinger.

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

"Scribbler?"

Orion looked up: head throbbing slightly, but none the worse for his overextended use of magic. He looked from his friend to his sister... then back to his friend. His eyes narrowed slightly but he said nothing of the dilemma this caused.

 

"Good to see you back with us... Now get some sleep, we cant do anything until this storm is over... We need to start moving in the morning."

 

He turned away, glaring at the fire with his head spinning slightly - it wasn't because of the spell feedback. Zintiik... Midnight... It was starting to look like there were less and less ponies that he could trust...

 

**Timeskip incoming.**

[Umbreon 569]

Pavisa

 

The ex-guard lowered her head as she tried following the others through the storm - the wind and the stone pedestal on her back were slowing her down, she felt like she was barely moving with each step...  And by this point if the lightning didn't kill her, it felt like the cold would.  Her armor felt like sheets of ice even through the layers of leather keeping the metal off of her skin, and the howling wind was finding every crevice in the steel suit.

 

She knew her steps were starting to slow, but she couldn't let herself stop...  She wasn't about to die in this frozen wasteland, not when the others still needed her!  If it came down to it, she'd abandon the pedestal...  Pavisa really wasn't sure why she'd agreed to take it with them in the first place.

 

Looking up, she saw that the others were starting to get ahead of her.  She had expected as much, as burdened as she was at the moment.  She was mostly following the glow from the unicorn's horns now, her teeth chattering too much from the frozen storm to call out to them.  C'mon, Pavisa...  You didn't come all this way to die to the cold...  She was knocked off her hooves as a lightning bolt struck dangerously close, and it took her longer than she cared to admit before she managed to pick herself up.  At least the lightning was warm...

[RAGESTAR 479]

@ @ @@Icy Void

 

Crimson followed alongside the others at a much quicker pace, seemingly not very bothered by the cold, but then again, when your on fire its a bit hard to feel cold. "Everyone stay close! We're all getting out of this, no one is slowing down or gets left behind!" he ran beside Pavisa and put a (thankfully extinguished) hoof on her shoulder, giving her some warmth. "The same goes for you, soldier girl!" he said with a smile, before continuing to run.

Edited December 27, 2013 by ragestar

[Icy Void 19]

Midnight Sky

 

"Come on everypony, as long as we stick together we will make it back to the cave!" Midnight called back at the others as he trudged on. Normally the weight of his armor wasn't a bother, he had grown accustomed to it after years of wearing it, but in these situations with wind and snow pounding down on him it was hard to ignore it, especially with those two lock boxes he had picked up. And even though the storm had managed to not kill them so far, it was certainly still a bother. Midnight could only be glad of three things, one that his sister was safe in the cave, then that they had a fire specialist with them, and finally that with help from Eclipse's magic Midnight found using his scanning magic continually less tiring. "We're about halfway there, we just need to push through!" Midnight yelled back to the others after a few more steps. He could only imagine how cold Eclipse and Pavisa must be, Eclipse wasn't wearing a very heavy outfit and Pavisa's armor wasn't made for weather like this, he'd have to thank Sunshine for making him wear his armor back when all this started, he'd probably be dead without it. Midnight just hoped that that thing didn't attack again, though with their luck he wouldn't be surprised if it did.

[Frosty V 309]

@

 

Frost looked around the cavern, his light providing him some since off what was around him. He snapped out of his wandering state when he heard Kingfisher call out to him. He jerked his head her direction, seeing her dimly lit face standing farther into the cave. "Right.....sorry." he muttered quietly as he drew his bow and started to walk towards the darkness.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Midnight Scribbler

@,

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@,

@@SilverHeart,

@@Nomadic,

 

Scribbler's eyes met with Orion's as he spoke. His voice sounded grim towards the end, and something about the way he looked at Scribbler made him feel somewhat uneasy, as though he'd done something to offend the stallion. He said nothing in return, merely nodding his agreement for what Orion had said. He couldn't get up anyways, with the lack of strength he was suffering at the moment. Every ounce of his energy had been spent keeping himself alive. Weak as he was, he felt no fatigue, and with the added uneasy feeling of not knowing what had crossed Orion's mind, he wasn't about to sleep yet. He pondered these things, some of his memories of events leading up to being knocked down had returned to him. He gazed into the fire through his goggles, then looked back to Orion. "Is something troubling you, friend? I may not be physically capable yet.. but I feel my mind is back to some semblance of order. I apologize for all of this.. I hadn't anticipated catching a bowling ball of ice to the head today."

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

 

Clockwork Green

@@Commander Tangent,

@,

 

Clockwork smiled at Icarus. "Ah, forgive me, I hadn't realized you were staying behind as well.. A wise choice considering, the others might require your assistance if they return anytime soon. I do hope they haven't gotten lost, that wouldn't help our situation at all."

He glanced back to Blast, as he lamented his situation. "Fear not, my young friend. The best way you can help, as of now, would be to heal up, and that means getting some rest. You'll be much more helpful in working condition, but you need to be patient else you'll end up in worse condition. The more you rush, the longer you'll be down unfortunately." He patted Blast on the back, reassuringly. "When I implanted these wings here, I was forced to be out of commission for nearly a month, but this was much more complicated than a fractured skull. Luckily, I had my assistant to help out.. Too bad she's not here now." He gazed to the floor, with a slight melancholy expression. He hadn't thought of her in some time, and realized how much better off they'd be if she had been with them. A second medic would be much needed in times like these.

[EcstaticWind 572]

Aegis Dare

@@Frosty V, @,

 

It was at this moment when something important hit him: He didn't actually know how to use his wingblades. 'Wonderful. This is going to be a joyous experience... Well, I'm good at improvising. Maybe I can figure it out that way. Or hurt myself badly. Who knows? Won't know until I try, that much is certain.'

 

He followed close behind Kingfisher and Frost, listening for anything suspicious in the darkness. His head turned sharply when he heard something move. "Did you two hear that? Please tell me it's either a rat or just me being paranoid..."

[Snowy Storm 57]

Icy watched Frost and Kingfisher go deep into the cave. She froze up her body again to ignore and deal with some of the pain. she could hardly see them in the dark cave. She decided against running off in the dark and instead try to heal her injuries with her Ice magic. While her magic would heal her, she things get to warm she is going to feel her the full extent of her cuts, bruises, and sore muscles.
Resting her body against the ground again she decided to take a small nap.

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@@Midnight Scribbler,@@Commander Tangent,

 

Blast

Blast nodded and lied down on the cold cave floor. He curled up into a ball to keep himself warm through the brutally cold storm. The thunder boomed outside, and the others still haven't returned. They couldn't have gotten caught out there in the storm, could they? Oh no, please no...

 

@@Icy Void, @,@,

 

Eclipse

The others proceeded through the intense storm. The rain pattered down onto Eclipse's face at a brutal rate. The thunder only made traveling through the storm an even more unbareable experience. With the magic he could use, Eclipse made a weak magic shield in front of the group, though it was only a half shield. It could only block what was directly in front of them. Anything that came behind them, they'll just have to deal with it.

[Ihei 712]

(( OOC: No color! Again! xc ))

 

@@Windbreaker,

 

Gwyn

 

"Whatever." Gwyn couldn't help but flick her tail in Noble's face, and smirked. "It's just me. Willow's probably just as boring as you are," Gwyn stared up at the ceiling, rolling her eyes.

 

"Can we do something fun now?" Gwyn playfully took Noble's hoof.

 

@,

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

 

Willow Starsinger

 

While Orion and Scribbler were talking about her well-being - well, at least she thought that they were talking about that - she noticed Zintiik talking to her. She wasnt too sure what he was saying, since her mind was a bit foggy lately. She still decided to try to sleep, but what he said - when she heard what he said - a blush started to creep onto her cheeks.

 

She worried for Zintiik and Scribbler. Orion put his trust in them and he's already lost it because of her.

 

~The next morning~

 

Willow awoke with a start. She had a terrible nightmare about Orion being taken away to be sentenced to death from Noble Persona's orders. She thought it was real until she saw Orion sleeping next to her.

 

She decided last night that she wanted to make up for the lost time in Canterlot and spend time with her bigger brother. She tapped her brother lightly on the hoof to get his attention, and then she asked - for the first time in many years - "Do you want to go make a snowmare?"

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

@,

@,

@,

@@Icy Void,

 

Without warning - everything stopped.

 

The fog... The wind... The lightning and snow... It all just froze, as if the cold had effected the weather or even time itself. The howling was silenced - the cold wind that cut as deeply as any knife simply turned to a freezing chill and the fog seemed to turn to a dense, water-life substance hanging in the air.

 

Time seemed to stop.

 

And then it began again: more frenzied and determined that before. Three bolts hurtled out of the sky one after another - falling directly amongst the group. Two landed between the ponies - shockwaves shaking the earth beneath them. The third came down exactly on target: striking the stone pedestal cleat in the center.

 

There was a moment where it seemed like the lightning should follow its natural course straight down - through the earth mare. It didn't. The column shuddered for a moment: a powerfully magical artifact in its own right - as the energy was absorbed. It glowed a glorious purple for several seconds... before shattering. Overcome: faced with a power that was far more ancient and more powerful that it had ever touched before.

 

As the stone crumbled it filled the dense, choking air with a sparkling dust that shimmered in the dull fog as if some unseen light source was shining on it from nearby. It expanded outwards into a cloud as it slowly fell towards the ground: unaffected by the weather and engulfing the guardsmare: whirling gently about and seeping through the cracks in the Canterlot armour before dispersing without any clear effect - never quite reaching the ground.

 

The pedestal of the Litany of Magic was gone. Whatever it had done - for good or for I'll - was not yet evident.

 

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

 

Kingfisher.

 

@@Windbreaker,

@@Frosty V,

 

The mare looked around the cavern - or what they could see of it at least.

 

"Hopefully nothing that's alive... I'd rather not run into anythin' that can survive on its own out here."

 

She nudged Frost reassuringly and nodded onwards with a half-grin as they made their way further inside - soon finding themselves separated from the other survivors by an area of darkness: where the waning light from outside and the light from Frosts horn failed to meet.

 

She wasn't certain if it was warmer in here or not: maybe without the wind their body heat was starting to build up the temperature a little? Or maybe she was just losing feeling in her senses too much to feel it any more.

 

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

 

Orion Starsinger.

 

@,

@@Midnight Scribbler,

@@SilverHeart,

@,

@@Nomadic,

 

"It's nothing - I'm just exhausted. Didn't expect the portal to be so... aggressive." Orion said without looking up. It was true: well... the second part was anyway - if he had known the implications of the portal he would hack packed better. Thankfully, his contact seemed to have thought ahead enough to avert the most prominent disaster.

 

...

 

Before he knew what was happening - it was morning. Had he passed out? No, just fallen asleep. No evidence of an attack and willow was still there. His head pounded but that was to be expected - magical strain was never pleasant to recover from.

 

"Not now Willow, I..."

He stalled. After all this: after resolving to not let anything come between them... he was turning her away? And why, for the sake of a few minutes of daylight? A few minutes that could easily be spared? "... You know what? I'd love to. Come on - lets go take a look outside."

[Nomadic 210]

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

 

Denarius stared aimlessly throughout the cavern. His body sprawled lazily against the stone surface of the cave. It appeared that Orion's sister had finished stitching up the stallion. It was pleasant to see her care for the stallion with such diligence. Slowly, his eyelids and head began to loll as his view of the cavern slowly faded away.

 

...

 

He awoke with a sizable yawn. Last night had not been a pleasant sleeping experience. His body felt stiff with a flair of dull pain throughout. Hopefully, it would dissipate shortly. This was irrelevant anyway. He had to continue on as his only way out of this snow-covered trench of a valley would be with the other ponies in here, and besides, by chance, he had been provided with a most enjoyable distraction from his usual pursuits.

 

Denarius glanced around the room. All the others, excluding Orion and his sister, were still asleep. It appeared almost unchanged from last night. His money and dice still lay on the ground where he had so carelessly dumped them. Further along the cavern, remained the two halves of what appeared to be once his pouch. He sighed regretfully as he would probably need to leave his possessions behind. 

[EcstaticWind 572]

Noble Persona & Gwyn

 

"Forget sounding like Willow, you've just become Willow." He said, groaning. In response to her tugging on his hoof, he glanced towards the door. But his anger had faded. 'I shouldn't get angry. I should remember that I'm not alone anymore, and I can't expect her to sit patiently for days while I plan a rebellion. I need more ponies to help. Otherwise, I won't be able to keep this up...'

 

Gwyn tugged again. "Hey, are you awake in there?" She asked insistantly.

 

"Yeah, I was...I was just thinking about something. I can't keep up appearances by myself. I'll need some ponies to help." Noble said.

 

"Again with the plans... Can't we just do something instead of sitting around scheming?" Gwyn pouted.

 

Noble tapped Gwyn on the head. "I'm not doing anything with you when you've got that attitude. Sorry, but without Mother or Father around to keep discipline, that duty falls to me as the eldest."

 

"What? But..."

 

Noble gave her an evil grin. "Your turn to apologise. And maybe I'll consider your request."

 

Gwyn frowned, none too fond of having her trick turned back on her. "Fine. I apologise. Now can we do something before I die of boredom?"

 

"Yes. How about going to dinner at a fine restaurant? You just need to put on one of your new dresses, 'Miss Starsinger'." Noble said, placing great emphasis on 'Starsinger', much to Gwyn's displeasure.

 

"Don't call me that..." She said, though her tone was more akin to a child after a tantrum rather than a genuine threat.

 

"Don't be such a child, then. Hurry, before I change my mind." Noble said. Gwyn hurried into her room and put on her new pink dress. Noble looked at his own attire. With his long hooded coat and his black armour, he looked more like he was about to go to war, rather than dinner. He went and changed his outfit to a black puffy sleeved shirt with a dark purple waistcoat. Over that he wore a black formal longcoat with a gold trim and red lining the inside. He and Gwyn stepped out of their rooms, almost surprised at how the other looked.

 

Gwyn blushed. "Wow. You look handsome. How do I look?"

 

Noble bowed. "You look lovely, Gwyn." He held out his hoof. "Shall we?"

 

Some time later...

 

Noble and Gwyn sat by the window at a fancy restaurant, filled mostly with the rich and powerful. The elite of Canterlot. She found herself disappointed by the small serving sizes. Dinner was mostly quiet, with Noble always staring out the window. But nopony could've foreseen what would come next. And it happened at the sound of Noble's next words.

 

"Waiter, could you bring us the bill?"

Edited December 28, 2013 by Windbreaker

[Tricksters Pride 100]

@@Windbreaker,

 

Waiter

 

"In a moment Sir."   The waiter disappears from view only to return with an envelope and an apologetic look.   "I'm afraid that your bill has already been paid, Sir... Strings sends their regards."   After saying his piece, he drops the envelope in front of Noble... but it's addressed to Artorias. And with a seemingly forced smile and a slight bow, he goes about his work.  "Have a good evening, Sir. Madame."

 

(This is the letter.)

 Dear mister Persona,

 

Your actions at that unruly little port have not gone unnoticed, however pirates are not often missed and for the sake of future business i have taken the liberty of covering up this little... Incident. Though it must be said that the idea of obtaining a more permanent position in your employ intrigues me... Judging from the details of how you obtained the litany you would not have any clams in using someone like me, unlike the rest of your Equestrian brethren. However it occurs to me that these things are better discussed in private, so how about you meet me at that place on the outskirts of Canterlot that is rumored to be haunted and we can talk... Do come alone though, we wouldn't want any of your secrets to leak to the wrong ponies, would we?

 

With concern - Strings

 

Edited December 28, 2013 by Tricksters Pride

[Commander Tangent 861]

@@Snowy Storm,

 

His questions utterly ignored, Icarus walked away from the now sleeping pony.

 

@, @@Midnight Scribbler, 

He moved over to were Blast and Clockwork were.

 

"Is it me, or does the storm seem to be becoming increasingly worse as time goes on?"  Icarus asked the other two ponies as they waited.

[Frosty V 309]

 

Frost Typhoon

 

Frost trotted through cave, trying not to jump at every little sound that echoed down the caverns walls. He usually wouldn't be as frightened as he was at this moment in time, but something about dark places always found some way freak him out. When he felt Kingfisher nudge him and smile, he sported a half smile and continued to trot forward. "It is getting slightly warmer..." he muttered, running the possibilities of what it was. "What exactly are we trying to accomplish from this little expedition!" Frost whispered over his shoulder to Kingfisher, holding his bow with a tight grip and shivering slightly.

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

Eclipse

@,@,@@Icy Void,@,

 

 

The speed and power the lighting struck at was truly remarkable. It was startling to see the storm start and then pick up again. How could the lightning conveniently strike near the group? It couldn't have been just a small coincidence that the lightning struck the pedestal. Eclipse would say something around the lines of "I told you that thing was evil" but everypony was probably too startled by the moment, relieved that the lightning didn't hit them.

 

However, one lightning bolt hit right on target. As said before, it hit the pedestal on Pavisa's back. The unicorn was surprised that the shock didn't carry on it's course. Though, the earth mare's armor seemed to light up. The shock must've made it's course through the armor. But, how was she feeling afterwards?

"Pavisa...?" Eclipse said, walking up to the likely truamatized mare. "Is everything okay...? You aren't hurt, aren't you?"

[EcstaticWind 572]

Aegis Dare

@, @@Frosty V,

 

"Neither would I. But one good thing would come out of it." Aegis said, adding a pause for dramatic effect. "Practice."

 

 

Noble Persona & Gwyn

 

While Noble didn't show any outward emotion, his mind was sent into equal parts panic and intrigue. 'Whoever this pony is, he knows who I am. Is he trying to bait a trap and steal the Litany? Or just kill me on orders from Orion? Then again, he could be genuine in his request... Well, there's only one way to be sure. He went through the trouble to invite me, so it's only fair that I accept.' A grin spread across his face.

 

"Must be something good. What are you thinking?" Gwyn asked, wearing a sly grin of her own.

 

"This 'Strings' has invited me to meet with him. It would be rude not to accept, wouldn't it?" Noble asked.

 

Gwyn nodded. "Be careful, though. It may be a trap."

 

"Only one way to find out..."

[Umbreon 569]

Pavisa

 

@,

@,

@,

@@Icy Void,  

 

Pavisa groaned as she tried to pick herself up from the ground - if the lightning strikes landing near them had made it difficult to stand, being struck by one had completely knocked her off her hooves.  Granted, she was surprised to be picking herself up at all...  Shouldn't the blast have killed her?  It wasn't everypony who could say they'd survived being struck by lightning...

 

Her mind seemed to be going in slow motion as she tried to process what happened.  She felt lighter, significantly so...  That told her that the stone pedestal must have been gone.  Did that absorb the lightning somehow?  Is that how I survived that?  The ex-guard also realized she felt significantly warmer than moments before...  That may have been credit to whatever Crimson had done for her, or it may have been some kind of side effect of the lightning blast...  She wasn't sure, but she was grateful either way.

 

When Eclipse walked up to her, she stared at him for a short moment as though trying to understand what he'd asked.  "Uhm...  Yeah, I think so...  Surprisingly enough..."  Standing shakily again, she looks from Eclipse to the others before realizing the situation they were all still in.  Her lethargy from the cold before seemed to have vanished as she quickly turns back in the direction they'd been going.  "What are we all standing around for!?"  Nevermind the reason had mostly been their concern for her - they had to get out of the storm!  "Discuss it back at the cave, we should be running right now!"

 

As she started to make her way back to the cave at a much better pace than before, part of Pavisa's mind wondered if these were usual side effects of being struck by lightning...  And what could have happened to the stone pedestal - there hadn't really been shards of it around the blast site, so where had it gone? 

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Midnight Scribbler

@,

@,

@@Nomadic,

@@SilverHeart,

@,

 

Scribbler watched Orion's response, seeing that his expression hid more than he was speaking. He wondered why Orion was choosing to be so secretive with him suddenly, this worried him. Had Orion lost faith in Scribbler's usefulness? Or their friendship? Why was he acting this way? "Ah.. Yes, I can imagine using something like that would be a strain. Let's get some rest then.. Hopefully tomorrow I can begin to heal myself a bit more rapidly.. Then we can leave this all behind us, and move on." Before he finished his sentence, Orion had passed out on the cavern floor. "Well, he wasn't kidding about being exhausted.. Oh well." With that, Scribbler lay his head down, and waited for sleep to take him.
Scribbler awoke to the feeling a pounding headache. The sting from the stitching was dulled by the migraine he was suffering, though he was glad to still be breathing. He adjusted his lenses to let as little light through as possible, and sat up, clutching his head with a hoof. Weakly he attempted a healing aura, which worked.. somewhat. It lasted only a second or two, but it was enough to dull the pain to a bearable level. He gazed about him, seeing the others were asleep.. but.. where were Orion and Willow? Had they left them behind?? He began to feel a slight panic, until he heard voices from outside the cavern's mouth. Relief washed over him, and he let out a slight sigh. This was probably one of the worst places he'd been in many years, the very thought of losing companions made his heart sink. Thankfully they hadn't gone far.

Clockwork Green

@,

@@Commander Tangent,

 

Clockwork glanced towards the cavern entrance, listening. "To the contrary, doctor.. listen.. Do you hear that?" He waited, hearing nothing. The storm had ceased.. almost completely. Not a sound could be heard from outside, it was unnatural. "Suddenly I worry more for the others than I had the whole time the storm was going.. Something's not right." He got up and trotted over to the entrance to take a look. The worry in his mind was merely a word of singular meaning, worry that his life would be made more difficult with the loss of the other's help. He didn't truly care, his mind was far too cold and mechanical in nature, though he hid it well behind a visage of false emotion.

[Icy Void 19]

Midnight Sky

 

If the sudden halt in the storm had surprised him, then Midnight was doubly surprised when it intensified and even struck the group of ponies. The first two bolts thankfully missed a direct hit, though they were still close enough to hurt, but then the third one hit the pedestal on Pavisa's back. The shock wave from the other lightning bolts had stunned him, so Midnight didn't get a good look, but he could have sworn that the pedestal actually absorbed the lightning and dispersed itself rather than shatter. Of course it was hard to say when he was still trying to regain his bearings. "Pavisa is right, let's hurry. If we wait much longer then next time we won't be so lucky!" Midnight said, shaking his head to clear his vision. Midnight then took of running for the cave, focusing his magic into a bright light that the others should be able to see. Thankfully he had used his scanning continuously for so long that the area here was essentially engraved into Midnight's memory, and it wasn't long before he started being able to make out what had to  be the rock pile in the distance. "Just a little further, we just need to stay alive a little longer." Midnight muttered to himself.

 

 

Sunshine Rays

 

So far Sunshine had been in a daze, in shock from the train wreck. But when she had regained her senses and heard that Midnight and some others were outside again, it turned her shock into worry. Since then she had remained still, staring at the cave entrance in hopes that the others will come back safely. When the storm began to sound more violent however, Sunshine couldn't help herself. She ran to the entrance and looked out into the storm, and with her magic she began casting a beam of light out into the storm as a beacon for the others. She had to make sure her brother got back all right, if she lost Midnight she'd lose the only family that had ever actually looked out for her besides her big sister River Dance, who had acted like a mother for her and Midnight since their mother was always too busy with royal duties and with caring for Summer and Frozen. Sunshine needed her brother alive, he was the only family she had left now that they were here in Equestria, and she would not let him go without trying to help.

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@@Midnight Scribbler,@@Commander Tangent, 

 

Blast

Blast couldn't respond at the moment. His injuries were too much for him to really do anything besides lie there. He just let himself doze off in a curled ball formation. He felt a few tears run down his face. He hoped Eclipse and the others would get back safe and sound. The storm is picking up like crazy

And the lightning just headed their way.

 

@@Icy Void,@, @,

 

Eclipse

Eclipse simply nodded to the earth mare and continued on. He took the time to rest and regain himself so he could cast more magic. Even though the lightning didn't cast, the startling sight simply left the middle-aged unicorn out of breath. He couldn't stop now, though. He thought he could see the cave close by, but he couldn't be for sure.