open A Darker Fate: Beyond these Walls Chapter Two.

[Nomadic 210]

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

 

He listened intently to the unicorn's counsel. Perhaps, he had acted to rashly. Zintiik butted in with a snide comment, seemingly uncaring towards their earlier transgression. Trying to ignore the changeling's remark, he found himself agreeing that it would be better for him to try to befriend this group rather than lashing out at them.

 

Denarius chuckled mildly, though still slightly angry at Zintiik, he grinned at Scribbler. "It was a slip of the tongue, I assure you. As you said what could possibly be gained from me picking a fight with anypony here. Besides, in.... AH". Pausing mid-sentence a sharp stinging sensation could be felt throughout his ear. His ear began to twitch violently trying to alleviate the pain. Gritting his teeth, he began to continue on with his sentence as if he had never been interrupted . "In my experience, it's not opportune to bear grudges so shortly after meeting", he said with a slight quivering grin as his ear continually shook. 

[Umbreon 569]

Zintiik

 

@,

 

Zintiik chuckles.  "About as well as I could've hoped.  He was way more fun to mess with than Scribbler when we first met."  He tilts his head as she tells him about Hearth's Warming, trying to understand the tradition and...  Not exactly grasping the concept.  "Weird...  Nothing like that back at the Hive.  Changelings are expected to give to the Hive every day, a holiday about it sounds kinda strange..."  Granted, she'd also said receiving, which just made the holiday sound even stranger to the bug.

 

As she starts to talk about his memory loss, he turns his attention back to her.  She had grunted earlier, which he took as a sign of whatever pain she was feeling getting worse...  He didn't like seeing her in pain.  When she claims that he didn't miss much he frowns, lowering his head a little and leaning closer to her.  "Really?  Because I can't shake the feeling that something important happened...  And, I don't know, it feels like I shouldn't remember it, but I really want to..."  He lets his ears droop slightly, and he can't help but let his concern for her show.  "...Are you feeling okay, Willow?"

[Ihei 713]

@,

 

Willow Starsinger

 

Willow smiled. "You just love to mess with everypony, don't you?"

 

As the topic of the Hive was brought up, Willow was curious to know more about Zintiik's home. "What was it like there? Don't you have somewhere to sleep..? Does the changeling queen do anything? Do you think I'll be able to meet her?" Willow asked, bursting with questions. She never heard much of the Changeling Hive.. was it like a beehive?

 

 

"I.. I'm fine. Really, I am," Willow says, clutching her head. "Something important happened? I don't remember anything important. Who says there was something important?" Willow asked herself, looking about frantically. What would he do if he found out?

[Umbreon 569]

Zintiik

 

@,

 

Zintiik laughs a little, holding up a hoof to try and slow down the onslaught of questions.  "Hey, hey, one at a time!"  Trying to answer in the order she had asked, he tilts his head as he thinks back to the hive.  "Well...  I don't suppose we necessarily had our own rooms - drones slept in the same room as their broodmates.  We did have a place to sleep, they were kinda like small cells...  I guess you could call them cocoons, though that wouldn't be accurate because we don't metamorph..."  

 

He shrugs and tries to answer the second question.  As soon as he starts to talk about his Queen he seems to get a far away look in his eye.  "Queen Chrysalis...  The Hive revolves around her...  She gives us our orders, she finds us places to feed, she keeps the Hive strong and growing..."  Realizing he was starting to blush while talking about the changeling queen, Zintiik shakes his head to try and clear his thoughts.  "B-But uhm, I don't know if meeting her would be a good idea...  Ponies are supposed to be prey, not our friends...  If I ever do find my way back to the Hive, I could be in trouble about that..."

 

Wanting to change the topic he leans closer to Willow again, nudging her playfully.  "Well, I answered your questions...  Fair is fair, help me get my memory back!  Please?  No one told me something important happened, but it's just a feeling I have...  And if nopony is going to tell me it's going to drive me crazy!"

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

@@SilverHeart,

 

Deeper into the tunnels, even the air itself seemed dense and heavy. The only sound to be heard was the trickle of water in the distance: the resulting effect was somewhere between eerie and a strange, calming tranquility - a far cry from the constant sound and though of the wind back on the surface.

 

The natural hallway narrowed further as it went on: to the point where in the dimly illuminated light, it was unclear if a pony would be able to continue much further onwards. It's rocky walls became smoother: as if eroded by water in some ancient time. They were dry now though - whatever had done this was long gone.

 

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

 

Orion Starsinger.

 

Orion watched as the changeling interrupted... again. Watched as his precious sister was drawn towards the emotion vampire and scowled as he turned away and stormed off into the snow before he lost his temper completely.

 

'Everything from miles around seems drawn to her... How am I supposed to protect something so innocent? So pure?'

 

He continued: quickly putting distance between himself and the cavern where they had taken shelter - an unreasonable anger burning inside him and keeping him warmer than any cloak or fire could: a faint glimmer of blue sparkling in his eyes as the makeshift pendant beat against his chest with every step. Had 'Noble Persona' only been the first of Orion's 'friends' to turn on him? Waiting for a time to strike... a chance to stab him in the back and take away the last member of his family worth holding on to?

 

After everything he had sacrificed, still none of them could be trusted. Everywhere he turned, ponies and leeches were trying to take her away from him... trying to hurt or corrupt her like the rest of this foul world.

 

The unicorn muttered under his breath. He wouldn't allow it - not while he still lived.

 

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

 

Kingfisher.

 

@,

 

Kingfishers raised a brow at the story - she had noticed her friends mane of course but... struck by lightning? That was... was that even possible?

 

Of course it was: why would Pavisa lie to her?

 

"Sounds like it knew you still owed me money." She grinned to her friend. "Did we have a bet about anything like this? Feels like we should have."

 

There were so many questions to ask, but nopony to answer them... so she just carried on talking.

 

"I probably wouldn't have made it here without you... and now we're not going to freeze to death..." She said blankly - staring at the fire before looking around again, grinning and shrugging. "... Guess I owe you this time."

 

@@Icy Void,

 

She trailed off into silence before shaking herself awake at glancing about in the light of the fire.

 

"Lets have a look at these boxes then! Might as well see what's inside!"

Edited January 2, 2014 by Cinderscribe

[Ihei 713]

@,

 

Willow Starsiger

 

"Was it.. comfortable?" Willow shuddered at the thought of being confined in a tiny cocoon. "So.. are you going to go back to the Hive?" Willow asked sadly.

 

Willow had to admit, it was going to be hard to wake up and not see Zintiik sleeping across from her. She had Orion, but.. Zintiik was going to be a bit more difficult to handle. And besides, what if Orion sent her home to her parents and he kept exploring? She would have to make new friends, and she was.. lonely.

 

Zintiik leaning closer to her interrupted her thoughts, and she shoved him away lightly. "Don't worry, there was nothing important," Willow lied through her teeth.

[Umbreon 569]

Pavisa

 

@,

 

Pavisa laughs quietly, rubbing the back of her neck.  "I don't know, if we did have a bet, I probably lost it..."  As Kingfisher goes on the ex-guard feels herself start to blush, keeping her gaze on the fire and hoping that the heat would cover for her.  

 

"And as for that, don't worry about it...  That's not something you should owe me for.  I wasn't about to let something happen to my best friend."  She glances at the other mare and smiles before turning her attention to Midnight.  She was curious about what they'd found as well...

 

 

Zintiik

 

@,

 

With Willow telling him nothing important happened, Zintiik sighed and let his mind drift to the topic of the Hive.  If she told him nothing had happened, it must have just him being paranoid...  Willow wouldn't lie to him, right?

 

"I don't know...  Until I met Orion, I was just blindly trying to find my way back.  Now we have the quest for the Litany, and all that stuff going on...  When it's over, I guess I'll be back to blindly trying to find the Hive again, won't I?"  He sighs again, glancing around the cave as he speaks.  

 

"Ask anypony, a Hive is the only place a changeling belongs.  I'm not stupid, I know I'm different then the rest of the group.  Even Orion looks at me differently than he does say, Scribbler or Mirror..."  Zintiik seems to get a sad look on his face, though he quickly shakes it off back to his usual cocky self.  "The journey is fun, but I imagine once it's all done I'll have to leave so the rest of you can have normal lives...  Though if it means anything, I think I'll miss you..."

[Icy Void 19]

Midnight Sky

 

"Sure thing, and I'm as curious as the rest of you. I tried scanning for what was inside when I first found them, but some sort of magic that I'm not familiar with blocked my magic. Plus I'm pretty sure they're locked tighter than a normal lock, so is anypony good at picking locks?" Midnight said as he levitated the two boxes onto the ground in front of him. Out of sheer curiosity Midnight personally wanted to know what was inside the one with the eye on it, but the one with the music note was a good mystery as well. Hopefully they could open both, but Midnight had a feeling that just opening one could be problematic based on how well sealed off they both are.

 

Then Midnight remembered something, back in the train car, Eclipse and Crimson had begun to argue over a key, it could be that that key is for one of the lock boxes, that made sense at least. "Hey Crimson, Eclipse, which one of you has that key you were fighting over? You know, the hypnotizing one. I think that could be related to these boxes somehow, after all, what good is a key if it doesn't unlock something, such as these two lock boxes that just happened to be in the same train car." Midnight asked the two of them. If his hunch was right, then that key could turn out to have been worth the trouble, and if he was wrong then he'd have to hope that they could somehow force the boxes open, though he personally doubted that being possible. However despite his curiosity, Midnight also had a feeling that these could just as easily be a trap, after all one just had to look at where they were hidden to know that something about them was not normal. And nopony could know how long they've been exposed to the remnants of Litany magic that hung around that pedestal, so anything could be possible.

[Ihei 713]

@,

 

Willow Starsinger

 

"What will happen if you don't go back?" Willow frowned, looking at the ground sadly. "It's okay if you come back with me and Orion.. you will be accepted, I promise! At least you don't have to leave.." Willow said quietly, hoping his answer would be a yes.

 

"I hope this journey doesn't end soon. You'll have to leave, and...." Willow started, her eyes clouding with tears. It took all her strength to not let any of them escape.

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

Eclipse

@@Icy Void,

 

Eclipse pulled the key out of the grasp of the pirate and gave it to Midnight.

"Go ahead and experiment with it."Eclipse said to the fellow unicorn. "Just be careful with it. Whatever you do, don't lock your eyes onto it. You'll be caught within it's trance." Eclipse walked over to the partially asleep Blasted Nova and brought him over to the fire. He felt that now that there was a fire going, he should be sleeping near it, as apposed to the edge of the cave.

 

Blast

@Anypony really

 

The scarlet earth pony found the warmness of the bonfire welcoming.Within a few moments, he opened his eyes to see the group sitting around it. He sat upright and grinned at everyone.

"Well, I'm glad everypony is back, along with some firewood." He said in a happier tone. The earth pony noticed the dents in Pavisa's armor. "Sheesh, Pavs, what happened to you?" He asked her.

[SilverHeart 741]

 

 

Deeper into the tunnels, even the air itself seemed dense and heavy. The only sound to be heard was the trickle of water in the distance: the resulting effect was somewhere between eerie and a strange, calming tranquility - a far cry from the constant sound and though of the wind back on the surface. The natural hallway narrowed further as it went on: to the point where in the dimly illuminated light, it was unclear if a pony would be able to continue much further onwards. It's rocky walls became smoother: as if eroded by water in some ancient time. They were dry now though - whatever had done this was long gone.

 

 

Mirror walked further onward, toward the trickling sound. If it hadn't been for the noise, she would have found the cave a little too eerie to continue. It was dark and claustrophobic. With each step she paused to make sure her hooves had a good enough grip on the smooth stone before taking another. The tunnel was getting tighter and tighter, if she couldn't fit through she'd have to find some way to get back...it wasn't wide enough to turn around here. Mirror felt herself shiver, the thought of walking backwards into darkness was not her idea of a good time. She continued forward, hoping that she would fit through the narrow gaps.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

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Due to Server Issues, we lost a HUGE chunk of the RP. Here is a brief summary to catch us up, so that we can continue

 

EDIT: Nevermind, I fixed it by posting this it would seem! I'll leave this here as a recap anyway: just disregard it if you like.

\\\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\\\

 
After receiving a letter on their return to Canterlot, our group is informed on an impending threat and urged to meet with a certain 'Bardic Knowledge' in the Crystal Kingdom. 
 
Taking the train, tempers run high before a cataclysmic crash sends the locomotive flying through the air: derailed and with the majority of the other passengers dead, our croup seek shelter from in a cavern from both the unnatural storm and some dark presence towering over them.
 
Despite being safe for the moment, they soon realize that their shelter will be as short lived as themselves without warmth: a small number of ponies ventured out into the wastes again to scavenge what they could: also locating a mysterious, extravagant carriage containing two unusual lockboxes: one emblazoned with an eye - the other, a musical note. 
 
The dilemma: only a single key was found - clearly made to only work once.
 
On the return journey, the ex-guard Pavisa was struck by one of the devastating bolts of supernatural lightning in the arcane storm - somehow surviving without harm thanks to the protection of an unusual pedestal of stone which was destroyed instead... leaving the mare stunned and not fully aware of the implications: but alive.
 
As the ponies gather around the fire to inspect the boxes on their return, night begins to fall. Kingfisher watched - waiting to hear out the opinions of her companions and what action they should take next.
 
---------------

After Orions spell worked almost as expected - bringing him and his newfound 'companions' into the frozen wastes, the group took shelter for the night alongside an unfortunate who had also been summoned alongside them. After a medical crisis and a restless night, Orion stormed off into the wastes to think - mulling over his group. He couldn't trust them but... Willow needed them.
 
He would watch them - he would spend every waking second ensuring his little sister was safe until he could give her the life she deserved: and if he got the chance to take revenge in the process, then so be it. He wouldn't let any of them stab him in the back like Noble Persona had: he was Orion Starsinger... and he would succeed.
 
In the meantime - he needed to return. He doubted that any of them would be so stupid as to harm her while he was still alive... but that wasn't a chance he was about to take.

 

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

 

As Mirror Image pushed onwards into the tunnels ever narrowing depths, it started to level out before suddenly opening out into a large, open cavern. A stream running across the center - separating her from the seemingly empty other half of the room - seemed to posses some kind of peaceful, hazy aura. The muffled sounds in this place seeming to suggest that the water was still a good distance away - deceptive in the darkness but clear under the light of the unicorns spell.

 

The water seemed to shine slightly - more than would be expected... though this might have been any number of things. The cavern was scarcely warmer than anywhere else in the frozen land - large shards of ice protruded from the walls and ceiling like gemstones, all sparkling in the faint light.

Edited January 7, 2014 by Cinderscribe

[Umbreon 569]

Pavisa

 

@,

@@Icy Void,

(And the rest)

 

Pavisa tears her gaze from the lockboxes to grin at Blast, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof.  "Heh, let's just say I was caught on the wrong end of a lightning bolt..."  Turning her attention back to the lockboxes as the key comes out, she tilts her head a little as she stares at the two boxes.

 

"Personally, I'm curious about the one with the music note...  Everything went to hell outside once the music in the train car stopped, right?  If there's something in that box to get the music playing again then maybe we'd be safe from whatever's out there."  It was of course a complete guess on Pavisa's part, but she liked the hypothesis.  She had been the first one through the door in the strange car, and the melody was still in the back of her mind...  She hadn't really thought about it what with being struck by lightning and all that, but she couldn't seem to get the tune out of her head.

 

 

Zintiik

 

@,

 

"I don't really know what'll happen in that case..."  He shrugs, still letting his gaze drift around the cavern.  "I mean, it's a likely scenario...  Once this quest is done doesn't mean I'll be any closer to the Hive, plus there's always the chance of not being fortunate enough to live that long."  

 

The changeling sighs quietly.  "I mean, I wouldn't mind spending more time with you and Orion...  I never really had friends before.  I don't want to make things difficult for the two of you though.  I don't care that other ponies wouldn't accept me, but if they knew you were friends with a changeling...  Things could get complicated, and I want the two of you to get through this with a happy ending."

 

He turns his head to look at Willow, a smile on his face, though he hesitates when he sees her.  She looks like she's about to cry...  What happened?  He leans closer to her, letting his voice drop to a quieter tone.  "Willow?  What's wrong?"

[Ihei 713]

@, @,

 

Willow Starsinger

 

"I was hoping you could come back with us. Its okay if somepony finds out I was friends with a changeling.. I didn't have that many friends and Orion and I haven't seen our.." Willow hesitated, "family in a while either. It was nice knowing that I had friends for once on this adventure we had, and.. I'd really miss you if you had to leave.." Willow cried, burying her face in Zintiik's neck. "I know it sounds selfish, Zintiik, I know you have to go home and try to find the Hive, but it'll be really hard accepting that you're going to leave the day we find the Litany."

 

"I don't want to make you feel bad, now.. besides, you'd probably starve if you stayed with me. You need to feed off ponies, right?" Willow smiled at the changeling, but it quickly faded. Willow looked up at the bug and gave him a small kiss.

 

She felt the energy seeping from her body afterwards, feeling weak along with the Litany's side-effects. "I guess we should make the most of it while it lasts, shouldn't we?" Willow smiled, trotting out of the mouth of the cave to find her brother.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kingfisher.

 

"Music?" Kingfisher echoed, face thoughtful as she considered the implication. "I guess that's why Bardic was interested then... but what about the other box?"

 

Motioning towards the second box, she traced the shape of the eye with a hoof.

 

"I've seen this symbol before... I'm not sure where, but it's familiar. Reminds me of some weird magic thing."

 

Two boxes: each ones contents unknown - was it really a good idea to open either of them? What if the one they opened was empty... Or worse, trapped? It was all too unusual for her liking - so she simply nodded in acknowledgment of her friends observations, trusting the judgement of the group.

 

"Any other ideas?"

Edited January 7, 2014 by Cinderscribe

[EcstaticWind 572]

Aegis Dare

@, 

 

"If we can carry them, why not have this Bardic fellow look them over? He's bound to have some idea of what's going on with those boxes." Aegis chimed in, though he had a somewhat sad and defeated tone of voice, staring longingly at the packets of preserved vegetables that he'd hoped would be a hot stir-fry. 

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

(Okay, for some reason, my dad's desktop won't let me mention anypony. I also can't add color to the text :/ Sorry if this comes off as disorganized)

 

@Cinderscribe

@Pretty much everypony in the cave.

 

Eclipse

 

Eclipse looked up to Kingfisher and Pavisa. He also kept his eye on the two lockboxes. Two symbols of a different kind in the same place... odd.

 

"Perhaps they're connected somehow." the middle aged unicorn said to the mares. "Both of those boxes must hold very important pieces of untouched history. Perhaps both of them connect somehow. Or, maybe it's like Pandora's box. Maybe it was never meant to be opened..."

[Icy Void 19]

Midnight Sky

 

"Aegis has a point, because wasn't this Bardic fellow the one who sent out those letters when this all began that told us to go after the Litany. If that really is the case I don't see why the harm in waiting to see if he could tell us anything about these. He might even be able to explain what happened earlier with that big magic creature and the pedestal that Pavisa was carrying earlier. What do you think Fisher, you seem to know this Bardic?" Midnight asked. He didn't say it out loud, but Midnight was also worried about the possibility of what Eclipse suggested. After all, these lock boxes were very well protected in that train car with the strange magic that had clung to it until they had disturbed it, and the boxes themselves were also quite well protected both by plain strength of the material they're made from and the strange and likely old, but still very powerful, magic that completely sealed the contents from the outside world to where even his scanning magic could not reveal what was inside. In this situation though, he believed it was best to try and get more information, if at all possible, before they decided anything, as Aegis suggested. After all, while they could be a trap or some cruel joke, the lock boxes could just as likely be something that could be immensely useful to them in the future.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kingfisher.

 

"I don't know... what if there's something useful inside? We can take them both with us but if we spend weeks carrying them around and then find a relocation scroll..."

 

Shaking her head, Kingfisher looked over the chests again.

 

"Pavisa, you've got a good feeling about this one?" She confirmed, raising a brow questioningly as she held a hoof over the musical note. "... and I really want to see what's in this one... but... I don't know if that would be safe." She added, moving her hoof towards the eye carved into the second box...

 

"Getting them to the Kingdom for Bardic to inspect seems like a lot of work for something that might be useful here and now, that's all I'm thinking."

 

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

 

Orion Starsinger.

 

Orion trudged purposefully back into the company of his untrustworthy companions. Scowl barely masked as he strode into the cave with renewed purpose - eyes flickering slightly with a spell not completely his own - the arcane sight placed upon him by the Litany while they were separated. Willow seemed to possess a brighter aura than anypony else there and Mirror was...

 

"Gatger you're belongings - we start out journey shortly. Scribbler, can you and..."

 

Huh.

 

"... Where is Mirror?" He said blankly allowed

Edited January 8, 2014 by Cinderscribe

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

Eclipse

@

@@Icy Void

 

White Eclipse couldn't take his eyes off of the two boxes. What was it about him them that made him so attracted? They were just boxes... or were they? They couldn't be. They must have some importance. Eclipse looked down into the fire and spoke with his head hung.

"Maybe we should take these things back to Bardic for further inspection, Kingfisher." Eclipse chimed in. "We could very well be holding the very pinnacle of destruction inside of these boxes. It's probably best that we carefully take these boxes back to the kingdom and let Bardic take a look."

[Nomadic 210]

@@Midnight Scribbler, @

 

Denarius stared at Midnight Scribbler waiting for a response, when Orion marched in barking orders to grab their belongings. This motley crew, who he now had to call his companions, were to leave shortly. Though, it seemed like he would have to leave his bits in the cave. Oh well, they would be easily replaceable once he got back to town. Getting up and moving away from Scribbler, Denarius began to casually stroll towards Orion.

 

"Orion if we are to leave soon could I at least get you to retrieve my weapon from your changeling friend over there", speaking to the unicorn in a rather playful manner. "You may not trust me yet, but I'm sure you would agree that it would be better if I was to have some form of defence rather than being a needless burden for both you and me".

[EcstaticWind 572]

Noble Persona and Gwyn

 

Noble entered the hideout to find it deathly quiet. A satisfied smile graced his face...until he found the kitchen in a mess. His smile was swiftly replaced with a frown as he checked the clock then went to Gwyn's room. Cautiously, he opened the door to find her on her bed, reading. "It's midnight, Gwyn. You said you'd be asleep by 11."

 

"Just one more chapter? This book is really good." Gwyn said, once again sounding like Willow. Noble's frown was replaced with a softer look. Caring, perhaps?

 

"Nope. Bed, now. Otherwise, you won't get to read it tomorrow."

 

Gwyn huffed, placed a bookmark at the page she was up to and reluctantly crawled under the blankets. Noble sighed and levitated the tea tray off the desk and the book away from the nightstand. "Good night, Gwyn." Noble said softly. When no reply came, he simply left the room.

 

"I'm trying to be a good brother..." He said as he closed the door. He passed by a mirror, but he didn't see himself staring back. Instead, there stood Orion Starsinger with a scolding look. Noble glared right back at the reflection. "Don't look at me like that. You couldn't handle the Litany... You can't even protect your sister. You had to get others to do it. Instead of trusting me to find her, you should've gone after her yourself. Everything that's happening to you, Starsinger... You brought it on yourself. DO YOU HEAR ME, STARSINGER?! IT'S YOUR OWN DAMN FAULT!"

 

"Noble? Are you ok?" Gwyn asked, peeking out from behind the door, but clearly afraid. Noble's terrifying expression of rage didn't reassure her any, either.

 

Noble regained his composure, but held a hoof to his head. "I'm...fine. Sorry, Gwyn. I didn't mean to disturb you."

 

"No, something is wrong. Tell me." Gwyn said.

 

"I'll tell you some other time. When both our minds are at ease. For now, let's both try to relax. Bed, young lady." Noble said. When Gwyn went closed the door again, he turned back to the mirror, somewhat relieved that it was Noble Persona staring back this time. 'Maybe I'm moving things too fast... My decision is made. I need Strings on my side. Otherwise, I'm spreading myself too thin.'

[Ihei 713]

@,

 

(Bit of a lazy post. I'll post better tomorrow :3)

 

"Orion, there you are! Where were you?" Willow smiled, nuzzling her brother. Noticing he was in a bad mood, she took a small step away. "O-Orion, are you okay?" Willow frowned, not wanting to anger her brother.

 

He has always been a delight to play with in the past, but now.. he seemed a lot more distant from her. From gazing at her brother with a worried look, she saw in his eyes that there was distrust. Was this really the same Orion whom allowed her to ride on his back years ago? The one that never let her down on her birthdays, and constantly asked her to play in the front yard?

 

He looked the same. But he didn't feel the same. "Orion.."

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Midnight Scribbler

@,

@,

@,

@@SilverHeart,

@@Nomadic,

 

Scribbler looked at Denarius, suspicion of his true intent was high, he didn't seem to be very transparent, and this worried him. He couldn't trust somepony he could not see through, though he would not make it known. He was about to respond before Orion stepped in, clearly angry, and asked where Mirror had gone. He looked up to Orion from his place on the floor, a slight worry in his eyes. His voice was soft, still at a loss for energy "Truthfully, I do not know, she wandered off into that tunnel a moment ago.. I don't know why. I'm sure she'll return, she wouldn't abandon us." He hoped. Scribbler struggled to his knees, and stood up shakily. He attempted to cast his healing spell once again. This time it was slightly stronger, relieving more of his headache. His thoughts became a bit more clear, as he powered down his horn. Everything he owned was still within his bag over his back, so getting ready was about as easy as following Orion's lead. He walked over to him, and gazed into his tempered expression. He spoke softly, keeping it between them. "Can I speak with you, a moment?"

 

(OOC: I'll post for Clockwork tomorrow, I need more time, but I'm up far too late already.)

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Orion Starsinger.

 

@@Windbreaker,

 

Orion paused...

 

Nothing. He had just felt... uncomfortable. Just for a moment. He had no idea why: just stunned - as if he had been struck. He blinked and shook off the feeling - passing it off as paranoia.

 

It wouldn't do to get paranoid - not now. Not when there were so many real concerns to deal with.

 

...

 

@,

@,

@@Nomadic,

 

The unicorn looked towards his sister. The aura from her was notably brighter - he briefly wondered whether there was anything he could do but... of course there wasn't. He was't any match for the powers of the Litany, not how he was.

 

"I'm fine Willow. Can you go tell Zintiik to give the arrogant one his knife back? I'll be watching him but... it would be foalish for him to do anything like that out here."

 

He took a deep breath - trying to steady his nerves. There was still something that felt wrong - surreal.

 

He tussled the mares mane with a hoof affectionately - masking his detachment from reality with a forced smile.

 

"Sorry, I'm just... not feeling too good. It's nothing important though: don't worry about it."

 

...

 

@@Midnight Scribbler,

 

Looking over towards Scribbler, Orion briefly considered his options. Shaking his head and sighing slightly, he took a few steps away from the others and responded in a low tone.

 

"We should be finding Mirror and leaving..." He muttered before giving an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, what's wrong? Are you feeling okay?"