open A Darker Fate: Beyond these Walls Chapter Two.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Clockwork Green

@,

@@Windbreaker,

@@Icy Void,

 

Clockwork raised a brow at the young stallion as he bluntly defended his friend. His first instinct was to return fire, but he refrained. Instead he waited to let Blast finish speaking, and cooled his mind, stifling his temper. A smirk crossed his face. "forgive me, I must have let my temper get the best of me." He said, sounding sincere, though it would be difficult to tell for somepony who did not know better of him. "I know more than you think, little pony.. Just you wait." He thought, as he glanced back to Eclipse, grinning, and then to Midnight. Perhaps you are right, at least within these walls.. however, If we take them outside, we might be able to avoid any interaction with this house. What sort of danger could possibly be contained within these lock boxes? It surely cannot be any worse than what has followed us since we crashed. Given these conditions, I would be more willing to bet on something helpful within those things. Not that I've ever been a gambling sort, but.. Desperate times call for desperate measures." He said, as he raised his hoof to touch the burn on his face. He had nearly forgotten about the burn until now. It seemed to be healing, but was still tender. "Besides.. What would life be without taking the odd chance? I chose to come along with you here. I never once guessed I'd be stranded after surviving a train wreck, let alone being hunted by magical beasts and intangible presences. Far out of my league, if you ask me, and yet here I stand. Perhaps what lies within those boxes will protect us. Wouldn't you rather know? We should ask the others what they think, but my vote is to open them. If there's something helpful in them, our lives could be made much more easy." He peered into Midnight's face, waiting to see if he would give into his argument.

[EcstaticWind 572]

Noble Persona & Gwyn

@@Tricksters Pride, 

 

Gwyn seemed to get a bit of her confidence back. “You weren’t joking?” She asked.

 

Noble’s mask appeared in front of him in his signature violet flames, and his coat changed to a flashier one, with regal patterns and a tall collar replacing the hood. “I agree. Ponies need to know that there’s somepony on their side. Somepony who will fight alongside them.” He put on the mask, and it seemed to change around his face, warping into a new shape. When it was finished, it resembled a knight’s helmet crossed with a crown. His outfit was similarly changed to black armor with regal gold patterns. When his attire had finished changing, Noble was left quite amazed at the change and the fact that his sword was not only at his side now, but also unchanged. “Heh...This is new. Perhaps it’s fitting for a Knight.”

 

Gwyn giggled at her brother's theatrics. “You’re such a ham, Noble.”

[Tricksters Pride 100]

Strings

@@Windbreaker, 

 

The guardsponies take the sudden appearance rather well, seemingly conditioned to react to surprises without much trouble, and only eye the armor approvingly. Strings on the other hoof smirks at the sudden and flashy appearance. "Isn't a knight more the type to fight for them? And isn't that what they'd prefer?... Regardless i think that its rather fitting myself, after all, whats a knight without his sword?" After pretending to think while his expression slowly returns to a roguish grin, Strings turns his head towards Gwyn and keeps his voice as an innocent question. "I said that your fur was extremely soft and that there are mares who would be simply green with envy from the mere sight of it, that is true. When you blushed you where simply adorable and i figured that i'd like to see more of that, that is true. I said that you shouldn't settle for an average stallion like me when there are so many younger and far more attractive ones who would line up to merely greet a beautiful young mare such as yourself, that is true. I said that your cute little blush complemented your colors quite nicely and really accented your natural beauty, that is true..... Was i kidding Lady Gwyn?"

[Nomadic 210]

Denarius

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

 

Following Orion's example, Denarius vaulted over the brightly illuminated opening below as he made his way over to the newly created ledge. Closing in quickly and diminishing the distance between the two, he approached the newly created platform. He stumbled his landing onto the slick surface of the fractured shard. His hind legs flailed as he tried to regain his balance quickly before he would plummet into the glowing abyss below. He concentrated as he forced his legs to become planted onto the 'ground' as he breathed in deeply, and merely gave a blithe smile to Orion beside him.

 

Mere moments after landing, Denarius viewed off in the distance as Willow and Zintiik foolishly tried jumping into the gorge. His stomach felt queasy, those two were about to experience what lay below the bright light. Scribbler teleported over to the nearby island sending the other two back to the solid snow-covered surface. Willow and Zintiik both appeared to be safe, yet the stallion soon collapsed into the snow himself. He looked forwards as the pony slowly close its eyes as it laid weakly upon the floating ground, silently. This was unacceptable. Denarius had already wagered part of his meagre initial supplies on this fellow, and was not in the mood to let his bets for such a potentially valuable asset go to waste.

 

"Oh, this day just appears to getting better for everypony here", Denarius had found time to sputter out a few words of sarcasm as he looked over his current platform for an adequately safe path reaching out towards Scribbler. 

[EcstaticWind 572]

Noble Persona & Gwyn

@@Tricksters Pride, 

 

Noble removed the mask, though unlike last time, it didn’t change back to its original appearance. ‘I see. It’s a permanent change this time. Still, this is a reason why I need to limit myself. This was just a small fraction of my power.’ His mane seemed more alive as well, getting some bounce and shine to it, rather than its previous limp and near lifeless appearance. “Yes. A knight is exactly the type they’d prefer. A mere noblepony cannot achieve anything on his own, but a knight can become a symbol for ponies to rally behind.”

 

Gwyn looked between Strings and Noble, still blushing but more confident. “It’s a wonder you two haven’t got marefriends yourselves. Noble’s charismatic enough, and Strings could charm his way to a mare’s heart if he wanted to.”

[Tricksters Pride 100]

Strings

@@Windbreaker, 

 

Strings nods appreciatively and considers his words for a moment. "Very true... You may want to find a few others to form your 'order' then, a Noble Leader and a Healer are not quite a whole group now are they?" He then returns to his more relaxed and nonchalant manner. "I don't think that simple charisma would attract the kind of mare that you'd want to have around, charisma is good but you've got to like the pony not their charisma. I also doubt that i'd like to win over a mare with simple words, wouldn't be a very good relationship if she only liked how i spoke and didn't care for much else... and i'm just not really interested in dating."

[EcstaticWind 572]

Noble Persona & Gwyn

@@Tricksters Pride, 

 

‘Order…An order of knights…’ Noble’s eyes sparkled as inspiration struck him. He replaced the mask over his face, the magical sheen to his eyes visible behind the faceguard. “What an excellent idea. Though you forgot to list yourself, good sir. I did hire you, after all.” Noble said, the mask distorting his voice a little, just enough to make it unrecognizable.

 

Gwyn, however, ignored Noble entirely. “I don’t get it. Isn’t attracting somepony the hard part?”

 

“No, my dear sister, it’s not. Love is hard, and the hardest part is knowing when to let go.”

[Tricksters Pride 100]

Strings

@@Windbreaker, 

 

Strings makes a face at the idea of being made a knight... Apparently hes not fond of the idea even though his tone remains diplomatic. "That's true... But knights get allot of attention and not only do i not like that but frankly, i just plain don't want to be a knight. Its not my thing." He quickly turned his attention to Gwyn, not very keen on the previous topic and far more interested in the new one... Even if he sounded a little awkward explaining it. "No that's not really it. The 'hard part' depends on the pony but a relationship isn't love if you cant get along. For example; some ponies have an easy time attracting others but that doesn't mean that they form meaningful relations with them. A relationship requires allot more than attraction... That's just lust."

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@@Midnight Scribbler,@@Icy Void, @@Windbreaker,

 

White Eclipse

Eclipse simply took the lockboxes himself and took them outside. He convinced himself that they were simply wasting valuable time talking about where to open these lockboxes rather than just getting to opening them. 

 

"If we're going to open these boxes, let's just go outside and do it. Good or bad, doesn't matter what these things hold. Whatever they have inside, I welcome them." The impatient unicorn said, grasping his head from the headache he's getting from containing the new magic. He did get an idea, though. Perhaps this new magic could prove useful to the group. That is, if Eclipse could learn how to control and master it. That would mean tons of experimenting down the road, though. Still, that was for later. Right now, what mattered was these lockboxes and what they contained. With that, the unicorn headed out into the cold with the others and sat the box down.

 

"Who has the key?"

[Everleaf 541]

I'm interested so far maybe just asking if you could make them a little longer? i only seem to get stuck if they are fairly long but whatever it was a awesome fanfic don't worry about it i just go for the long for my fanfics so it's just a mint of a clue oh mine.

[Ihei 713]

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

 

Willow Starsinger

 

Willow prepared herself to meet her fate. She shut her eyes tight, grasping onto Kricket, seeing that Zintiik dove in after her. She blushed, knowing that he actually did that for her..

 

But she was greeted by the ground. "Huh?" Willow stood up. The first thing she did was stuff Kricket in her saddlebag and tied it up securely. "H-how..?" Willow inspected her surroundings, noticing that Scribbler collapsed on the platforms. "Thank you, Zintiik. For diving after me," Willow smiled, nuzzling the bug and hopping onto the platforms toward Scribbler. She hefted him onto her back, double checking to make sure his weight didnt crush Kricket in the saddlebag.

 

The bridge was vanishing now, due to Scribbler's magic draining from his body. "Orion! Can you help?" Willow asked, wheezing as she made her way down to the bridge. She didnt worry about Zintiik. She knew he could just fly his way over.

 

@@Tricksters Pride,

 

Aphrodite

 

"No!" Aphrodite pushed the stallion into a bar chair, hoping he would leave her alone. "How many times do I have to say it? I don't want your charity!" Aphrodite shouted at the stallion, sitting at the bar in a displeased mood, not meeting eyes with the shady stallion.

Edited January 26, 2014 by Shaymin

[Icy Void 19]

Midnight Sky

 

Midnight had been about to agree with Clockwork until Eclipse just plain snatched the lock boxes off Midnight's armor and took them outside. "Well it looks like our impatient friend here has just sped up the voting process. Oh well, might as well get it over with, with our luck I guess it won't really matter if those lock boxes contain something dangerous anyway." Midnight said to Clockwork, not bothering to mask his annoyance, before following Eclipse outside. Midnight just hoped that they didn't end up killing everypony when they opened whichever lock box they were going to open. "Hold on Eclipse, I've got the key maybe I should be the one to open them. After all, with that new magic you seem to have gotten still being a bit unstable it could negatively effect whatever might be inside assuming it's magic. Case in point being that blast that I managed to hear from the second level. Plus we should decide which box we'll open, because the key will only open a lock box once before breaking. So will we open the eye or the music note?" Midnight said without taking the key out of the hidden pocket he had stored it in to make sure Eclipse's impatience didn't effect the decision. He wouldn't admit it, but the fact that they were about to finally open a box had him very excited. These lock boxes are extremely old, and even have a ward that has managed to block his telekinetic scan, so this could be a very significant moment in history happening right here in the middle of an arctic wasteland. Initially he had wanted to open the box with the eye, since the eye can be a potent magical symbol, but after Pavi's accounts of that strange music Midnight wondered what could be inside the musical note box.

Edited January 26, 2014 by Icy Void

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@@Icy Void,

 

White Eclipse

Eclipse could understand the logic behind Midnight. This new magic affected the ceiling and the wall. Maybe it would do something to the contents of the boxes... perhaps something dangerous. He nodded and lowered the boxes.

 

"Just be careful with handling these things. I would say open up the eye first. It looks more dangerous. If not that, then threatening. Might as well get the potentially worst one out of the way first." Eclipse said, backing away from the boxes with Blast and giving Midnight the floor.

[Icy Void 19]

Midnight Sky

 

Midnight couldn't help but agree with Eclipse's logic in opening the eye first, but he also knew the key would break after it's use thanks to how fragile it is. From scanning it Midnight could tell it had exactly twenty cracks that were clearly made deliberately so it would shatter after unlocking a lock box, but then this gave Midnight an idea. Even though this key would break, Midnight's telekinetic scan also gave him the exact dimensions of the key as well as well as it's material contents. So it's possible that with the right equipment and a lot of time Midnight could fashion a replica, the only thing that might prevent the replica from working is that he would not be able to reproduce the magic that surrounds the key which could have an effect on it's usefulness. But that can be a thought for when they reach the Crystal Empire. "All right then, the eye it is." Midnight said as he took out the key and inserted it into the lock of the box with the eye. Then taking one last look around to ensure everypony present was a safe distance away, Midnight turned the key and opened the lock box.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

The lockbox.

 

The lockbox hummed as the dormant energy sparked into life: the markings engraved into it shining with a golden light for just the briefest of moments as the key turned and shattered into pieces as it it were made of glass.

 

The lid opened easily for its age - inside lay a gemstone - a brilliant cut amethyst in a flawless, circular shape. It glowed with a very soft, purple light which would have been impossible to see if not for the unnatural darkness inside the box. Now that the seal had been broken, the magical energy could be felt resume ting from within - not particularly powerful but... different. Otherworldly even - as if it bore some connection to something beyond Equestria. Attached to the stone was a loop of chain: exquisitely crafted from alternating links of gold, silver and some unknown third substance.

 

The wind whipped around them - air feeling bother warmer and colder at the same time as whispers seemed to echo on the breeze and lights like stars seemed to twinkle just on the edge of the ponies sights - vanishing whenever they were focused on... a feeling of unease fell on the area, as if they were being watched.

Edited January 26, 2014 by Cinderscribe

[RAGESTAR 479]

@

 

The moment the lockbox was opened, and the gem inside revealed to Midnight and Eclipse, Crimson felt an immediate sense of danger and unease, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What's this...strange magic I feel? It feels...familiar...and dangerous..." he thought, turning to Kingfisher. "Do you feel that?" he asked.

Edited January 26, 2014 by ragestar

[Icy Void 19]

Midnight Sky

 

When he saw the gem inside the box, Midnight was immediately intrigued. The magic he could sense coming from it was completely different than anything else he had ever felt, yet he felt some familiarity towards it at the same time. And this magical energy, while not strong, was certainly of interest to Midnight. Before them was a gem not just containing unusual magic, but ancient magic, there is no telling what secrets it could hold. "Indeed, it certainly is a strange little gem. Certainly worth study since it doesn't seem to be harmful, though the magic energy radiating from it sure is strange." Midnight said. Taking a glance at the shattered remains of the key, Midnight sighed and levitated the other lock box to him and strapped it back onto his armor. "No point worrying about the music note now. I won't be able to duplicate the key until we get to the Crystal Empire. As for this gem, well I'm sure we'll see soon whether it's dangerous or not." Midnight said, more to himself than to Eclipse, as he continued to look at the gem. Eclipse was right, it certainly did seem almost as if something were trying to communicate with them, though what exactly was still a mystery. "Perhaps for the time being I should be the only one to handle this thing. My magic energy is still stable and if it does prove dangerous I'll be able to put a force field around the gem to try and contain it. What do you think Eclipse?" Midnight asked with a glance over at his companion.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Icy Void

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@,@@Icy Void, @,

((OOC: I was planning on making Eclipse the character that I would have the most focus on this part. Therefore, I won't use Blast for the time being. Only Eclipse.)

 

White Eclipse

Eclipse didn't dare to remove this gem from it's place. It was certainly eye-catching, with the way it glowed. All he really knew how to do at the moment was stare at the ancient, yet seemingly-flawless piece. "It's... gorgeous. But, what do you think it could mean?" Eclipse asked the others, not taking his eyes off of it.

 

However, his focus was immediately broken when the wind began pick up. He was awaiting a freezing breeze... but it didn't come. In fact, it seemed like a moderate temperature. It felt very comfortable, especially out in this weather. However, the comfort went away once the whispers started.

"Did you guys hear that? It sounds like somepony is trying to communicate with us..." The unstable unicorn muttered. A feeling of unease filled him. He was thinking about taking the lockbox back inside.... but there was still the matter of box 2...

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

@@Icy Void,

 

The chain felt cold - more so than the snow and ice around them. Pressing down in an eerily still manner, it stayed almost perfectly still and straight as the pony moved - it's glow faintly reaching out wards. The world around it reflected clearly in its flawlessly cut and polished surface: the outer edges acting like a series of tiny mirrors with the centre clear enough to easily see through.

 

While it seemed to bear a weight far greater than it should, there was a second feeling imparted from it's presence - a feeling of mind-numbing confidence and power, and still that same feeling of being watched.

 

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

 

Kingfisher.

 

@,

 

Taking pity on the pony, Kingfisher tossed a chunk of hard-tack towards him: a type of biscuity-cracker which was rock solid and had the taste and nourishment value of cardboard. It was all that she had though: it lasted practically forever so was her favoured choice of food under most circumstances.

 

The mostly empty bowl of stir-fry lay forgotten by her.

 

"Take it or lea..." She started to say: cutting herself off and looking up. Something felt... different. She sniffed gently and felt the familiar faint trickle of blood from her nose once again: a surge of paranoia washed over her. "What...?"

 

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

 

Orion Starsinger.

 

@@SilverHeart,

@,

@@Midnight Scribbler,

@,

@@Nomadic,

 

Orion stood on one of the more raised platforms, looking down at the mess below. This wouldn't do... there were not going to die out here: not before he found what he was searching for - not before he had his revenge!

 

Eyes bright - not with magic but determination - he focused his efforts on the shards of land themselves. His magic wasn't subtle or practical - it always resulted in destruction, but when all you have is a hammer...

 

The light of the spell slammed into one of the smaller islands, pushing it through the air and into the empty space between two others... whatever magic was in the air seemed to not agree with his own, but that was a matter to be investigated later.

 

For now, he had a path to build.

 

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

 

Emerald Gaze.

 

@,

 

Emerald watched the guard with interest for a moment longer before shrugging with a smile as they passed the gate into the lawless parts of the city - once again passing the guards there without question, courtesy of her new acquaintance.

 

"I'm glad that our paths crossed then." She commented brightly. "Even if it's in such... unfortunate times."

 

To emphasise her point, she motioned off to their left without breaking pace. An inn - closed since the tear in the sky had appeared and central to where the worst of the problems had began - stood surrounded by unusual twinkling lights that seemed to very slowly drift about without direction.

 

"I don't think those things have actually hurt anyone yet... I just don't feel right when I'm bear them. Like I'm being watched or something."

Edited January 27, 2014 by Cinderscribe

[EcstaticWind 572]

Noble Persona & Gwyn

@@Tricksters Pride, 

 

“I still don’t understand. It’s possible for two ponies to be together like that and not love each other?” Gwyn asked, honestly confused at this revelation. “But don’t they have to love each other to get that far?”

 

Noble knelt beside his sister, his armour making very little noise. “Not all ponies are as loving as you are, Gwyn. And most don’t share a bond as strong as ours. In fact, ours is unique, even among families.”

 

“Yeah, I know. But I don’t get it. And…I don’t want to look into the memories again. I’m afraid that if I do…I’ll lose myself the way Noble almost did. And I wouldn’t be Gwyn anymore…” Gwyn’s confusion turned to panic as she tried to work it out. The idea that ponies could form loveless bonds was genuinely alien to her.

 

“There’s nothing you can gain from memories of the dead. And you’ll always be Gwyn, my little sister, no matter what they tell you.” Noble said, his tone warm and comforting even through the voice distortion. 

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Clockwork Green

@@Icy Void,

@,

@,

 

Clockwork had followed the others out, watching as they decided upon which box to open. In the end, they chose the one which he had his eye on the most, ironically, the one with the eye upon it. "Surely this box contains some form of knowledge, it is the only logical reason for an eye, unless it's some form of spying tool.. Which seems less likely." He thought as they opened the box. The air was filled with whispering and unnatural energies suddenly. A chill ran up Clockwork's spine, feeling strange about this, yet at the sight of the gem, he was instantly captured by it's beauty, and power. "I must have that stone." He couldn't take his eyes off it, it was practically calling out to him to take it. He looked up to midnight, finally breaking his gaze, the world seemed to shatter and reform into reality as he did so. "Are you certain you should wear such a stone? Would you not find it more safe, were it left in it's box? I mean, we still have no idea what it does.. if anything. There is something very strange about it.. May I examine it?" He stepped closer to look at the deep purple gem, shimmering his reflection within it's face. He could still hear the whispering, feeling yet more compelled to gaining possession of this artifact.

[~Sole~ 852]

@

 

Ronin nodded in thanks and caught the food as she threw it and instantly bit into it, but the second he did he hurt his teeth. "Damn, this thing is almost as hard as a rock!" He thought, before biting into it again even harder, this time managing to bite a chunk off and swallow it. It tasted like bark, but he was hungry and the food was free so he ate it happily. It felt good to have something in his belly again after days of going without. But as he ate his semi nutritional brick he noticed kingfisher had a strange look, as well as seeing he nose bleeding. "Are you alright?" He asked

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@@Icy Void,@@Midnight Scribbler,

 

White Eclipse

"Yes, you probably should..." Eclipse muttered, being reminded yet again of his unstable magic. Not being able to use magic felt as if the unicorn had just been handicapped. He was a unicorn, and because of this newly found magic, he couldn't even use any. Regardless, he nodded and looked at the other box. "Well, go ahead. Open it up." The unicorn then noticed something; the key. It was absolutely shattered. "Oh... well, what're we going to do about this?"

Edited January 27, 2014 by Geek0zoid Steven

[Icy Void 19]

Midnight Sky
 
When he attached the gem to his armor, Midnight was surprised by it's weight, it certainly didn't look that heavy, but he dismissed it's unusual weight for the time being. "Honestly I just think it is safer this way. The wards that were on the lock box have dissipated so now it's just a normal box and wouldn't do much to contain this gem. And this way I hope to both study it's effects and confine them to me if this thing prove dangerous." Midnight said to Clockwork. What he said was more true than he had let on though, just from wearing the gem Midnight felt as though his power had increased greatly, and if he had not put it on with his mind filled with caution he might have believed he was more powerful this way. But Midnight had spent his life studying magic, and while it was entirely possible that the gem really was increasing his magic strength it was also possible it was an illusion of strength. Either way he felt confident that if it were simply an illusion of power that he'll be able to resist it.
 
"While normally I would let you examine it, I think we should wait for now. I want to be certain it's not dangerous before I let anypony else tinker with the thing, so maybe in a day or two I'll let you have a closer look. After all, you're not the only pony trying to overcome the boundaries between the different pony races." Midnight said, feeling uncomfortable with Clockwork so intent on the gem. "Sorry Eclipse, but the key shattered. I won't be able to open the music note box until I have the materials to create a replica of the key. Once we reach the Crystal Empire I should have what I need though. Whether or not replicating the key will work is something we'll have to find out later." Midnight said to Eclipse. On a whim, Midnight closed the eye lock box and strapped it back onto his armor. If he ever needed to seal away this gem again for any reason, he could use the lock box as a container like how it had been originally. Then just to be safe Midnight gathered what few pieces of the key he could and tucked them away in one of his armor pockets, he'll need it to make sure he uses the right materials in the replica.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Icy Void

[Commander Tangent 861]

@@Midnight Scribbler,

 

Icarus followed Clockwork, and witnessed the box opening, and Clockwork picking up the stone. While the effects seemed not to bother him, he was very curious.

 

"Notice any memetic or anomalous effects from making contact with the object" Icarus asked as he stared at the stone.  

 

It was very odd, for some he felt uneasy being around it.