open A Darker Fate: Beyond these Walls Chapter Two.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Clockwork Green

@@Frosty V,

 

Clockwork took in the seemingly unstable state of Frosty. He was clearly stressed out. "Just calm down.. Breathe for starters." He turned to the others who had gone towards Orion's team. Stepping cautiously, he carefully avoided any of the sparks that were left hanging in the air. "Stand down, you fools! there is no need to quarrel here. Have you not been listening to the mare? She's got Kingfisher, and you are still moving against her wishes?" He looked on, past Pavisa and Ronin towards Mirror and Denarius. "What is your business here? Why have you taken one of our party?" He spoke sternly, but did not move closer. If Mirror truly did intend to harm Kingfisher, her friends were doing everything wrong if they intended to save her. Clockwork had little emotion one way or another if Kingfisher were to be killed. His goals and motives were strictly self centered, though it would be next to impossible to tell, given his demeanor and actions. He simply knew what needed to be done, and if it failed, then he would cut his losses and move on to the next problem at hand.

[Frosty V 309]

@@Midnight Scribbler

 

Frost listened to Clockwork, but hesitated for a few moments before doing his best to control his breathing, Why am I like this...I'm a mercenary...I should only care about my life...why do I care...I...I shouldnt have even been here in the first place...dammit Frost thought, trying to overcome this fight and anger he was feeling, he kept his bow at the ready just lowered this time, he looked to Clockwork and then to the others to hear their reactions.

[Ihei 712]

@@Midnight Scribbler,

 

Willow Starsinger

 

Willow was silent. Looking for comfort, she asked Scribbler, "Have you ever had somepony you cared for?" Willow dug her hooves into the ground, making sure she wouldn't let herself run away.

 

Willow couldn't even trust herself. It seemed as if when she was removed from her brother, she would lose her mind. She was always with her brother everywhere she went except for school purposes. She looked to him for a sense of comfort.

 

Now, Willow was sitting here with Scribbler, who wanted to protect her. Orion was out there somewhere, seeking for the "real" Willow. Zintiik, Mirror, and Denarius could be in grave danger. But then again, what would happen if she destroyed the Litany? There's a chance Orion could get hurt or worse.

[Nomadic 210]

Denarius

@, @@SilverHeart, @

 

Denarius watched as the coins flew through the air. They landed scattered. Some billowed with smoke, yet others just clinked against the stone surface unsuccessfully. He wasn't to fond of being forced to align himself with any particular pony or group, preferring often to just remain to his own devices unless necessary, yet the little cluster of ponies in the rear corner would probably not look too favourably upon him. He chuckled softly. It almost seemed as if something was conspiring against him. Forcing him to confide, at least partially, within Orion and his group.

 

Denarius' ears stood up as noticing a familiar buzzing noise hovering next to him. "Zintiik I'm so glad you finally decided to help. Would you mind telling me anything about who we're about to be lynched by". His voice was the only part of him acknowledging the bug as his attention was divided, and he was far more intrigued by the other events currently unfolding. 

[Icy Void 19]

Midnight Sky

 

Looking back, Midnight felt like this situation reflected their original encounter with Orion rather well in that several of the ponies on both sides were unnecessarily aggressive. And like last time it was taking a while for everypony to calm down. Looking back at the ponies from Orion's group, Midnight finally recognized the pony who had taken Fisher as Mirror, the pony he and his sister had gotten to know in the Litany Temple. "Everypony listen to Clockwork and calm down. It's pointless to try and start a fight when we can't even fight, so let's just try and solve this diplomatically for a change." Midnight said to the ponies around him. For once they actually had a chance to solve this peacefully, seeing as Orion wasn't here, and Midnight was hoping that his own group would have the sense to see that as well.

 

"Your name was Mirror, right? Can you give me your word that Fisher won't be hurt while she's with you, within controllable circumstances anyway? I won't ask why you are here, I'm sure your group has your reasons, but I think we can all agree that we all have a reason to get past this magic field or whatever it is without anypony dying. Do we have a deal?" Midnight called over to their counterparts on the other side of the crossroads. During their time in the Temple, Midnight had grown to trust Mirror as a reasonable pony. His hope was that that had not changed and that they could come to some sort of agreement. They weren't in any shape to get tangled with Orion's group, and something about how Mirror and the others were behaving gave Midnight the sense that maybe they weren't in the best shape to be fighting them either, so hopefully this situation could be resolved peacefully as he and Clockwork were trying to do.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kingfisher.

 

She might not have had the willpower - or capability - to reach out and strangle the insect, but Kingfisher wasnt about to go down peacefully. Not with that thing taunting her. Twisting her head aside sharply, she spat at the creature instead.

 

"Yeah, 'cause you'd know all about that wouldn't ya?" She sneered - once again feeling the cold, forced lack of emotion that she had used for so many years welling up inside her. "Soulless leeches - shame I couldn' kill more of ya family when I had t'chance!"

 

Of course, the comments being made by her own... companions... broke her stoic facade somewhat when they started to bargain their own safety for her... it was a little bit distressing.

 

"Do I look like a bargaining chip?! Do these psychos seem like the types to keep their promises?!" She yelped.

[SilverHeart 741]

(OOC: Trying to get this out quickly before bed. Sorry if it is crappy)

 

@, 

 

Mirror genuinely smiled at Kingfisher's change of heart. "You've done the right thing, dear.  It was refreshing to see something going the way it should for once. "Now they should back down..." Mirror thought as she watched the bandits hoping to see a favorable reaction. However, it quickly became apparent that few, if any, of them had listened to her. The first to speak up had been the mare that had tried forcing herself through the sparks. Mirror prepared to tell her that she wouldn't be doing any such thing as Zintiik taunted the ponies. Were the two lovers? If anything would know, it was probably a changeling. Though he could have been lying to just rile them up...either way, he hadn't helped. 

 

Mirror spared one pointedly annoyed glare at the bug, making sure he was following orders before turning her full attention back to the mare. It hadn't been her intent to cause this much of a problem. It was supposed to be simple, the hostage would stay with them and the other group would listen and stay away. There were no unreasonable demands, just the safety of her companions. Any sympathy she had had for the mare's friend...lover, whatever she was, was quickly drowned out by the death threat that came from somewhere in the group. Maybe she would need to hurt the mare to get them to listen and leave. 

 

Before Mirror could decide whether or not that was a good idea, two of their group showed some common sense. One she didn't recognize, the other had been Midnight Sky. Thank Celestia, he was proving to be far less barbaric than many of his companions. Probably because of his high birth. It didn't matter. There was a chance this could end without having to hurt the hostage. Clearing her voice Mirror spoke out to the group, ignoring the outburst from Kingfisher, she could be calmed down later. "Thank you, finally some ponies are showing some common sense..." she said, nodding to both stallions before looking at Clockwork, "First, I'm not sure why we're here. I believe it was a miscalculation on somepony's part...altough for all I know it could have been planned. Orion doesn't talk about his plans much...." Mirror paused, giving a small sigh before speaking again, "Ignoring that, I thought it was obvious...the vast majority of you have a 'attack first, talk later' mentality when it comes to Orion....and most likely us. Which isn't a risk I'm willing to take....so I took one of your friends...members...whatever she is hostage, in the hope that you value her life more than you do violence...."

 

Mirror turned her attention to Midnight Sky, she allowed herself to sound a bit tired and smiled a bit more genuinely, "Hello again, Midnight. Yes, I am Mirror Image...I'm sorry we had to meet under such circumstances.... And yes, King...uh...Fisher, will be safe as long as none of you try to do anything. If you listen to what I say, I promise to keep her safe. If you're worried about what Orion will do to her, don't. He won't even know about her. I can guarantee that."

[~Sole~ 852]

(OOC: Trying to get this out quickly before bed. Sorry if it is crappy)

 

@, 

 

Mirror genuinely smiled at Kingfisher's change of heart. "You've done the right thing, dear.  It was refreshing to see something going the way it should for once. "Now they should back down..." Mirror thought as she watched the bandits hoping to see a favorable reaction. However, it quickly became apparent that few, if any, of them had listened to her. The first to speak up had been the mare that had tried forcing herself through the sparks. Mirror prepared to tell her that she wouldn't be doing any such thing as Zintiik taunted the ponies. Were the two lovers? If anything would know, it was probably a changeling. Though he could have been lying to just rile them up...either way, he hadn't helped. 

 

Mirror spared one pointedly annoyed glare at the bug, making sure he was following orders before turning her full attention back to the mare. It hadn't been her intent to cause this much of a problem. It was supposed to be simple, the hostage would stay with them and the other group would listen and stay away. There were no unreasonable demands, just the safety of her companions. Any sympathy she had had for the mare's friend...lover, whatever she was, was quickly drowned out by the death threat that came from somewhere in the group. Maybe she would need to hurt the mare to get them to listen and leave. 

 

Before Mirror could decide whether or not that was a good idea, two of their group showed some common sense. One she didn't recognize, the other had been Midnight Sky. Thank Celestia, he was proving to be far less barbaric than many of his companions. Probably because of his high birth. It didn't matter. There was a chance this could end without having to hurt the hostage. Clearing her voice Mirror spoke out to the group, ignoring the outburst from Kingfisher, she could be calmed down later. "Thank you, finally some ponies are showing some common sense..." she said, nodding to both stallions before looking at Clockwork, "First, I'm not sure why we're here. I believe it was a miscalculation on somepony's part...altough for all I know it could have been planned. Orion doesn't talk about his plans much...." Mirror paused, giving a small sigh before speaking again, "Ignoring that, I thought it was obvious...the vast majority of you have a 'attack first, talk later' mentality when it comes to Orion....and most likely us. Which isn't a risk I'm willing to take....so I took one of your friends...members...whatever she is hostage, in the hope that you value her life more than you do violence...."

 

Mirror turned her attention to Midnight Sky, she allowed herself to sound a bit tired and smiled a bit more genuinely, "Hello again, Midnight. Yes, I am Mirror Image...I'm sorry we had to meet under such circumstances.... And yes, King...uh...Fisher, will be safe as long as none of you try to do anything. If you listen to what I say, I promise to keep her safe. If you're worried about what Orion will do to her, don't. He won't even know about her. I can guarantee that."

ronin didn't move but glared daggers at mirror "fine, have it your way you yellow bellied scum. Take a hostage to cower behind for your lives, but if you harm her I'll do a lot more then kill you. You can trust me on that." He said coldly. He felt so useless, and seeing a group such as this take a hostage made him want to slaughter the lot of them. But he knew better, attacking would only get kingfisher killed.

[Umbreon 569]

Pavisa and Zintiik

 

Pavisa slumps down to a seated position as she manages to get the damaged armour off of her leg, tossing it into the sparks uselessly with the rest of her armour.  She felt pathetic.  She was used to being a voice of reason, and now the others had to condescendingly tell her to back down because Kingfisher had been taken...  She wasn't able to protect her friend, and if anything put her at more risk.  What the hell am I even doing here..?  Not to mention what the changeling had blurted out...  Who gave that thing the right!?

 

Over where he was making the motions of helping Denarius without actually doing too much to make their situation better, Zintiik chimes up at Kingfisher one more time.  "I'd say it's pretty obvious, I mean I can practically taste it."  Turning back to Denarius, the changeling shrugs in answer to the unicorn's questions as he casually wipes the spit off of his face.

 

"Not too much to say, they're not that bright and all sorts of violent.  How they even found the Litany in the Falls I'm not sure, really.  I mean, I traveled with them for a little while and none of them even picked up on it."  He probably wasn't helping Mirror's negotiations...  But then again, diplomacy wasn't exactly something changelings excelled at.

 

Shaking her head as she gets back up, Pavisa steps back towards the front of the group.  With a sigh she picks up her halberd and tosses it back into the tunnel they'd come from, as a gesture of good faith.  She needed to do something to prove she wasn't being hostile, after all.  "Listen...  We're not here to fight.  Just don't hurt Fisher...  And tell the bug to shut up, would ya?"  Zintiik responded by turning to stick out his tongue at the no longer armoured mare before going back to pretending to toss coins at the sparks with Denarius.

[Icy Void 19]

Midnight Sky

 

Midnight gave a sigh of relief as Mirror replied, it was good to know that there were at least some level-headed ponies on either side. "Thanks, I appreciate it. Now everypony listen up, we're going to cooperate with Mirror and the others for the time being. You can get mad about Fisher being taken hostage after we get past this magic field. Personally I feel Mirror is one of the more trustworthy ponies in Orion's group, so if everypony would quit it with the death threats then we'll all be just fine." Midnight said, first to Mirror and the rest to his own group. He fully understood why so many in his group were upset, Fisher had been there leader since Red left, or rather since back when Red had been turned to stone by Orion, and she had done a good job of being the leader too. The problem is that just throwing out death threats and aggression is never a good way to negotiate, and in this particular scenario cooperation sounded a whole lot more practical than fighting. 'I can't believe how our getting off on the wrong hooves back in the forest has snowballed so far for so long. But then that's what happens when both parties adopt an aggressive stance towards the other without much negotiation, though Orion's mental health was a big factor in why our groups never managed to reconcile our differences.' Midnight thought as he waited to see if the others would finally manage to calm down. Midnight figured Amethyst and Shadow must be getting a real kick out of watching us argue while the fate of two worlds is in the balance, proving how idiotic our kind can be.

 

Sunshine Rays

 

While all that commotion was going on at the front of the group, Sunshine was still stuck in the back by the doorway and couldn't see in. She heard most of what was being said, but she just felt like the others were being a bit to mean to each other on each side. Finally managing to work her way through to the front to stand beside her brother, Sunshine looked over at the ponies on the other side and she perked up when she saw Mirror. "Hi Mirror! Remember me, you and I got lost in the Temple together looking for the Litany!" Sunshine called over in a cheery voice, hoping to calm everypony down. She may not have been taught as much about negotiating as he brother had been, but even Sunshine knew it was easier when everypony was in a good mood. And if she could show everypony that Mirror could be trusted like her brother said, then maybe they'll all stop yelling at Mirror and relax more. Then they could all work together and realize that they don't need to fight, that was Sunshine's hope anyway.

[SilverHeart 741]

(OOC: Last post most likely.)

 

"Of course, thank you for listening. I'm sure she appreciates it too." Mirror motioned at Kingfisher and smiled. She continued to smile as she turned her attention to Zintiik, "Oh, Zintiik dear, it doesn't seem like your helping out much." Her smiled faded she continued to speak and her voice went from being cheerful to practically dripping in sarcasm. "I thought drones were supposed to be good at following orders."

[Umbreon 569]

Zintiik

 

@@SilverHeart,

 

Smiling cheekily at Mirror, Zintiik casually reaches out to tap her horn with a hoof.  "Oh, we are.  I take my orders from Orion, though."  He would have added 'and Willow', but it didn't seem quite necessary at the moment.  In all honesty the drone didn't know what he would do if Orion had decided he didn't need him anymore - he'd been without anypony to take orders from before he'd met Orion, and that may have been why he'd so readily started following the pseudo alicorn...  Oh well, he would deal with that when they caught up with him.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Midnight Scribbler

@,

 

Scribbler arose from his sleep at the sound of Willow's voice. It took a moment for her words to register in his mind, having slipped unconscious. He breathed in deep, and brought himself back into a slightly more wakeful mental state. Though he'd been in a deep sleep, somehow her voice was enough to wake him. He opened his eyes, and turned his head to see Willow. "Well.. you.. Orion.. Mirror.." He trailed off, thinking of Mirror. He hoped she was alright, more than anypony else. He worried what Orion might do if they met again. "I care for all of my friends, Willow. It is who I am." Scribbler knew this was not entirely what Willow had meant, but he hadn't known his family, nor known friendship with many ponies in his life. Scribbler was a solitary stallion most of his life, and now, with such a simple question, he found himself at a loss for words. He noticed Willow seemed quite on edge at the moment, but the thought of the Litany causing her this stress hadn't once occurred to him. She'd never acted this way before, but Orion had never acted this way either. His sudden breakdown was where Willow's reactions were stemming from. Or so Scribbler thought.

[EcstaticWind 572]

Aegis Dare

 

Aegis’ instincts were screaming at him to jump in and rescue Kingfisher. His blood boiled in his veins as he fought to keep calm, but he wanted to hurt the mare who had taken Kingfisher, and he wanted to hurt her badly. ‘Remember, Aegis…clear water.’

 

Aegis’ blood cooled at this thought and his face and body relaxed, but his anger remained. But he was thinking and reasoning now, instead of blindly raging. Then something clicked. Petrification is a rare and powerful spell and Kingfisher had said it was impossible for a normal pony. And Aegis knew a thing or two about magic...

 

((OOC: Rolled a d20 to see if Aegis succeeds at fighting his instincts and calms down.))

[Ihei 712]

@@Midnight Scribbler,

 

Willow Starsinger

 

"What will you do when this is over?" Willow asked, both dreading and liking the thought.

 

She's always thought of this whole Litany thing as a nightmare. But she's made friends on the way, and.. well, she agreed with Scribbler. She liked making friends. She felt like it was her duty to protect them. Denarius has mentioned that he owes her a debt, and now, so does Scribbler. She barely did anything though.

 

"You know, if you haven't met us."

[Nomadic 210]

Denarius

 

Denarius smirked about Zintiik's comment on this other group. He stopped throwing the bits to look over at the Odd-mare and her hostage. "So are we going to work with these ponies now? What guarantee do we have that they won't backstab us?". He didn't trust anypony that seemed she was than willing to behead him so readily. His gaze began to shift towards the hostage. "Oh my little mare friend, you claimed for us to be nothing but dishonest psychos. How can we even be sure you're not the same way? While my companion's 'methods' may have been a bit caustic, she seems to be more than willing to negotiate, are you?".

[Frosty V 309]

@@Windbreaker

Frost stood gripping his bow tightly, all that as happening around him seemed like to much, he didn't realize ponies like this fought, it was magic he rarely ever saw in his line of work. he turned his head, causing his gaze to fall on Aegis, who seemed to be in an extreme rage, but slowly cooling down, Frost slowly scooted over to him, trying not to makeany sudden movements. "You alright Aegis? You look like you blew a fuse." he asked, trying not to sound frightened, but failing noticably.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Kingfisher.

 

@@Nomadic,

@@SilverHeart,

@,

 

"Negotiate my flank! I know the kind of company you keep!" Spat the mare: clearly not willing to calm down so long as she was captive - even under the influence of the spell. Bravado wasn't her strong suit - but without Redwave to fulfil that role, she did the best she could. "Spout your nonesense all you want but don't try to act like your anything other than liars and deceivers, madponies, cheaters and murderers! Not a shred of honesty between you!"

 

She lashed out verbally - lacking the willpower of strength to do so physically - trying to blindly find some sore point. All she could do was keep them distracted: at least then they couldn't take the opportunity to hurt any of the others. Not too difficult - she assumed - since most of them seemed more intent on taunting her than actually paying attention to their surroundings.

 

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

 

Amethyst Void.

 

@,

@@Midnight Scribbler,

@,

@,

@@Frosty V,

@@Icy Void,

@@Windbreaker,

@@Tricksters Pride,

 

"Can we go now? I'm bored..." Grumbled the outsider. "Or do any more of you want to run into the sparks? Go on! You know you want to!"

 

The bad tempered female was gone at least - she had been so over dramatic... actually, she still was if the noise she was making was anything to judge by. Stupid - if she just kept quiet, they might stop paying attention to her long enough for her to escape...

 

"Can we at least not just sit here? Kind of want my world to survive the impact, if its all the same to you ponies?"

[SilverHeart 741]

Mirror lowered her voice so that nopony more than a few steps away could hear her, "If you care about Orion so much, then maybe you should actually help. What do you think will happen if we can't get to him but they do? So get to work..."

 

The mare shrugged at Denrius, "I don't know what we're going to do. It would have been better if they had never showed up. Working with them probably isn't the best idea, Orion would probably see it as a betrayal....and that wouldn't end well."

 

A familiar, cheerful sounding voice called over from the other side. Oh....buck, she would have to see this wouldn't she? "Of course, I remember you. I guess, you di-" Mirror was interrupted by Kingfisher's outburst. "Sunshine, if you wait just a moment please,"

 

Mirror turned to Kingfisher, levitating her off the ground for a moment before walking around to sit on the other side of her. "Will you please calm down? I realize this isn't an ideal situation...but all I want to do is make sure that neither I nor any of my companions get hurt. So please just play along...I promise I won't hurt you unless one of them tries to attack us....and even then, if I can avoid doing anything to you I will." Mirror said, deciding to earnestly plea with her instead of wasting magic on a stronger spell. Although if this didn't work that was always an option.

Edited February 19, 2014 by SilverHeart

[~Sole~ 852]

Kingfisher.@@Nomadic,@@SilverHeart,@,"Negotiate my flank! I know the kind of company you keep!" Spat the mare: clearly not willing to calm down so long as she was captive - even under the influence of the spell. Bravado wasn't her strong suit - but without Redwave to fulfil that role, she did the best she could. "Spout your nonesense all you want but don't try to act like your anything other than liars and deceivers, madponies, cheaters and murderers! Not a shred of honesty between you!"

She lashed out verbally - lacking the willpower of strength to do so physically - trying to blindly find some sore point. All she could do was keep them distracted: at least then they couldn't take the opportunity to hurt any of the others. Not too difficult - she assumed - since most of them seemed more intent on taunting her than actually paying attention to their surroundings.

---------------Amethyst Void.@,@@Midnight Scribbler,@,@,@@Frosty V,@@Icy Void,@@Windbreaker,@@Tricksters Pride,"Can we go now? I'm bored..." Grumbled the outsider. "Or do any more of you want to run into the sparks? Go on! You know you want to!"

The bad tempered female was gone at least - she had been so over dramatic... actually, she still was if the noise she was making was anything to judge by. Stupid - if she just kept quiet, they might stop paying attention to her long enough for her to escape..."Can we at least not just sit here? Kind of want my world to survive the impact, if its all the same to you ponies?"

ronin turned to the eathral "I could say the same to you my dear amethyst." He said with sarcasm, before sighing. "As you can see we're trying to make sure our friend doesn't die in a hostage situation. So if you want this to speed up so we can save our world, by all means do something about it. Because complaining is obviously not helping." He said impatiently. 'How in the world did I develop feelings for such a woman...' He questioned himself mentally, still trying to find a way to save kingfisher.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Clockwork Green

@@SilverHeart,

@@Icy Void,

@@Windbreaker,

@,

@,

@@Nomadic,

@@Frosty V,

@,

@@Tricksters Pride,

Clockwork smiled as the mare on the other team spoke. She was no madpony, nor a murderer, but she did mean business. He could see her intention was not of any ill towards them, and the other two seemed to be more like followers than anything. Zintiik was the most intriguing of them all though. What pony would willfully keep a changeling as a companion? There had to be more to this than he could see in front of him. He turned back, hearing Amethyst speak up, sounding annoyed. He realized there was something more important at hand, and granted they weren't going to end negotiations anytime soon. Clockwork moved back to Amethyst. "Should you wish to carry on ahead, I will go with you. I am certain these two groups can catch up with us once negotiations are worked out. I have no true place, I am merely caught up in a storm of events. Perhaps I could learn a bit about your world? You are most fascinating to a creature of this world. Besides, I know that there is a much more pressing matter to attend to. The more I know, the better I can assist you." He gave her a knowing expression, and glanced about at the others who had seemingly been ignoring her this whole time. He glanced about for the other being which had been quickly forgotten moments before when Kingfisher slipped into Mirror's hooves. "Amazing to think that only moments ago, this creature was a threat, and suddenly, he's been given the best opportunity to attack us if he wished. What fools. At least make a positive first impression before turning your back on somepon-whatever it is." He thought. What were these creatures? They were unlike anything he'd ever seen before. Perhaps they could be the key to unlocking magic use for anypony.

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Midnight Scribbler

@, (What's with Willow's last comment? I'm sort of confused by that, it seems like there should be more to it.)

 

Scribbler pondered this question, something he hadn't done until just now. Thoughts of Mirror passed by his mind again.. Was he blinded by her? Had she cast some spell on him? He couldn't possibly be in love.. Or could he? Other things began to flood into his mind. His home, his garden which was likely ruined by this cold weather. And what of his friendship with these ponies? Willow, Orion? Even Zintiik had grown on him as a friend, as strange as that felt to realize. He finally responded with the only truthful answer. "I don't know what I'll do when this is all over.. I suppose it depends upon how things turn out in the end."

[Nomadic 210]

Denarius

@, @@SilverHeart

 

Mirror's words worried Denarius. They were stuck between two seemingly unreasonable individuals. He couldn't see this little encounter having a pleasant ending either way now. He laughed slightly as his interest in their situation grew as the odds seemingly dwindled. His gaze once again centred upon the hostage mare. He shook his head with a look of mild frustration, this individual was almost more unreasonable than Orion. "My my miss, you say such mean things, yet you hardly know me. Have I done anything to be worthy of your ire? You assume the worst of me, yet how do you know that such ponies aren't already are among you. May I remind you, that you and your little ramshackle party seem to be the only ponies wanting to pick fights here", he rolled to his eyes in a sense of bewilderment before turning away once again to begin work on clearing the diminishing field of sparks leading to Orion.

[~Sole~ 852]

Clockwork Green

@@SilverHeart,

@@Icy Void,

@@Windbreaker,

@,

@,

@@Nomadic,

@@Frosty V,

@,

@@Tricksters Pride,

Clockwork smiled as the mare on the other team spoke. She was no madpony, nor a murderer, but she did mean business. He could see her intention was not of any ill towards them, and the other two seemed to be more like followers than anything. Zintiik was the most intriguing of them all though. What pony would willfully keep a changeling as a companion? There had to be more to this than he could see in front of him. He turned back, hearing Amethyst speak up, sounding annoyed. He realized there was something more important at hand, and granted they weren't going to end negotiations anytime soon. Clockwork moved back to Amethyst. "Should you wish to carry on ahead, I will go with you. I am certain these two groups can catch up with us once negotiations are worked out. I have no true place, I am merely caught up in a storm of events. Perhaps I could learn a bit about your world? You are most fascinating to a creature of this world. Besides, I know that there is a much more pressing matter to attend to. The more I know, the better I can assist you." He gave her a knowing expression, and glanced about at the others who had seemingly been ignoring her this whole time. He glanced about for the other being which had been quickly forgotten moments before when Kingfisher slipped into Mirror's hooves. "Amazing to think that only moments ago, this creature was a threat, and suddenly, he's been given the best opportunity to attack us if he wished. What fools. At least make a positive first impression before turning your back on somepon-whatever it is." He thought. What were these creatures? They were unlike anything he'd ever seen before. Perhaps they could be the key to unlocking magic use for anypony.

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Midnight Scribbler

@, (What's with Willow's last comment? I'm sort of confused by that, it seems like there should be more to it.)

 

Scribbler pondered this question, something he hadn't done until just now. Thoughts of Mirror passed by his mind again.. Was he blinded by her? Had she cast some spell on him? He couldn't possibly be in love.. Or could he? Other things began to flood into his mind. His home, his garden which was likely ruined by this cold weather. And what of his friendship with these ponies? Willow, Orion? Even Zintiik had grown on him as a friend, as strange as that felt to realize. He finally responded with the only truthful answer. "I don't know what I'll do when this is all over.. I suppose it depends upon how things turn out in the end."

ronin glared at clockwork as he overheard him speaking to amethyst "your not going anywhere, not until we can settle this. Besides, amethyst agreed to help us, so the sooner we get out of this the sooner we can get to saving all of known existence." He said in annoyance. He didn't like how he was speaking to her, and it wasn't because of jealousy... Mostly.

[Frosty V 309]

@

 

Frost eyed Clockwork, he didn't actually plan on gong over there with them, if they even let him do so, but He doubted that the creatures on the other side would give him passage for negotiation. It they did they nigh be stupider than he had first anticipated.This is horrible...I feel like nothin is being accomplished...at least I think that is what's happening...I can tell anymore, he thought rolling his eyes with a grunt of frustration

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Clockwork Green

@,

@@Frosty V,

@,

@@Tricksters Pride,

 

Clockwork turned his head, glancing over his shoulder at the angry swordspony. He didn't feel like fighting, but if it came down to it, he had enough tricks up his sleeve to stay alive. Perhaps he would be reasonable, perhaps not, but now he had Clockwork's temper going on some minute level. Enough to warrant a retort. "And I suppose you are going to stand in my way?" He chuckled with a smirk on his face. The smirk vanished, and in a split second Clockwork was inches from Ronin's face. A cold and steely expression upon his face and a tone of voice to match. "Who are you to deny me passage?" He backed up slightly, turning to Amethyst once more. His tone back in a much more cheerful tone. "Well? What say you?" He asked, waiting to see what she wanted to do. He turned to the other one floating in the background. "And what of you, my illusive friend? Are you interested in pressing on with us as well?" He inquired to the ethereal being. Though he had only just met these two, they seemed to be much more progressive in their methods of achieving goals than the rest of their ragtag band of mixed talents. Clockwork, though speaking to the others, kept a close eye on Ronin, ready to defend himself at a moments notice. He was cocky in his approach, but he was not foolish enough to allow anything to catch him off guard.