open A Darker Fate: Beyond these Walls Chapter Two.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Canterlot Guard

 

@@Scribblegroove,

@,

 

The resting mare looked dumbfounded for a moment - shaking her head is disbelief at the decision being made. Was he really just going to...?

 

Of course, arguing with the Canterlot guard was useless without the princess to back them - they had no real authority to speak of themselves. Grumbling under her breath, the Mage took her position in an empty space behind the orb.

 

"Dont say we didn't warn you. Or try to stop you." She relented - signalling to the other two. "We did everything we could - if the guard want to undermine that, I don't want anyone coming back and blaming us for it!"

 

Seconds later and with a burst of light, the containment orb was dispelled. The three unicorns maintained their casting stance - horns trained in the thing, ready for it to attack.

 

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

 

Orion Starsinger.

 

@,

@@Midnight Scribbler,

@@SilverHeart,

@,

@@Nomadic,

 

Orion was torn. Torn between the book, and himself. His needs, and his desires. His destiny, and his fate. Nether way was right: there was no happy ending here - and what had just attacked him for that matter? Not him, the book - something had struck it: wrested it away from him. It was a good thing that Midnight was there to subdue them...

 

He blinked. How long had he been standing there?

 

Were they expecting him to speak? Were they even real, or just illusions? If the Willow in front of him was fake, it was a very good deception: ever sweet and idealistic... if only she could see the bigger pucture! It didn't make sense - none of it made sense at all... he needed the book, but it was useless if he couldn't control it. He couldn't control it without his wits, and he was witless not it had been taken from him! A violent citcle of mutilation going on in his head as he scoured his mind for some way to find an acceptable solution...

 

"Bring... bring it with us. The book... I can't... don't want to look at it right now..."

 

He blinked. How long had he been here? His eyes fell on the pedastile again: where the two gemstones sat - each inscribed ever so slightly with a tiny eye. There were empty spaces where more must have once say, but two were all that remained now.

 

"Those too. We need them - too dangerous to leave behind..."

 

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

 

Kingfisher.

 

"Don't do anything! You idiots, I get the thing away from him and you give it back?"

 

Kingfisher lashed out against the barrier uselessly - she hated magic!

 

"You're going to get us all killed! Agh! I am sick and tired of all this magic!"

Edited March 10, 2014 by Cinderscribe

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Midnight Scribbler

@,

@,

@@SilverHeart,

@,

@@Nomadic,

 

Scribbler was relieved to hear Orion finally address him, and speak somewhat normally. "I will keep the book.." He lifted it, and placed it into his saddlebag. Scribbler was now stuck, he had to destroy this thing, but.. was it even worth it anymore? The book did not seem to be empowered as it had been. He turned to Mirror, and nodded, then moved towards the pedestals, collecting the stones with his telekinesis, and placing them into his bag as well. Turning back, he stopped, a chill running up his spine. "Somepony is here.. My barrier is broken. Everypony get ready.. We have company." He ran to Mirror's side. "We might need some of your talents." He said with a quick wink, then faced the door, powering up his energy, ready to defend. Whoever had broken his barrier was no ordinary unicorn, if it was even a unicorn that had done it. He chose to leave the angry pirate in her cage for the time being. She was just as likely to kill them as whatever was about to come up the hallway. The only thing he was worried about now was the fact that he had no idea where Pavisa was, only Mirror could see the two of them. Suddenly he felt something heavy hit him from the side, like he'd just been tackled. Falling heavily on his side, he gasped as his energy dispersed from his horn. "Gah!" He yelped, attempting to free himself from whatever was on top of him. The net which held Kingfisher stayed, having been made like his other walls. While Pavisa's plan hadn't entirely worked, she now had Scribbler at her mercy for the time being.

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

 

Clockwork Green

@@Windbreaker,

@@Tricksters Pride,

 

Clockwork glanced to Aegis before he darted ahead. "Might as well stick together, if you'd like to hurry along, then I can keep up. Lead on, my friend." He grinned. There was little sense in them splitting up, there were only two of them. They were essentially the scouts for their team, even though they had no true intention of reuniting with them. The odds were high that they would meet them again before the end of this ordeal, and if they did, they'd have a good explanation for why they went off ahead. Just a little scouting, that's all. Nothing to worry about. Clockwork smirked at the thought.

Edited March 10, 2014 by Midnight Scribbler

[Tricksters Pride 100]

Shadow

@@Midnight Scribbler, @@Windbreaker,

(Sorry if its not up to my usual standards but i'm really tired...)

 

Shadow drifted alongside the two as they approached the door, contemplating the best course of action for this encounter. *'Hmmm... Well if i used a physical form i'd give them something to deal with..... Nah, that'd also give them something to attack again and i don't really feel like defending myself... again. Mist it is... Though i need to hide these dammed streaks now.'*  With his decision in mind Shadow drifted back into Clockwork's shadow, the read streaks mostly hidden but still leaving a few faint traces. "You can handle the talking, last time i tried talking they tried smiteing... Strangely enough i'd prefer a minimal amount of smiteing in my day thanks."

Edited March 10, 2014 by Tricksters Pride

[EcstaticWind 572]

Aegis Dare

@@Tricksters Pride, 

@@Midnight Scribbler, 

 

“Right.” Aegis said to Clockwork as they ran. He stopped at the door and watched Shadow vanish into Clockwork’s shadow again. “Good plan, and I now see why we call you ‘Shadow’. There’s no turning back after this one, though.” He hesitated for a moment as he placed his hoof on the door, fear and doubt flooding his mind. Deciding to risk whatever comes, he pushed the door open and left the rest to fate.

Edited March 10, 2014 by Windbreaker

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Emerald Gaze.

 

@,

 

Emerald tittered slightly at the reaction.

 

"I don't do things by halves." She explained. "So it was either kill you, or have them think you're a traitor. What's wrong, never come back from the dead?"

 

She smirked - she loved her job sometimes. Surprisingly often, actually.

 

"Lets stop wasting time - the castle it is. Hopefully they won't ask too many questions: word shouldn't have gotten around about either of us yet."

 

...

 

The roads were clear as promised by the farmer. Still eerily quiet, but there were no further attacks on the way to the castle - though they did pass a fallen, half armoured pony on the road. Emerald shook her head solemnly - such a waste.

 

The checkpoint took the form of a blockade across the gate separating the districts. Tactically sound, the noble district had its own sturdy walls isolating it from the rest of the city in case of invasion - and while the designers might not have anticipated such an unconventional threat, it did help keep ponies from hurting themselves. Six Canterlot guards stood to attention at the gate - fully armed and looking less than happy about being on what must have been considered the front line. Behind them, a number if ponies sat around a bench some distance ahead: refugees of some kind no doubt.

 

"You're probably in the best position to talk to them captain. See what you can find out on the way through... I'll back up whatever you tell them."

 

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

 

Amethyst Void.

 

@,

@,

@@Frosty V,

@@Icy Void,

 

"I think we finally agree on something... C'mon, hurry up! Why don't you have those 'wing' things? This would be a lot faster if we could all fly. Actually, it would be idea if we could all just flit there... ugh, ponies are so primi... i mean... limited. how do you manage like this? It's really just...."

 

She continued to speak under her breath... feigning politeness wasn't much easier than genuinely trying to not upset or confuse them and she really wanted nothing more to do with it - but at least they didn't seem to be preparing to ambush her, which made them possibly the best ally's she had right then and there. Shadow could hardly be trusted after all, even if they wanted the same thing.

 

Not that he had managed to get the better if her yet... she was always one step ahead - she refused to call it luck - whenever he turned on her. Unfortunately, he was also the more powerful of the two - and had an irritating habit of coming back no matter how often she thought shed finished him off with some cheap strategic attack.

 

...

 

The darkness wound on - the crystals seemed to revitalise in the presence of so much magical energy passing down the hall - it was just a shame that they had to actually pass them before they lit - the path ahead was still dark: a problem when guiding lumbering creatures of flesh and blood.

[~Sole~ 852]

Ronin sighed, before giving a small smile "well, at least she seems to at least be a little nicer. Even if it does look difficult for her, at least she's not calling us useless or weak anymore." He thought, as he peered into the darkness ahead. " sorry, but I was born as just a regular earth pony. No wings, no magic, just my blade and my own strength. But I guess I'd look like some primitive beast in your world huh? Having no magic and all must seem inconvenient to a race so dependent on it." He said to her nonchalantly as he began to pick up on his speed

Edited March 10, 2014 by ~LoSt SoLe~

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@,@, @Frosty V,@Icy Void

White Eclipse

"C'mon, everypony! We don't have much time to waste! We need to hustle up if we're gonna have any opportunity to stop both worlds from clashing!" With that, Eclipse was off through the darkness of the cave. The crystals lit up as they continued through, making it easier to see. At this point, the thought of Clockwork and getting revenge on him was totally gone. Right now, all that mattered was getting back to Canterlot and saving both of the worlds.

If the stalkers were just a warmup, the unicorn dreaded the main event.

[Frosty V 309]

@, @, @, @@Icy Void

 

Frost did his best to keep pace with the others, trying to block out whatever Amethyst was saying, but still tried to listen in faintly just in case she said something important. Frost kept his bow out and and an arrow ready, levitating them with his white shaded magic so he would be able to keep a faster pace. This is going deeper than I ever thought possible...I just hope it doesn't get as destructive as the others have made it out to be... he thought, sweat dripping of his head as he moved

[Scribblegroove 565]

@, @

 

Branchwise gasped when the containment orb that had held him floating in the air disappeared into thin air. He dropped and fell on side, catching himself with his elbow. He hadn't expected the mages to just drop him on the floor. He quickly pushed himself back on his hooves and looked around the room. The mages had their horns ready to attack him... as if that would do any good to them. "Come now, is that really necessary?" He said as he slowly walked towards the guard that has ordered his release. "Well then, I suppose I am under your orders now. You won't get any trouble from me as long as I can move freely. I have a thing with... tight spaces." He said, a bit ashamed of this weakness.

 

Branchwise had grown to trust the guard a little. He was very... reasonable. As far as his knowledge of ponykind went, he knew they were usually not very fond of creatures that were predator-like like himself. And instead of fearing those predators, like they should  through natures laws, they instead found a way to outsmart them... The top of the food chain in this world was not decided by mere strength, but by intelligence, wit and teamwork. He knew it! He had been right all along! He had been right to leave his home. His race had been blind and deluded. He had been right all along...

 

This short surge of excitement went through him as he realised that he was truly surrounded by a suprerior force. They had forced him to submit. It was strange to be on the other side of the situation all of the sudden. At the same time, he knew it was diffent. Very different.

 

"So? What do you want me to do now?"

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

@@Scribblegroove,@, Byter according to Terra was a tad bit... conflicted. Meaning that although he seemed like someone who was ferocious and strong like a beast, he was one that still listened, or attempted to listen... to logic. It was certainly an interesting mix, perhaps an attempt of nature to achieve... balance.

"You could say that you are under my... "guidance", fear not... there will be free space for you to move. Any questions you have about this world i will be glad to answer them, at least to the extent of my knowledge. In matters of magic the mages that surround you will be more than capable to talk about the sophisticated ways of the arcane arts."

As Byter approached him awaiting his orders he felt a bit guilty. He had roared at him to get through his head and to enforce his opinion and will... and it seemed that he was genuinly willing to learn and help. He had to help him as well...

"For starters let me tell you a bit about this world. You need to be prepared and act accordingly... adapting is something you'll come to fine nesseccary to prosper in this world. So here goes... Equestria has been nurtured from ancient times to the values of friendship, love, and harmony. Such things are not only important to us but are also fundamental forces that empower the world like incarnate forms of magic. There really isn't an easy way to explain this... just know that in times of need such values have been known to channel the greatest magic in all of Equestria. I can tell you more... but if i had to guess i'd say you're quite hungry. What does your kind eat? We are mostly herbivores, but there are also carnivore species upon Equestria."

He was curious if the culinary preferencies of this creature would become a problem. If so they should be satisfied before this became reason for an unfortunate incident.

[Scribblegroove 565]

 

Byter had trouble hiding his boredom as the stallion gave him a little history lesson. He had beem excited about being released this quickly and thought they'd get to action rather quickly. But his mind trailed off when the guard started to teach him things he didn't feel like learning. "Tell me something interesting... How does the wind work in this world? How did it come to exist? How do I read their immensly complex patterns..." he thought as he sighed and stroke his beard.

 

He reaqquired his attention, however, when he started to talk about food. "I eat just about anything, though I do need flesh sometimes, and I prefer it, I can survive on pony diet...For now. Though I won't like it. Eventually I will have to go hunting." He explained. His stomach growled. "Do you have berries? Fruit? I like sweet stuff." He said as he grabbed his stomach and licked his sharp teeth with his long, split tongue. He'd ask his questioms later. He wanted something to eat first.

Edited March 11, 2014 by Scribblegroove

[Umbreon 569]

Stahl

 

@,

 

Stahl sighs quietly as he flips his head, trying to flip his mane out of his eye again.  He did that a lot, it seemed.  "Well, here goes nothing."  Hoping his orders would still carry some sort of weight with what had been happening lately, Stahl starts to walk towards the barricade.  As he gets closer to the Guards holding the gate he speaks up again, louder this time, with an air of authority to his voice.

 

"Make way!  You men, what's our situation here?  I'm gathering ponies to take the fight out to the streets, so I don't have time for long drawn out paperwork.  Make the sitrep brief, and tell me where I can find ponies competent enough to know one end of their halberd from the other so we can start taking back our city!"  Blunt, confident, and to the point.  In Stahl's experience, that was the best way to deal with younger guards.  He briefly wondered if any of them recognized him, or had heard about his 'death'.  With them in full armour it was difficult for him to identify precisely who he was speaking to.

 

 

Zintiik

 

@@Midnight Scribbler,@, @, @@SilverHeart, @@Windbreaker,@@Tricksters Pride,

 

Everything was happening so quickly - and it was all magical in nature, leaving the changeling completely out of his element.  Scribbler had said something about others coming up behind them...  That was bad.  Zintiik may not have been much help in their current situation, but he did know one thing he had to do if a fight was looming.

 

His wings buzzing quietly, Zintiik flew over to land in front of Willow and take one of her hooves, tugging gently to try and goad her into moving.  "Come on, we need to get out of here!"  He spared a brief glance at the others before looking back at the mare.  "Something is about to happen, I don't know what, but something...  I don't want to see you get caught in the cross fire..."

 

Too late - Zintiik heard as the door was pushed open and instead turned to position himself between the doorway and Willow.  The changeling pauses for a brief moment as he stares at her, leaning closer to whisper "Whatever happens...  Stay behind me."  There was genuine concern in the changeling's voice and expression, but he quickly tears his attention back to the door and whatever was coming to meet them.

 

 

Pavisa

 

The mare may have succeeded in knocking Scribbler over, but that plan was long gone from her mind as she lay there clutching at her head.  She made one hell of a sight, with the magic from her horn trying to dispel the invisibility spell on her and leaving her about half-visible.  

 

"Ahhh, bloody hell, somepony make it stop!"  The stray arcs of magic continued to fly from her horn at random intervals, each one accompanied by a small wince from the mare.  Trying to push herself back to her hooves and moving pretty much aimlessly across the room, Pavisa shakes her head continuously as though she could shake off the energy that was bursting out of her.  "I'm...  Not...  Telling it...  To do that!"  She hadn't even noticed Aegis walk through the door, her concentration purely on trying to stem the flow of magic that had started to act up once the Litany had been impaled.

Edited March 11, 2014 by Lhee

[SilverHeart 741]

"Get off him you ungrateful wretch!" The moment that Pavisa tackled Scribbler, Mirror stepped forward, turned around and prepared herself to buck the ex-guard in the side to knock her off of Scribbler.However the mare never rose off the ground, instead she just clutched her head and screamed. Slowly Mirror turned around and stared at the mare. What should she do? It didn't seem like she was much of a threat now. Mirror used her magic to pull Pavisa off of Scribbler and floated her over to where Kingfisher was imprisoned. She cancelled out the spell so that both of them were fully visible. Mirror instantly regretted separating the two mares as she glanced towards the door.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Midnight Scribbler--Clockwork Green

@,

@@SilverHeart,

@,

@@Tricksters Pride,

@@Windbreaker,

@,

@@Nomadic,

 

Scribbler rolled back to his hooves once Pavisa's weight was off his side. He glanced over as Mirror moved her through the air towards the barrier he'd build around Kingfisher, which, to his dismay began to break down with the energy Pavisa was releasing. "Is nothing going to work for me today?" He thought with a sigh, and a feeling of exasperation crossed with his stress. This was not going well at all, and there was little he could do to stop Pavisa from casting magic.. Not without dispelling his own barrier. On the same note, Kingfisher was now free to just escape. Thankfully they were both visible now though. Scribbler struggled to his hooves as fast as he could, noticing the door had been opened, and two ponies were standing in the open doorway. One was a white pegasus with a black and pink mane, the other was a green stallion, wearing a bowler hat and heavy cloak. the green one's mane was white, and hung over half of his face, his eyes were cold and ice-like. Scribbler was unsure of who they were, he didn't recognize the green one, the other though, he remembered from the temple at the falls. "Who goes there? What do you want?"

 

Clockwork grinned as Shadow disappeared beneath him once again. "Of course, no need for unnecessary conflict. What exactly are we looking for?" He directed his thoughts to Shadow as the door swung open. The scene before them was of a half visible Pavisa lunging towards her apparent captors, but not the mare from before, no this time there was another unicorn. He immediately noticed Kingfisher appear inside a bubble-like prison of magical barriers, just as Pavisa began to grip her head and groan in pain. Things didn't look good, it was as if they were being tormented and imprisoned by these ponies. Clockwork didn't know or care truly why they were doing whatever they were doing, all he knew is that they were in danger, and if he could set them free, the group following them would look upon him in a much different light. To begin with, he didn't want to come up front as hostile, no, that wouldn't do. They were outnumbered, not that it mattered, with the ethereal beneath him, but he didn't want to kill if he didn't have to. There would be plenty of time for that later. Suddenly he noticed Orion, standing in the far end of the room, looking rather frazzled. This was another he didn't know, abviously this was the one they were chasing after, and the one who'd left the sparks behind. Not a pony he wanted to mess with, not in a blunt and obvious way at the very least. Clockwork stepped out behind Aegis, and gazed upon Scribbler, who'd directed his words to them currently. "We are merely looking to retrieve our.. lost explorers here." Clockwork said, glancing to the two who were now being gathered together in a single place by the mare who'd initially kidnapped Kingfisher. "Well well.. what have we here? Whatever it is you are doing to them, I suggest you cease now. We don't want to cause conflict.. Just let them go, and we will be on our way." He glanced at the empty pedestals, and then to the changeling, where yet another pony was hiding behind him. He recognized them from before. "A group of ponies who employ changelings amidst their ranks.. Not a very common sight." He raised a brow, wondering what such a creature would even be doing associating with ponies, let alone defending one.

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

@@Scribblegroove,@, ((OOC:I have no idea where to take this thing without godmodding or creating my own story. I am unsure if i am even allowed to do such a thing)) Terra soon understood that Byter was more like an actions person and his hot-blooded manner showed this. Still he insisted on being patient with the whole thing, in fact he purposedly did this whole thing just to figure out what he was dealing with. He knew that even though Byter was greatly un-affected by magic he was not smart enough not to risk it happening again. All because of some... claustrophobia? Regardless he didn't want him agitated because that seemed to hamper his rational thought. 

"Yes in fact..." he put his hoof and aired a loud whistle which was soon answered by a majestic fiery bird swooping from outside and standing on his left hoof as he extended it. What followed then was a strange conversation as Terra made some facial expressions like if talking to some motion and sound language. Regardless the phoenix seemed to understand... and responded in positive and curious squeaks and chirps. At some point Terra pointed at Mr Byter. Fenix landed in front of him and looked at him curiously, he seemed to show some signs of approval or agreement... none of it was sure but still after he looked at Terra he seemd ready.

"Yipp-yipp Fenix." at the sound of the magical phrase the bird flew back away. He was certain Byter would have some questions about it. He smiled and before he even asked he spoke again.

"Fenix is a phoenix. He has been under my possesion for many years now... i just sent him to satisfy your request. He will be back shortly... in the meantime... You said you wanted to come here... and you wanted to study us... for what purpose? And what is it exactly that you are looking for? Clearly it isn't our history."

[Ihei 712]

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

 

Willow Starsinger

 

Willow reluctantly turned away from her brother to look at the door; they had company. It seemed as if the other group came to retrieve Kingfisher and Pavisa.

 

Willow obeyed Zintiik solemnly, in a bad mood after talking to Orion. Willow wondered what would happen if Orion chose the book over her. She wondered when will be the next time she would see him when he wasnt under the curse of the Litany..

 

Willow gazed ahead of her, wishing she was able to defend herself. Somepony in the group always had to help her. Even the other group pitied her. But she had to agree - she really was helpless. But she felt like Zintiik really did want to protect her; not just because he had to. She wasnt too sure how changelings were to feel towards ponies. Before Zintiik, she thought changelings looked upon ponies as prey. Now she hasn't seen Zintiik feed since they were in Canterlot. What did changelings do when they couldn't feed? She wanted to help. Zintiik must have been feeling weak by now. "Can I help?"

Edited March 12, 2014 by Shaymin

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Canterlot Guard.

 

@,

 

"S... Sir!" One if the guards who was not in formation stepped forward with a mixture or confidence and trepidation - saluting smartly. For a moment it seemed like he was about to question his superiors death. Fortunately, that wasn't the case.

 

"Uh, I mean, sorry sir. We was told that all the guard was on lockdown sir! Must have been told wrong sir." Blustered the guard. "Captain Terra is inside with some of them Castle Mages: they captured one of them things sir - he's questioning it sir. Nasty thing it is... real bad temper."

 

"Heh... wish it was me in there with them instead of out here. Bet they're pretty things under all those hoods 'n' robes..."

 

The guard addressing Stahl gave a tired look to his companion before rolling his eyes and shrugging back at captain in such a way that made his line of thought perfectly clear: 'Ugh... don't mind him sir, he's always like this...''

 

Emerald held in a sigh and kept a passive expression as the guard went on. On one hoof, they were doing their job - on the other, she was glade that the rest of the guard weren't as undisciplined as these.

 

"Orders are to question anyone coming in. Standard procedure: we're not turning ponies away... least not while we still got room for more anyway. What were you doing out of the district sir? Just for the record y'know?" Seeming to see Emerald for the first time, he also quickly added. "And who's your friend? She's not in the guard..."

 

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

 

Kingfisher.

 

@@Windbreaker,

@@Midnight Scribbler,

@@SilverHeart,

@,

@,

@@Nomadic,

 

"Aegis! They've got my sword and the book!"

 

She shouted out as she dropped to attempt to care for her friend - attempt being the operative word: having never experienced anything remotely like Pavisa's condition until entering these tunnels. She checked her possessions for anything that might prove useful - the brandy, the sailcloth strips and the harness - useless.

 

"Hey! C'mon Pav, its okay!" She ducked aside one of the stray bolts - for once thankful that magic seemed to want nothing to do with her. Not that she was about to let any of it make contact if she could help it. "Not really sure what to do here... Sisters! Just try to... try to relax while I think of something!"

 

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

 

Orion Starsinger.

 

Orion watched - his mind struggling to process the magnitude of what was happening until her felt a wave of serenity wash over him. A deep, unfounded calmness which blocked out his anxiety and his anger.

 

He knew that he should feel more than he did. Angry or afraid or... or something other than this mild detachment. The thugs - they had literally hounded him and Willow to the edge of Equestria and all that he felt was a kind of mild annoyance. Maybe none of it was real anyway - but that was seeming increasingly unlikely: illusions wouldn't fight amongst themselves, not like they were doing - not to try and sway him.

 

He looked at the mare in the ground - was she one if the bandits from the woods? She looked to be in pain, he could relate to that - the Litany cad caused horrific pain. A shame he had never learned anything new - that he had become so dependent on others to help him: he might have helped her otherwise.

 

He directed his attention towards the door - stepping slowly alongside his sister and placing a hoof on her shoulder reassuringly as he watched the intruders. Still surreally calm. Still without any of the expected reaction. No magic - no shouts or hostility. He just watched.

 

There was something else. Something felt wrong.

 

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

 

Amethyst Void.

 

@@Geek0zoid,

@,

@@Icy Void,

@@Frosty V,

 

"Woah there!"

 

Amethyst vanished from sight and appeared several paces ahead of where she was - holding out her hooves out to either side as if to block off the passage. She paused, looking either way.

 

They were back in the room which had until recently been filled with magical sparks. The door ahead of them most likely the way that the other ponies had gone.

 

if her expression of hearing the Stalkers could be described as 'curious' though, then this was outright confusion.

 

"There was magic here. Recently - we're going the right way." She noted - still without moving. "But there's... something else. I can feel it..."

 

The Ethereal reached out into the faded aura of the now defunct barrier experimentally. Nothing happened. She raised the hoof to her mouth thoughtfully - seemingly forgetting about the urgency of their situation.

 

Ahead of them was a further long corridor disappearing into more darkness. Amethyst hovered in place - not quite blocking the doorway as she appeared lost in thought.

Edited March 12, 2014 by Cinderscribe

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

@, @~LoSt SoLe~,@Icy Void,@Frosty V,

White Eclipse

White Eclipse looked ahead to where Amethyst was. He was able to see a pretty casual-looking door ahead. He assumed it was the way out. He was about to crack a smile when he noticed that the door was... moving away? Maybe not the door itself, but another corridor!
"Oh no! The corridor is fading away! Guys, we need to pick up the pace, before it's out of sight!" Eclipse began running as fast as he could, looking up at Amethyst. "C'mon, Amethyst! We need to catch up!"

[Umbreon 569]

Stahl

 

@,

 

Stahl sighs quietly before his horn lights up, and one of his sabers abruptly flies from its sheathe.  Using the flat of the blade he whacks the guard who'd made the lewd comment in the back of the helmet, and then casually slides the weapon back into place.  "Mind your tongue, lad.  You're representing the Canterlot Guard, not to mention you're in a Lady's presence!"

 

Turning his attention back to the one who had done the bulk of the talking, Stahl hesitates slightly as the topic of where they had been comes up.  He couldn't very well say he had abandoned his post to help Emerald steal equipment.  With a quick glance at the mare, Stahl says the first thing that comes to his mind...  And hopes that she doesn't make him pay for it later.

 

"I wasn't on active duty, so I had free time to wander away from the castle.  The ambassador finally took pity on my advances and agreed to accompany me on a date, though the appearance of these creatures wasn't exactly on the schedule.  Did you say Lionmane is actually interrogating one of them?  The ones we saw didn't exactly seem like they knew how to speak."

 

 

Zintiik

 

@,

 

Zintiik turned back towards Willow when she spoke, though he hesitates when he sees Orion next to her as well.  After a short pause the changeling shakes his head and tries to smile reassuringly at her.  "Don't worry about me...  I know I look like hell right now, but I'll be fine until we get out of here.  Anything I tried to do about that would do more harm then good, I don't want to see you get weakened on my account."

 

His gaze slowly drifts between Willow and Orion, unsure of what he should do.  Did Orion still distrust him?  Why wasn't he saying anything?  "...Listen, if anything starts to happen, both of you run.  Okay?  I'll try and make sure you make it out...  You need each other a lot more than you need me."

 

 

Pavisa

 

Groaning quietly, Pavisa cracks open one of her eyes to look at Kingfisher.  The stray bolts of magic were still coming from her horn, though they seemed to be starting to slow down.  "Fisher...  I'm sorry..."  Wincing as another bolt leaks out of her horn she clutches at her head again.  "I'm not turning out...  To be much help...  Bloody hell, why won't it stop!?"

 

The mare tries clamping her hooves over her horn as though that might help, though all it seems to achieve is to burn her hooves a little as the next stray bolt fires out.  There was at least a longer pause between each leak of magic at least - perhaps the abrupt reaction was starting to die down?  "You said Aegis' name...  Are the others here?"  She was trying to distract herself from the pain in her head - that meant to keep talking.  

[Icy Void 19]

Midnight Sky

 

"Come on Amethyst, you can worry about that later. We still have two worlds to save, some friends to rescue, and crazed unicorn to stop, so let's go!" Midnight said before charging into the corridor with Eclipse, his sister not far behind. It was clear that this is where some of the magical disturbances he had felt earlier were coming from, but it was a moot point now with the barrier that had been placed here now gone. Whatever else was going on down here needed to be stopped before any more damage could be done, and if he was going to save Orion"s mind like he planned then the sooner the better. Midnight just hoped that they could actually have some good luck for a change.

[Scribblegroove 565]

Byter reacted a bit grumpily to Terra's display with the phoenix. He'd seen them plenty of times in arcana, so it didn't really agitate him much. What did though was what he had said. "You cannot posess a living creature!" He hissed through his teeth. He forced himself to calm down immediately after this outburst of emotion and spoke softly again. "And I am not studying you..." He said as he quickly gazed around the room. "I would've come to... Canterlot was it? I would've come here years ago if that were the case. No, I study your realms free nature. Some areas of equestria have flora, fauna and environments untouched and uncontrolled by your race. It has a strange force of life, and that is what I am researching. Though sometimes I dig deeper than that. There are strange creatures, spirits and energies in your world that you do not even know of." He explained a little bit dramaticly. "The reason I find this interesting is because it seems like a form of magic, but it's not from arcana... And that is very strange." He added to his story. He didn't feel like revealing any more secrets. That would only spoil the surprise...

 

"Anyway, as I've heard, you have trouble fending off those magic creatures right? I want to get to action. I think I know a way of at least stopping them, and perhaps fighting them." He said with a grin, looking at Terra with a horrifyingly exited look, when you imagine he's exited about killing things. "I'm not sure if it will work though, but since you're desperate enough to release an alien beast in the middle of your nest I reckon you'd be willing to give it a shot..." He said cynically. His stomach rumbled again. "After dinner though. I cannot fight on an emtpy stomach... Well, I can, but I usually end up eating the thing I kill, and you know, etheral beings aren't exactly edible." He joked at Terra. He liked messing with him. Pony ways were so strange to him they were almost amusing.

[EcstaticWind 572]

Aegis Dare
@,

@,

@,

@@Midnight Scribbler,

@@Tricksters Pride, 

 

Aegis stared blankly at Kingfisher for a moment before something clicked. Something came to life within him and he glanced at his saddlebags for a moment before gingerly stepping forwards to stand beside Clockwork. “Sir, you seem like a reasonable pony, so may I make a request of you? I’d like to tend to my friends, return Kingfisher’s sword, and offer medical assistance to your changeling friend.” Aegis said to the blue unicorn stallion, though he had a worried look on his face.

 

Edited March 13, 2014 by Windbreaker

[SilverHeart 741]

Midnight Scribbler--Clockwork Green

@,

@@SilverHeart,

@,

@@Tricksters Pride,

@@Windbreaker,

@,

@@Nomadic,

 

Scribbler rolled back to his hooves once Pavisa's weight was off his side. He glanced over as Mirror moved her through the air towards the barrier he'd build around Kingfisher, which, to his dismay began to break down with the energy Pavisa was releasing. "Is nothing going to work for me today?" He thought with a sigh, and a feeling of exasperation crossed with his stress. This was not going well at all, and there was little he could do to stop Pavisa from casting magic.. Not without dispelling his own barrier. On the same note, Kingfisher was now free to just escape. Thankfully they were both visible now though. Scribbler struggled to his hooves as fast as he could, noticing the door had been opened, and two ponies were standing in the open doorway. One was a white pegasus with a black and pink mane, the other was a green stallion, wearing a bowler hat and heavy cloak. the green one's mane was white, and hung over half of his face, his eyes were cold and ice-like. Scribbler was unsure of who they were, he didn't recognize the green one, the other though, he remembered from the temple at the falls. "Who goes there? What do you want?"

 

Clockwork grinned as Shadow disappeared beneath him once again. "Of course, no need for unnecessary conflict. What exactly are we looking for?" He directed his thoughts to Shadow as the door swung open. The scene before them was of a half visible Pavisa lunging towards her apparent captors, but not the mare from before, no this time there was another unicorn. He immediately noticed Kingfisher appear inside a bubble-like prison of magical barriers, just as Pavisa began to grip her head and groan in pain. Things didn't look good, it was as if they were being tormented and imprisoned by these ponies. Clockwork didn't know or care truly why they were doing whatever they were doing, all he knew is that they were in danger, and if he could set them free, the group following them would look upon him in a much different light. To begin with, he didn't want to come up front as hostile, no, that wouldn't do. They were outnumbered, not that it mattered, with the ethereal beneath him, but he didn't want to kill if he didn't have to. There would be plenty of time for that later. Suddenly he noticed Orion, standing in the far end of the room, looking rather frazzled. This was another he didn't know, abviously this was the one they were chasing after, and the one who'd left the sparks behind. Not a pony he wanted to mess with, not in a blunt and obvious way at the very least. Clockwork stepped out behind Aegis, and gazed upon Scribbler, who'd directed his words to them currently. "We are merely looking to retrieve our.. lost explorers here." Clockwork said, glancing to the two who were now being gathered together in a single place by the mare who'd initially kidnapped Kingfisher. "Well well.. what have we here? Whatever it is you are doing to them, I suggest you cease now. We don't want to cause conflict.. Just let them go, and we will be on our way." He glanced at the empty pedestals, and then to the changeling, where yet another pony was hiding behind him. He recognized them from before. "A group of ponies who employ changelings amidst their ranks.. Not a very common sight." He raised a brow, wondering what such a creature would even be doing associating with ponies, let alone defending one.

Mirror Image recognized the two ponies, one had threatened to kill her earlier and the other had tried diplomacy. It seemed they were alone, that was good. The last thing they needed was to deal with the rest of the other team. Mirror responded to the Green Stallion's 'suggestions'. "Believe it or not, we didn't actually do anything to either of them. Feel free to take them whenever you want."

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Midnight Scribbler--Clockwork Green

@,

@@Windbreaker,

@,

@,

@@SilverHeart,

@@Nomadic,

 

Scribbler stood up, and shot a blank look from Mirror, back to the other two. "Yes.. please, do take them back. They've been nothing but trouble to us." He said, feeling tired of the two troublesome mares. "As for Zintiik, do not worry yourself with him.. I will see to his recovery.. For now, we must be going.. Would you allow us passage?" Scribbler did not know what these two were here for, but neither of them gave him a good vibe. He trotted over to where Kingfisher and Pavisa were laying, and retracted the barrier he'd made into his horn causing it to glow momentarily as he absorbed the energy again, then moved along back to Mirror's side where he'd intended to be the whole time.

 

Clockwork smiled at Mirror's answer. "Good.. Good. Well then.. Pavisa, Kingfisher. You are free, and apparently safe." He said, then he turned to Scibbler, who was now grouped together with his counterpart. "I must ask.. would you be interested in a trade? I am in dire need of some magical resources to study. You wouldn't have anything of that sort.. would you?" He smirked, and reached into his bag, revealing a small, round, segmented, metallic item. "I have things to trade that only exist in this room, and no other place in Equestria." He was likely bargaining with the worst possible leverage, but he knew what he was doing. The offer at least, was one of a kind, he wasn't lying about how rare the items were.

 

Scribbler raised a brow at this, not sure if he was being serious at a moment like this. "My.. My magical items?" He instantly had a dark notion which burned in the back of his mind. "How does he know?" "I'm sorry.. but my items are not for sale." He said, looking completely calm, but keeping his eye on the strange spherical item the green Stallion had produced. What was it? What could it be that was so rare? He couldn't help but worry that it might be dangerous.

 

Clockwork gave him a slight look of displease, and went to put the ball away, when suddenly, he fumbled with it, and it slipped from his hoof, rolling directly towards Scribbler and Mirror.

[EcstaticWind 572]

Aegis Dare

@@Midnight Scribbler,

@,

@,

 

Aegis walked over to Kingfisher and Pavisa to check if they were ok. As he passed by, he turned to the blue unicorn. “And Kingfisher’s sword? It belongs to my friend, and it should be returned. Furthermore, are you going to make that changeling travel in his condition? I’m all for letting you go, but at least patch him up first.”

 

‘I guess I understand that dream now. It’s only by falling that you see if you can fly.’ Aegis thought, digging into his saddlebags for the salve and bandages he’d forgotten about. “How about it? I’m not gonna attack you. I’m actually trying to help. Sounds strange coming from a pony from the other group, I know, but kindness isn't unheard of.”