open Night Eternal: Return to Darkness

[Linguz 140]

Titan approached and looked at them. "Presumably both. I was told by the captain to bring them here. His exact words were 'escort this ex-Wonderbolt to the general. Tell him we have a... capable volunteer.' So I'm here to tell you that the captain says he's a capable volunteer. Oh, and the ex-Wonderbolt is this one." He pointed out Darts in the group.

[HunterTSN 1,444]

"Darts the magnificent, at your service," he laughed cockily and bowed.

[Firestorm 8]

"Darts the magnificent, huh," the general said gruffly. "A pretty shameless display of pride. Watch out, kid, it's gonna get you killed some day if you're not careful. Same goes for the rest of you," General Stone Wall said to the rest of the group. "The key rule in combat is never display pride. If you're gonna help defeat the darkness, you must learn how to humble yourself."

 

He took a seat on a chair and pointed at the map.

 

"Take a look at the map. I'll get you up to speed on what you need to know regarding the current situation we're in."

 

The map has small figures placed on different location on the map. Some areas of the map were darkened while the remaining areas were light-colored.

 

"Look at the double tents on the northeastern parts of the map. That's our position. The gate figure nearby the double tents represents one of the Gates of Tartarus. That thing is threatening the safety of this camp and if the creatures coming from that gate manages to overrun us, Equestria is as good as doomed because what remains of the military are all here. Closing that gate will be the first step to retaking Equestria.The catch is we do not know how to close it," the general said in a grim manner.

 

"The only pony I know who knows how to close the gate is Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's student. Again, another catch. She has gone missing since the darkness erupted...along with the rest of her friends. They are the Elements of Harmony and they're fundamental in stopping this evil. I was hoping they made it out but..." he stops mid-sentence before continuing. "Anypony seen them? If you do, when was the last time you saw them?"

[Aureity 3,055]

Dichromate shrugged. "Never?" It rang a bell, but thoughts meant nothing.

[Firestorm 8]

"Damn," the general muttered. "What about the rest of you?"

[HunterTSN 1,444]

Darts turned serious, "I met one, Rainbow Dash, I competed against her when I was trying out for a place on the Wonderbolts. About a year after Soarin' retired. She almost beat me too, she was insanely fast, but she needed to work on her agility, it took the judges almost a whole week just to determine which of us got a higher score. I won by less than half a point, but still, that pony has some serious talent. I hope she is alright, I would love to see how shes improved!"

[Linguz 140]

Titan glared at Darts. "I'm nearly a hundred percent sure that the general meant recently, like before the gates opened and whatnot. Knowing where she was that long ago really doesn't help."

Edited March 15, 2012 by Linguz

[HunterTSN 1,444]

"Shh, I'm not done. After losing the position she got pretty depressed. She stopped practicing flying and she got more and more isolated. Her element, loyalty, started to fade. I heard a rumor in Cloudsdale that after the gates opened she didn't help the other elements close it and just disappeared. Like I said, it's only a rumor, but it might help." Darts cocky grin was replaced by a look of remorse and sadness as he finished.

[Firestorm 8]

"I'll take your word for that," the general remarked flatly. "But I didn't think her element would fade just because of personal feelings. The Elements of Harmony are powerful indeed but not omnipresent. Remember, the gates opened at the same time throughout Equestria. There's no way they could close every one of them at the same time."

 

General Stone Wall tapped his chin thoughtfully with his right hoof. "There is only one way to discover the technique of closing the gates: go into one. If the Gates of Tartarus work like our Trans-Planar Warp Gates, there should be something that's keeping them open."

Edited March 15, 2012 by Firestorm

[HunterTSN 1,444]

CopperMane had fallen to the back of the group again, but he pushed his way up to the front. "What if it is the fading of the Elements of Harmony that opened the gates in the first place. Assume, if the rumors are true, that the other element's faded along with Rainbow Dash. The lack of harmony in Equestria could be the cause of the gates opening, and until they are reunited the gates will stay open. Your the expert, could that be possible?"

[Firestorm 8]

"Can't say I'm an expert. Based on my understanding, while the lack of harmony is a contributing factor, it's still not the main factor. Something still doesn't add up...Captain Star Wing informed me that the gates require an agent from the mortal realm to open. The doors on the side of Tartarus is always open but somepony powerful is needed to open the doors on our side. Besides ponies the likes of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, I can't think of any other individual powerful enough to open a gate. Even then, opening one gate would take up more than half of their magic powers. To open all gates simultaneously is beyond what the princesses are capable of. This may be a group-coordinated effort."

 

The general paused to catch his breath and after looking at the map, he said, "As for the lack of harmony...I believe we may be dealing with agent provocateurs. To date, I can recall two cult groups that may want to sow the seeds of chaos among our kind: the Followers of Nightmare and Chaos Legions. Which group would you like to know more about? Perhaps we can piece together the puzzle and determine the culprit behind the opening of the Gates of Tartarus."

[HunterTSN 1,444]

CopperMane smiled, he looked at Titan, "you all go on ahead and close that gate. General, I wan't to talk to you. Tell me everything you can."

[Firestorm 8]

The general smiled. "A thirst for knowledge. Good, that's the spirit I want to see in ponies nowadays. If any of you are interested in this discussion, you may stay. If you aren't, you may proceed to the armory to arm yourselves and I'll be with you shortly."

 

He then turned his attention back to CopperMane and said, "I have spent thirty years in the military and I've seen many cult groups come and go. The Followers of Nightmare and Chaos Legions are the two most wanted cult groups in Equestria and they've proven to be quite persistent. The Followers of Nightmare first emerged as a group of Nightmare Moon worshipers two hundred years ago and were relatively...docile. I don't know how Princess Celestia tolerated their presence but she did. They remained docile until Nightmare Moon's escape from imprisonment. They prayed for her return but when the Elements of Harmony defeated her, the group started stepping up efforts to restore their "beloved" queen to glory. I believe they were planning this all along. They nearly succeeded in resurrecting Nightmare Moon once but Princess Celestia destroyed the Nightmare Seed before it could grow. Many evil beings reside in Tartarus, including the evil powers that turned Princess Luna into Nightmare Moon. If the Followers of Nightmare are looking to resurrect her once more, I believe this is their chance to retrieve whatever's necessary from Tartarus to do so."

 

"As for the Chaos Legions, they're an aggressive group strongly opposed to the princess and harmony. They are the worshipers of Discord and while they do not have a significant presence within one hundred miles of Canterlot, they are active in other parts of Equestria like Manehatten, Las Pegasus and even Stalliongrad. When news of Discord's return reached their ears, they started mobilizing to Ponyville but stopped when the Elements of Harmony defeated Discord. Discord's spirit may be imprisoned in stone but I think his true power lies in Tartarus. I've told you everything I know about each group and you can tell that they're definitely enemies of the Elements of Harmony, each having their own agenda. Worst case scenario, the two rival groups teamed up to open the gates."

[Twister The Twisted 92]

Looking down she finally decides to open her mouth "I..I saw twilight before the gates open'd in canterlot she seemed she seemed worried more then anything i tried to talk to her but she said she couldnt she had to keep going" Looks back down at the floor

[Firestorm 8]

"You saw...Twilight? Where'd she go afterwards? Did you hear her mention anything important that may lead us to the elements?"

[Twister The Twisted 92]

"she didnt say anything she just ran" She said still looking down

[Firestorm 8]

"Hmm...that's very peculiar," said the general. He then turned his attention to Titan. "Bring them to the armory. Get them suited up. I want the gate closed and the surrounding area secured. Once that's done, we can discuss our next move to liberate Equestria. You're going with them, Titan. You're by far one of the most experienced guards left. I'm counting on you to make this mission a success."

[Linguz 140]

"Yes, sir. Follow me, recruits." Titan saluted and left the tent, heading to the armory.

Edited March 16, 2012 by Linguz

[HunterTSN 1,444]

Darts smiled, "I'm on it" he said as he trotted after Titan

[Firestorm 8]

When the group arrived at the armory, they saw Captain Star Wing talking with the quartermaster in charge. When the captain noticed them group standing at the entrance, he beckoned them to come in.

 

"I heard from the general that you're to close the gate...even though none of us have the slightest clue on how to do it," said the captain. "In any case though, I've told Quartermaster Kalina to allow you all full access to all weapons and armor. Don't expect anything good because these are all hastily made equipments. Don't have time to create good quality ones. Take your pick."

 

Weapons

[short Spear]

Base Damage: 5

 

[iron Short Sword]

Base Damage: 4

 

[Curved Dagger]

Damage: 3

 

[iron Mace]

Base Damage: 5

 

[spiky Horseshoes]

Damage: 4

 

[shoddy Crossbow]

Base Damage: 3

Range: 4

 

Armor

[Leather Armor]

Base Defense: 5

 

[Chainmail Armor]

Base Defense: 6

 

[Padded Fur Armor]

Base Defense: 3

[Twister The Twisted 92]

Lumi picks the Spikey Horseshoe's and Leather armour

[Linguz 140]

"I'll let the rest of you get weapons and armor. All I need is my shield."

 

[steel Shield]

Base Damage: 3

Base Defence: 7

(Is this fine? If not, alter it how you wish.)

Edited March 17, 2012 by Linguz

[HunterTSN 1,444]

Darts slipped into the fur armor and grabbed a crossbow, "let's do this!"

[Firestorm 8]

"Hold on there, Eager McBeaver, you're not going anywhere without a proper sendoff," the captain said.

 

He reached for his saddlebag and retrieved several jewel-studded bracelets. "Each of you take one. These are magical communicator bracelets which will allow you all to keep in touch in case any you are lost or need to split up. I'm not gonna take no for an answer because I'm concerned for the survival of everypony, no matter how...obnoxious they are," Captain Star Wing remarked while looking at Darts. "There's also another pony joining you in your quest. She'll be waiting for you at the camp entrance. Speak to her when you're ready to leave. Good luck and Princess Celestia guide you."

[Twister The Twisted 92]

Lumi Takes the Coms From Him "Thanks Captain" She leaves the tent waiting for the others to join her