Rashall stood back watching everything, though he went to Sunshine's side when he saw her being picked on. He had always stood up for those less fortunate and treated all as though they were equal.
Night Time sighed. He took out the piece of parchment and the special quill and began writing. Dear Princess Luna, I come writing this with bad tidings. I just encountered Dark Shine. He is lost. He tried to take me to Constella. I refused. Constella spoke to me. I fear it is happening to everyone. She sent him. Pickpear is wounded. Any advice?
After a few moments, words began to appear on the parchment. [size=+2]Then it is true…We have failed previously…[/size] After a few more moments, more words started to appear. [size=+2]We will do what we can to intercept Constella’s messages, though We fear that Our magic may not be powerful enough to completely stop her… Dost anypony know a Healing Spell for Lady Pickpear? The only other advice We can give at this time is to continue onward. Please, thou must free the Elements of Harmony![/size] Pickpear suddenly feels a slight ruffling in her pack. Words begin to form on the parchment she is carrying. [size=+1]The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Now is the time for all ponies to come to the aid of their Princess. Please respond.[/size]
Night Time nodded. "Anypony know a healing spell? If so, patch up Pickpear. We set out as soon as we are ALL ready. We must finish the mission and rescue the Elements of Harmony." He looked over the group. There had to be somepoyn who knew how to heal... Right?
Mary watches Dark Shine fly off into the distance, refusing to believe that anything like that just happened. Was that meant to be intimidating? Or dangerous? The sleep-walking ponies with the blank eyes and the calling, it's classic but scary. That was like talking to a drunk. "Cupcake?" But the fact that the little interaction was rather, how to put it, utterly pointless was a point of concern. It was garbled by the idiotic rambling but that was meant to be where they surrendered or told ''Stella' to go hang. They just refused. So, as a fellow heartless, ruthless and merciless drain on the joy and soul of all she met, what would she do if the small task force refused to take the easy way out. The answer was simple enough: play. "Hooves up who doesn't want to die? Because all I can imagine heading for us right now has nothing but turning each one of us into a stylish hat and coat combo. How about we figure out a way of getting up into the fort, where we have a chance of surviving the eventual swarm, hmm?" She tips her head with a cutsie look, "My little popsicles, it's that or hypothermia? Any ideas, Pickfence or Pearpin or....whatever?"
Intrude, who remained quiet during thew encounter, sighed, hopelessly. "I can look at it, but I might not be any good. Actually I probably won't be. But I can try to see if I can help."
She stood up slowly, and aside from a quiet glance in Mary's direction, she didn't really react at all. Her horn glowed its magical color as she pulled the parchment from her inside pocket and looked it over. Then, with her second quill she wrote back: I am injured. It came crashing into me out of the sky like a bolt of lightning, without the warning of thunder. Proclaimed to be Darkshine. Is there much information on the previous six ponies that would better prepare us? She did it in a fairly short amount of time. Not really long enough for anypony to gather a peak, seeing as she wasn't announcing her doing it, nor taking a while with it. She looked at Night before her gaze drifted down. "Thanks for your concern..."
After a moment, the parchment that Pickpear had began to show words: [size=+1]Glad this works. Will find your information.[/size]
"So then, everypony's okay?" Little Sunshine smiled for the first time the trip. "I don't think that's the last we're going to hear from the other ponies. I say we go meet up with them!" Little Sunshine took a few steps forward and tripped over a rock hidden under the snow, effectively faceplanting and leaving a small imprint of a pony where she fell. Dazed, she got back up and wobbled back to Rashall. "Ugh...lead the way?..."
"if were going to play along, we need to be descrete we can't just barge in there". He walked up next to rashall and sunshine and focused trying to use the amulet to heat the three of them up.
Spoiler: Roll for Steel’s warming spell 19 + 3 = 22 Steel had no trouble warming Rashall and Sunshine. The two ponies began to feel warm all over, as if they were back in Equestria during the Summer Sun Celebration. Spoiler: Roll Luck 10 Middling The party continues on, trudging through the snow and ice toward Dream Castle. Pickpear doesn’t receive any messages from Quill during this time and the walk is dreadfully dull. The castle looms in the distance, the monolithic ruins piercing the sky. If one looks hard enough, one could almost see a large equine figure standing atop the highest tower, a long, rainbow-colored mane and tail flowing behind her. The castle is still some distance away, so it is unclear as to whether the winged unicorn can see the party or not, but it seems quite clear that she is unconcerned with being seen, herself. Before long, the winged unicorn disappears behind the tower’s ramparts. Maybe she got cold and decided to go inside. That would probably be nice right about now… Soon enough, the party can see in the distance some ways ahead of them, a large, wooden barrier. A wall, as it were. Parts of the wall have fallen down from lack of maintenance, and above the walls, one could see thatched roofs. A torn banner can be seen flying on one corner of the wall, but the banner is too well worn to make out any symbols or words on it. As the party makes their way closer, they notice that there don’t seem to be any defenses or patrols of note, unlike Fort Squall, which was practically crawling with pegasi. Spoiler: OOC-The situation as it stands You’re outside the walls of a small town. I’ll let y’alls decide what to do from there. You can venture inside the town, of you can completely go around it.
Mary listens to the groups' bizarre logic. She screws up her face, shaking her head like a magic eight ball in the vague chance of there being a useful answer to what she was hearing. Apparently, she was travelling with a group of gullible idiots. "Sorry, you can't possibly be suggesting to walk straight in to Constella's midst? Because that would suggest that you some how trust that the zebra colt, that seemed drunk to me, wasn't leading us to an obvious trap. We should just slap bulls-eyes on over our cutie marks and then sing a good chorus number if we're really serious about this." The rest of the group were beginning to leave her behind in the snow and the tundric winds generated by the windigoes. "There's a fort up there! We must now this can't be good, right? Right?" She looks behind her at the dark sky. Ponies are vague shapes over head and the howl of the air chills her in more ways than one as the warmth spell slips by her. She looks out behind her, snow and danger lurk and move in closer. "Fine! But it's your fault if we're killed!" She hurries after the group, catching up at an alarming pace. As the group wonders into the town, Mary Sue scans the dilapidated town. "Makes you wonder if it was a dump before we arrived."
"maybe we can see through the broken parts of the wall, get a better view of it". With that said Steel approached a broken panel removing it and looking through.
