Spoiler: non-char/canon ...I know what's about to happen due to reading already, but may as well do what I would normally do... Thanapony jumped quickly, dodging the fearsome beast- but just barely, and far too close for her comfort... The beast lunged forward again, its arms outstretched, mouth wide open, releasing a blood-curdling roar. In fluid motion, Thanapony leapt over the foul beast, and attempted to slice the foul beast in half with her scythe...
Location:Everfree forest Ponies Present:Thanapony, Sapphyre Dream Thanapony slashs the monster cutting its body halfway through the middle, but unable to complete its dimboiment as it flails one of its arms towards her causing her to cease her attack, using the momentum of her attack to pull the scythe out and slash it towards the arms of the beast. The scythe connects with the creatures arms but glances off them, managing to knock the arm away from you but the force of the attack sending the scythe flying where it lodges itself in a tree. By all rights the beast should be dead, having its body cut in halve, with both halves leaning away from each other giving you a clear view of its insides, or at least you would have if you could see any of them. For some odd reason you can't see anything inside of it except darkness, even with your excellent vision. However, there are more important things to worry about, as with Thanapony's scythe stuck in a tree, the creature lunges towards her, both sides of its body flopping around dangerously as it drives its claws towards her. Sapphyre Dream flys out from the trees letting the speed of her flight allow her to deliver a powerful kick to the side of the creature. The force of the blow knocks that half of the creature into its over half, causing it to lose balance and topple over, but the driving attack with the beasts claws continues, finishing the job by cutting itself in half. The two halves of the creature fall to the ground, both of them unable to get up on their own. Thanapony retrieves her scythe and begins to slice up the remains of the monster when the darkness inside its body begins to merge together, dragging the pieces of itself back into one. Deciding to leave the creature for now, you both flee the forest, outside the forest, you introduce yourselves and decide on a plan. (I'll leave the plan and introductions up to you two). Location:The Lunar Republic Ponies Present:Crimson Star, Doodleman, Johnn, Wolfe Upon entering the meeting hall Johnn finds a large group of ponies setting out through the caverns towards the markets of Ponyville, there is also a pegasus and a unicorn heading in towards the passages to Fluttershy's old home, which was only ever used for quick access to the everfree forest. There is also a unicorn with some mechanical wings attached to them that seems to be deciding what to do. As the ponies are leaving, Johnn asks the unicorn (Wolfe) about what's happening and learns that the larger group is heading towards a food raid, while the two heading towards Fluttershy's home are investigating something at the Everfree forest. Meanwhile, Crimson Star and Doodleman set out with a group of roughly thirty ponies to the old shop that had once been owned by the Cake family, Sugarcube Corner. In these times it had become an area that they would often get food delivered to them in secret or as a quick way to be able to get into the markets and grab some for themselves. A couple of the ponies introduced themselves to the group, and started up conversations to pass the time. A young mare, barely a teenager introduced herself to Crimson Star as Heartbreak. She had a surprsing amount to say for one so young and an odd fascination with the stars. Though nobody saw the stars anymore. Luna could no longer raise the moon for fear Celestia would find where she is and Celestia refused to raise it herself, causing the night to be a pitch black without the moon's light, in the rare times that Celestia would be willing to lower the sun. The conversation did help to speed up the journey though, and as she had begun to talk about an earth pony named Starfall that she seemed to want to talk about quite a lot, the group reached Sugarcube Corner. As the group began searching the drawers and cupboards for the food that ponies sympathetic to the resistance normally left them, Doodleman noted an odd creakiness about the house, and some of the walls seemed bent out of shape. The passage they had just entered from closed as the last pony entered the room. Quite fortunate for the safety of those in the tunnels as at that moment a whole contingent of at least 20 of the royal guard burst out of the walls, with more being heard on the upper floor. What do you do?
Name:Rashall Age:Teen Gender:Male Type: Pegasus Talent: Specializes in hit and run tactics, has armor that allows him to blend in with the shadows. Knows words of power, but can speak only two at a time as they take a lot of energy. Good with stealth missions or scouting. Appearance: Silver coat with a Silver mane that has a streak of dark red to it, tail is the same color.
The first thing that Doodleman thought was "Fudge(note the censorship)". As the guards stormed the place, Doodleman quickly, and at the same time, summoned a creature, about the size of an adult pony, it was a fire demon with a baseball cap spinned to the back and a spell he said yelling "Regenera!" while slamming his hoofs to the ground and all of the rebels were engulfed with a white light. Looking at Crimsome Star, he yelled "Damage Reduction 80%!" and a purple ray shot through his horn, covering Crimsome with a magical barrier against heavy damage. Looking at the demon, he said "Tatter! Show em whacha made of!" and the demon made two fireballs in his hands and tossed them at two guards. Luckily, experiences from before have show Doodleman that a fire demon in a wooden building were a bad combo, thats why he modified the demon to hurl "Anti-ignite-the-wood" fireballs. While Tatter was busy throwing his fireballs, Doodleman quickly casted a spell "Sword Shield!" and several swords formed around the alicorn, spinning and rairing to fight. Doodleman charged through 4 of the guards, hitting em with the swords.
Thanapony and Sapphyre Dream had been running for what seemed like hours, but had only been several minutes by now... In the background, the screams of the unfortunate pegasus guards echoed through the forest, making them both certain the beast was preoccupied. Not that it made them feel less uncomfortable with the situation... However, in the Lunar Republic, a good day, was a day when you got to live, and Thanapony had to admit, if Sapphyre hadn't intervened, she would have been cupcakes lunch... "Thanks, I guess I owe you one now..." said Thanapony, trying to smile, "you saved my life!"
During the trip, Crimson was relieved to know that Heartbreak was a spirited young pony. She would keep morale up, and on a personal level, no one had ever approached him to talk casually, before. He liked her company, and made a promise to her. "Stick with me, filly." He told her. "I'll plan it so that we'll all be able to see the stars again." He didn't really know why, but he felt comfortable talking. Despite this, he had this nagging feeling about the trip. Something he couldn't quite explain. His left ear flopped, and he wondered what caused it. But as he entered into the former sugarcube corner, he examined his surroundings, and came to a startling realization. "It's a trap!" As the door slammed behind him, he began shouting. "Defensive perimeter!" Crimson shouted, as the purple beam hit him. All too grateful for doodleman's initiative, he began ordering the other rebels. "Melee fighters up front! I want magic users in back, covering them! Front line, charge!" Following Crimson's orders, and doodleman's lead, the melee fighters went to engage the royal guard. Still hearing the hoofbeats from the loyalists above, he smirked. "You, you, you, and you!" He said, designating four magic users. "Use your most powerful spells, and blast the loyalists above us! Make sure our forces aren't crushed by any falling debris!" Stepping back to survey the results of his orders, he began to muse. "For an ambush, this is pretty sloppy." He said to no one in particular. "It seems like half of their forces are in no position to engage us. Somepony cover the stairway!"
As the fight went on, Tatter was having difficulty managing the guards around him, so Doodleman summoned yet another creature, this time it was a pair of big pincers attached to a mass of wriggling tentacles. The small creature split in two and each pincer went into the hands of Tatter. The flames were combined with the oozyness of the creature, turning the fireballs into dark orbs of fire. Tatter smiled as he had much higher power. Doodleman went rushing to the side of Crimson Star, "Everything good?" Some guards headed strait to them, but Doodleman yelled another spell " Oh no you wont! Whips of Fire!" and stomped at the floor again. This time the floor slightly cracked and a series of smoking hot tentacles emitted from the floor, entangling the guards, enabling them to move. "That should keep you busy for a while" The whips were starting to emit very awful heat when the guards struggled, so they stopped moving, avoiding being cooked alive by the tentacles. He headed to the staircase to cover it in case anything bad happened.
Name: Silver Bells Age:Teen Gender:Female Type: Alicorn Special talent/Cutie mark: Her cutie mark is two silver bells tied together by a blue & purple ribbon, though her special talent is breathing fire in small bursts. Appearance:
Name: Gears Flywheel Age: Adult Gender: Male Type: Pegasus Pony Special talent: Understanding and building systems/machines. Can build a multitude of magically "sentient" clockwork robots from pre-made parts he carries on his person. He usually carries three small helper robots, already built. Understands the science of magic, and can perform very weak spells, such as simple telekinesis (to help construct complex components) and lighting, via a piece of unicorn horn he keeps in a pendant. Cutie mark: Two intermeshed gears. <- Appearance Location: Lunar Republic Gears remains unnoticed as he slips into the tunnel to Fluttershy's cottage. The Everfree forest has plenty of shade, and I'm not particularly hungry. Let's find out what this investigation's all about. Within twenty minutes, Gears is peeking out of Fluttershy's door, which is hanging off it's hinges. Sitting and concentrating, his pendant glows, as do the nails on the hinge. Straightening them and and pushing them back in again, he repairs the door. "There, now it'll close right." He murmurs while shutting it. A little movement catches his eye, and he pounces at it with lightning speed. It is a white rabbit, with a startling resemblance to one he'd seen before. It can't be... "Angel?" The bunny stops wriggling and shakes it's head. Gears releases it, and it begins gesticulating wildly. Gears stifles a guffaw as the rabbit briefly air-humps, before guessing again. "You're Angel's son, right?" It nods, giving him a "of course I am, dumbflank" look. "He taught you well. Say, did you see any other ponies go into the forest?"
After she delivered the kick, she watched in slight awe of the final blows that Thanapony delivered with such skill. After all, the creature of being pure darkness, it was more or less impressive that a physical attack could harm it. She felt a surge of respect for the pony, however she refused to say so out loud nor espress such a meager emotion. Sapphyre, having her back to the pony after delivering the kick, tossed her head up to remove some of the hair from her face. She circled around to face Thanapony, and delivered a quick bow. "Such skill for a Reaper, if that is your class of warrior. Raw abilities also. I am glad to have been able to assist you. You may call me Saffie, as everyone else did before the war. Please to make your acquaintance." After her introduction she looked around, wondering what they should do next.
Location: The Lunar Republic Ponies present:Johnn, Rashall, Silver Bells As Wolfe leaves the hall, Rashall, and Silver Bells enter, having been interrupted in their chambers to be informed that Luna requested them. Luna motions for the two of you and Johnn to approach her, seeming uncharacteristically worried. "Ponies, I have a great fear that something has gone wrong with today's food retrieval, the ponies that were sent out should have returned quite a while ago. I do not know what has happened to them and for some strange reason I can't glimpse the area with magic. Please check up on the group, and move with caution." The worried look on Luna's face becomes almost pleading as she waits for you to set off in search of the group, indicating a long passageway that seems to stretch on forever. Location: Everfree Forest Ponies present: Wolfe, Sapphyre Dream, Thanapony, Gears Flywheel As Thanapony thanks Sapphyre Dream she turns to leave but stops as she hears the sound of a door slamming behind her. Turning around she see's four ponies standing outside an old looking house seemingly built out the nature around it, but was no doubt once used as a residence. Two of the ponies were Unicorns, though one had a set of mechanical wings, the others were Pegasi. One of the pegasi was female, her coat was a deep dark, with a cutie mark resembling that of Celestia's, only in an dull purple colour that almost seemed eerie when one stared at it too long. The other pegasi did not quite seem as if they were part of the group, and appeared to be communicating with a rabbit. The oldest of the ponies, the unicorn without wings approachs Thanapony and Sapphyre Dream and asks "You two look tired, what happened to you in there?" Gears Flywheel (This applies specifically to him and only him): The rabbit tears your attention away from itself by pointing out a conversation between the group sent to investigate the forest, and two other's whom you have occasionally glimpsed around the Lunar Republic. Feeling comfortable around you, Angel's son hops onto your back before making himself at home in your mane. Location: Sugarcube Corner Ponies present: Crimson Star, Doodleman The battle was going well, Doodleman's magic was aiding the Republic forces greatly while he tore through the ranks of guards. Crimsons's tactics allowing the ponies to co-ordinate their attacks so that despite the battle being waged, the Republic sustained no casualties. However, the battle began to wear on, and as more and more guards arrived, it almost seemed as if they were stalling for time, but the group had no option to retreat, as doing so would lead the guards straight to the Lunar Republic. Suddenly, the unicorns magic ceased, and part of the roof collapsed, crushing four unicorns and six pegasus, all in the resistance. Doodleman staggered back as all of a sudden his whips of fire dissapated into the air along with Tatter's and he felt the rest of his magic spell fade away, despite his attempts to sustain them. It soon became apparent what had happened and why the guards had been stalling. The door to Sugarcube corner was incenerated into nothing, causing a wave of heat that spread through the room causing all those present to be severly weakened, some of the ponies even passing out. A dark figure entered the room, that soon came into focus as Celestia. Celestia really had changed, not just her demeanor but physically as well, her coat was streaked with dark patchs, spreading over her almost like an armor. Her mane and tail had become a solid black mass, with her horn being as dark as her nights. Crimson huddled into a corner, hoping against hope that he would not be noticed. As if to demonstrate her power, her horn began to glow, and she fired a bolt of dark lightning at a pegasus who had announced himself in the caverns earlier as Stormhoof. Stormhoof's body convolused before collapsing on the ground, lifeless. Having seen her chance to strike down the Republic greatest foe, Heartbreak had crept around Celestia and leapt to attack her. With a swish of her tail, Celestia was somehow able to redirect Heartbreak's leap and send her slamming into a wall. Some blood dribbling from her mouth, Heartbreak stood back on her hooves again "I'll kill you" she screamed as she charged towards the dark queen. With a flash of her horn a darkness rose up from the ground around Celestia, which quickly engulfed Heartbreak freezing her in place. The darkness dissapated two seconds later, leaving nothing but the skeletal remains of the poor mare. With those two dealt with, Celestia turned her attention towards Doodleman. "It seems that you and your magic have been causing quite a problem for my guards today." Her voice full of cold anger "I'm here to make sure it never happens again." With those words a pain wracked Doodleman's body, forcing him to kneel towards Celestia. Celestia set her hoof to Doodleman's horn her magic forcing him to hold his head aloft, before with a resounding crack she broke his horn from his head, before destroying Doodleman's source of magic with her own. As the horn broke from him Doodleman collapsed to the ground, a searing pain building where his horn had been until the pain became too much for his body and to shut the pain out of his mind, Doodleman blacked out. Believing him dead, Celestia had the guards take all the other ponies in the Lunar Republic to the castle for interrogations. Unable to believe his luck that the guards hadn't noticed him Crimson checked to make sure there were no other guards around the room, that was when the smell of burning wood caught his nose. Celestia had set Sugarcube Corner on fire to deal with any survivors. Crimson grabbed the collapsed Doodleman and dragged him into the passageway, the smoke from the fire making him feel faint. Just managing to drag Doodleman and himself far enough away from the entrance to be safe, Crimson felt the smoke overcome him as he too blacked out. What do you do? (Doodleman and Crimson Star are knocked out, This means they cannot take action until they are either found and revived, or until a certain amount of time has passed, normally a day, give or take a few hours (on the bright side, you guys get a three paragraphs all to yourselves (well sorta (also continuous brackets are awesome)
"A creature of darkness attacked us... had the fury of the Burning Tower*. I fear that we have caused a greater disturbance since we fought it and others might soon follow. You three, is there a way we can take refuge in case they send more of their little friends after us? Miss Thanapony was kind enough to finish it off however I doubt they will waste effort to send in stronger back up." Sapphyre Dream pointed a hoof towards the area where the slain beast lay as she twitched, feeling the aura of its darkness leaking throughout the forest. "Oh yes, how rude of me. You may call me Saffie."
Rashall walks into the darkness letting it completely surround him. The other ponies do not even see him leave the area, feeling at home in the dark he continues down the long passage way.
Doodleman was hovering in darkness, alone. He was in his mind, the horrid pain that caused the breaking of his horn send him to a type of emergency shut-down. His thoughts echoed in the place "How could this be? My horn. My magic. Gone!" Tears began to drop from his face, but then he remembered something, a power that was there, but not there at the same time. "Of course."He looked at his rainbow-colored tail. "At least I have you" a small smile appeared in his face, while the tears where still going. (one request, how you want to wake me up, its up to ya! i dont know, something weird or the classical splash of water to the face )
(Whoops, spent so long typing my reply that I missed the update. DX Well, I removed my post so no harm done.) Gears whispers into his mane "I figured you couldn't be Angel. Not even a rabbit in Fluttershy's care could live this long. Did your dad ever mention what happened to her?" He feels the bunny shake its head, then it pokes it's head out and looks at him questioningly. "No, I only met her once... a long time ago... Nice girl, very sweet. But that's a story for another time. By the way, 'you got a name?" The rabbit shrugs, thinks for a minute, then imitates having devil horns. Gears giggles and trots in the direction the rabbit had previously indicated. "I see. Very fitting, my little Demon." EDIT: Gears approaches the other ponies.
Crimson hid at the sight of Celestia's wrath. Not out of fear, but out of a want to observe her. What her true strength was. And it was a horrid sight to behold. One that struck him with awe, and when Heartbreat received her undeserved punishment, anger. He had promised to ensure she would see the stars again. And now, that promise was broken, thanks to Celestia. He bit back his anger, convinced that there was nothing he could've done to stop the death. He wasn't a combatant by nature, he had next to no combat skills. Crimson would've become a pile of bones right next to Heartbreak, and he was sure that she wouldn't want that. In his anger, he made a new promise. "Somehow, Heartbreak. I will avenge you." Crimson had dragged Doodleman out of the fire, and to a secluded hiding place in a back alley. As he fell over, exhausted, his mind began a serious introspection. In his dream, he had wondered how he was unable to be spotted by the guard, but then, it occurred to him as an afterthought. He knew he wouldn't be spotted in that corner, simply because it has the most shadows, and he would have been able to blend in easily with the surroundings. He instinctively knew that he would never be spotted in that hiding spot. Furthermore, if one of the guards got too close, he knew to to make them 'disappear.' His cutie mark flashed before his eyes, and instantly, he knew it meant more than just good tactics and strategy. It meant treachery, a cunning mind, and the ability to strike fear into his enemies. It became clear to him in that dream, how he should mold himself. He would become not just a tactician, but an assassin, as well. His name would be whispered by the Royal Guard, striking fear into those who could not combat him. That's how he would extract vengeance. That's how he would better himself, and avenge Heartbreak, and all the other ponies that died that day.
Silver Bells nodded and continued down the passageway. She eventually found herself at Sugarcube Corner. She quietly looked around.
