darkSpyro

Hellena hissed something under her breath, plucking up her axe from where she'd abandoned it. Grey's temper only seemed to rise, sparks shooting from the tips of his feathers and from his hooves. Taking a deep breath, the pegasus calmed himself down, fluffing out his feathers.

It's alright, Grey, he reminded himself, and not for the first time. If he follows us, plunge a knife in his chest. No big deal. Just stay... professional. Hell, let her do her thing... Just stand back this time.

"Two." Hellena scratched the base of her neck, avoiding the cut in the area. "I think the word you're looking for is 'two.'"

Patriatic looked up confused, but got an idea, "Aren't you afraid of what will happen if this gets out?" he asked, "Let's recap this, I am a larger sociopath than Loony could be with less remorse, I know where ponies who would want that power, aren't you afraid of the lives that could be lost?"

"Perhaps," Grey said slowly, stressing his syllables, "If we weren't killers for hire."

"I'll admit that I've burned down neighbourhoods in games of hide and seek." Hellena shrugged. "I wasn't seeing what I thought I was se- nevermind that. No. I can speak for myself when I say I have absolutely no qualms about anyone dying."

Patriatic got another idea, "How about when you two DO die? What will happen then? Your sins of wrath will have caught up to you won't they?" he asked with a malicious and spiteful grin.

"Letting you tag along isn't going to fix anything on our end." Grey replied shortly, turning to leave. "Still. Don't assume that I haven't thought about this eventuality. And I'm going to fix it the only way I can."

Hellena watched Patriatic with slightly narrowed eyes, before following.

"So, Canterlot now?" she asked quietly. Grey nodded gravely.

"And one last thing, don't you think a lightning-powered telekinetic would be an essential part in your team?" he asked, "after all, I survived your firestorm Miss Hellena with only two injured hind legs."

OOC: just as I did for Ash, which no one asked about, they will have moments of nothingness to allow time to pass in order to reach certain places... But I guess I do need to get back to them, I only have two more days before I leave for the army(boot anyway)

Ash found himself at the edge of the forest, where the trees were marked with blood, limbless, or burned. With the Sheppard's help, his hearing and sight were amplified. When the name was mentioned, "Loony," the Sheppard spoke, "He followed her in there again. Then again he has pretty much always been attached to her."

"Still haven't told me how this is all going to work. What are we doing?" Ash was stepping very slowly through the trees as the conversation deepened.

"Being a dream spirit, only magic or other spirits can effect him. It will be up to me to talk him out of it first."

"And if... you can't?" Ash began a faster trot to avoid being a sitting target for anypony who may have followed.

"Then we fight," the Sheppard replied simply.

"By we, you mean-"

"You and me versus him. If his dreamer decides to help him, then we may have more trouble. She is accompanied by a few other ponies at the moment, I suggest avoid letting on that you are here. If anything, try not to think of me too much, he can sense my presence on though waves alone," he paused hit lecture for Ash to stop walking, "There are three more ponies in the forest now. One I've had the luxury of saving from the other. I'm surprised he has chosen to stay with her after the events a few years back. You may know them, but the other, is not from this area in particular. I'll pull his file, I'll return to you in a few minutes, don't get yourself into trouble."

"No promises... No magic..." Ash added as the fighting came into mind again.

--

Cauldron walked back over with Rainbow Dash who quickly ran to he doctor's side, "Are you alright?" She asked frantically.

Gulaven was seated in one of the benches closest to the front of the train, "I'll live if that's what the fuss is about. I'll have a new one back at the labs when we return."

Torch had already picked up the prosthetic limb and was tinkering with the ports, awaiting every pony to board the car. The engine was fired up and ready to role, and the log pit was brushed of the bloodied bundles.

Patriatic's horn glowed a deep mahogany, reading the entire conversation Ash and The Sheppard had about Loony (courtesy of telepathy) and smiled, "There are more against him...?" he whispered, "hehehehe...excellent..."

"You didn't let me get to the good part," Hellena stated coolly.

"Team?" Grey stopped. He was shaking his head now, eye fixed shut as the edge of his mouth twitched as he debated what to do. Unwanted memories flooded his mind, the grizzly last ones he had of the majority of his team.

---

Clear eyesight, and even he wasn't sure what exactly was going on. Coat and feathers streaked by him, with screams and yells of confusion and pain, the firing of guns. Fire streaked past, Hellena herself already in the midst of retaliating against the ambushers. Blood that wasn't his own splattered against him as he watched his closest friends fall.

And one of them was at the centre of it, slashing his own sister's neck.

Then came the earsplitting cry of pain and anger as the firebug was incapacitated with grief, her gryphon assailant taking advantage of her moment of weakness to strike...

Grey lunged forward, driven by primal urge to protect what he guessed to be the last of his team. His blood joined the pool on the ground.

His eye followed shortly afterwards.

---

"...Oh." Hellena backed up, even the 'naïve' firebug understanding what exactly was going on behind his thunderous expression. She took a deep breath, chewing her lip as she focused on the present.

"No, I don't think so," Grey snarled, drawing a knife, "You don't have what it takes!"

One lapse of judgement later, and the pegasus was almost moving at the speed of the lightning he manipulated, lunging forward.

---

Loony's ear flickered, the dream entity glancing behind him with crimson eyes. He watched from the treeline, positioned comfortably between a dead tree and large rock. The joys of invisibility weren't perfect. Hellena was a perfect example, the unicorn glancing at him as even she backed away.

It was Grey's attack that sent him out from his hiding place, the pink 'unicorn' moving at speeds impossible for a true colt of his roundness and stature.

"NO!"

Patriatic turned around and saw Loony, Hellena, and Grey in combat. He then did the only reasonable thing, his horn glowed mahogany again, and sent this message to Ash and The Sheppard: "You two! Listen well! Loony is currently up against two ponies who have been associated with him. So far, he may have turned into a pink unicorn to fignt them. If you both want his head then come get him NOW!" Patriatic, then without warning, picked Barkis by his hind legs up and looked at him, "I'll need your help." he told him.

OOC: sidenote: grey was lunging towards patriatic, hellena was stepping back, and loony is trying to stop him

OCC: Sorry, then ignore the previous comment.

Patriatic quickly entered a sociopathic state and bit hard into Grey's neck, letting his teeth sink in deeply, Barkis on the other hoof (hand) was watching Hellena and charged towards her, sword drawn.

Grey screeched, plunging his knife into Patriatic's side in response as he flailed, wings flaring out as he attempted to leap back.

Tho- those pills really work- I... it... really don't feel any pain... huhh...

---

Emerald eyes met blue-grey, as the young adult pegasi sized each other up. The royal guard in training, and the Badlands mercenary just getting used to the new system he found himself in. A mare and a stallion, within an intractable stalemate, spear and rifle both poised to mortally wound the other. In all regards, they were opposites.

But both could see the terror in the other's eyes.

And they both lowered their weapons.

---

Luminia boarded the train carriage daintily, watching with wary green eyes.

"We should make haste, then," she stated calmly, taking a seat a bit away from everyone else, splaying her wings out with exhaustion. It had been a long flight from Manehattan. She didn't imagine herself flying for a little while. "And be careful."

---

Hellena's eyes widened, quick thinking allowing her to teleport next to a tree before she could be hurt. Grunting quietly from the landing, aggravating pain in her leg and side, she noticed the small pink colt streaking forward, and the blood coming from Grey's neck.

"Oh no," she whispered, pupils contracting.

Loony let himself revert back into a pink and gold mist (think NMM's mist form from the pilot), dark red fire flickering along his form. Very undreamlike, the fire, he admitted to himself, but one didn't live in a firebug's mind for a few years without picking up a few tricks. Now that they'd come in handy, he had a reason to let loose with them.

His sister would be proud.

Patriatic felt blood trickle down his flank as rage fueled his find and body as he let his grip go on his neck to bite hard down on his left front leg, I'm going to KILL YOU FOR THAT! his mind screeched as his bite dug deeper.

Grey yelled out, large wings battering against his assailant as he pulled his knife back out. He'd been bitten before, by fangs far more deadly than that of a pony's. Still, that wound on his neck was starting to look a little scary, even by his standards.

Vaguely, he wished his pegasus magic could produce lightning that was just a touch more lethal.

Uhh... I can't- st-s-stay awake... Hang in there, Grey... H-hang in there...

---

"Oh- I- Um..." the pegasus mare backed up uncomfortably, looking small in armour that appeared too big for her. She was blushing.

Grey echoed her emotions and actions, eyes desperately searching for an escape route from this unlikely... foe? Even at his young age of eighteen, he'd already killed. If she knew who he was, what he'd done... But it didn't look like she did.

"Well- um, I think... names? Yeah, I think names would be in order, uh, yeah..." she muttered awkwardly, pink cheeks deepening. "Yeah...

"My name is L-Luminia. Luminia Zephyr."

---

He almost didn't notice Loony pulling the pair apart, his misty tendrils more corporeal than they appeared.

"That's enough," the dream stated calmly, taking on a shape somewhat reminiscent of a pony, a pair of glowing white eyes appearing in the expected places in his 'head', "There's no need for this madness."

Barkis stepped back in fear while Patriatic thrashed back and forth rage-fully before regaining a calm state, yet continued to thrash, "Why have you interrupted this fight?!" he questioned with a tone of contempt and anger.

---

Barkis' eyes darted away from Loony's as he knee-led down in fear, hoping he would be spared and he could continue to find a cure, Please spare me... he thought.

Jed decided not to answer the psycho. He quickly climbed through the air above and swung downwards using gravity to assist him.

---

"what's the matter little filly?" Sic taunted. Dusten took a deep breath 'he is trying to get me worked up' he thought to himself 'I will assume he has extensive experience and pursue the battle from there. I have been in a scuffle or two myself so maybe I should just bring down to a battle of attrition. The last one standing wins.'

Finishing his internal strategy Dusty stepped closer a little slower this time. He quickly threw a left hook and used the momentum from the missed shot to swing into a kick landing right on Sicolus's chest planting him in the ground.

Barkis turned around and saw Sic confronting Dusten, "Maybe I should help Dusten out..." he muttered running over to aid him, sword drawn out, ready to fight Sic and possibly help redeem him.

"Do I need a reason? I'm not allowing Mr Calibre to die on us." Loony chuckled, pooling on the ground. "You should get that wound checked out, too. Grey has played with a lot of different poisons over the years, I don't doubt any... residue," his head drew closer, inspecting the wound, "Hm, well, infections aren't out of the ordinary."

Patriatic brushed it off, "That won't matter, I've got magic. Listen demon, I know it sounds strange, but I believe that you can reform yourself so that your road of sociopathicness isn't one to self-destruction." he explained, "Just take this chance now...trust me."

S1D3 let the magic fade, making him drop down toward the ground. The sphere followed, still within the magic aura. Just past the lower branches, S sent out a flurry of magic based ball and chain barrages. Nearly an inch from the ground, the magic held him weakly as he focused on his attach. The multitude of powerful batteries(blunt weapons made intentionally for hitting something hard).

--

Ash could feel the pressance of magic, like someone was following him. He looked about very worriedly to confirm he was alone, that no pony was within even twenty meters of him. Though he didn't see anypony, he stayed low and crawled ahead toward the group of three.

In just a few seconds he could see one very familiar body, "Raptor?" He gasped lowly to himself, "I figured she'd be back... in the factory."

In the distance Raptor immediately turned to Ash, "Subject 21244? Ash?" She questioned herself in a whisper. Ash remained low to the grass, but Raptor was making her way over to him. Too scared to move, Ash watched, frozen, as Raptor approached with two apparent allies just behind her. One a metal covered guard, whom which he did not recognize, neither armor nor face. The third, a Pegasus on his back, in a shield that was turned over, "I thought I recognized you," Raptor's blunt expression as blank as always, added.

"212 Double 4?" Red asked, "I don't wish to be a bother, but who is this Two-one-two-double four pony supposed to be? Is he some form of an old accomplice?" he questioned.

Loony laughed, backing up to inspect Grey with a sharp eye. Hellena remained by the edge of the forest, watching warily. In all honesty, she didn't really see herself going back over.

"I've always noticed that mortals have a different perception on the values of good and bad. It's a shame, really. You aren't the first among your kind to tell me that I need to be less... volatile... lest I be damned for the rest of eternity, or something." Loony's eyes narrowed as Grey stirred feebly. "Ah..."

"What? You don't think you can change? I've given ponies second chances before, and if they refused, I would have to engage in bloody combat with them." Patriatic further explained.

"I don't have blood." Loony commented idly, settling back into his coltish form. "I have only ever engaged in combat once in my life. Almost twice, actually. We didn't need to go quite that far." He paused, giving him a sidelong glance. Loony opened his mouth, as if to continue, but then shook his head and closed it again, before turning to Hellena.

"T-this go-got a little out... out of hand," she said quietly, suppressing a shudder, but not quite stiffling it completely.

"Listen, because of you Hellena has taken multiple lives away from this world as well as Grey. Several of them are now dead because of you, all for amusement of some kind of 'game'! Even then though, I can forgive you...." Patriatic explained.

The guard was gazing at Ash with curious eyes, but he already knew this earth pony... didn't he? "21244," Raptor tilted her head, "They told me they had abandoned the project. My very own test subject almost three years ago now, telling me they were just going to put you down," she then craned her neck with a more frustrated expression, "Just one of few reasons I left that place. The lies, the secrets, even from senior staff," she turned away from Ash, not to Red or the guard though, and she began walking again.

They must have really messed her up in that factory. She was... different once... The guard followed closely behind after offering a hoof to Ash who only ducked his head to hide his face, What tests did she do to engine such fear and skittishness?... Mental separation? Trying to pull his split personality into two minds to make them completely apart. Additional drug tests... the guard was reading silently through some files from the factory of Raptor's work, She even attempted to bind mind and machine... I though that was for the black labs only, it was a cause for punishment... A mental surgery... the visor lifted away. Raptor, knowingly, was wading through some mud that was knee high. A form of stubbornness, she has no positive emotions whatsoever ever, not even sadness.

--

The train was now set with each pony seated and ready to get moving, "No doubt we will have trouble from unicorns or some ferrel pegasi," Cauldron stated as he was closing the door from the outside, "So I'll keep an eye out from up here," he flew up and landed on the roof of the car, "The tunnels are currently unknown to have any obstructions in or around them, but one must be sure."

Red looked over at Raptor, then the factory, Is this...the same factory from before? he thought, If so, I have to change my image and prove it then....

Loony took a deep breath, glancing back again before replying, "You haven't heard the full story, and you aren't likely to. I don't need to justify my actions."

"'Forgive you.'" Hellena repeated dryly, drawing closer. She tried to hide the concern on her voice, and despite her anger and resentment towards the frustrating dream entity, she was thankful that he sticking close to Grey. "You make i-it sound like y-you stand a chance. Wh-what do you... you think you are? Some great arbiter for j-justice?"

Patriatic turned to Hellena, "...Yes..." he replied before turning back to Loony, I can't take this kinda pressure, I must confess one more dusty road Would be just a road too long. Worthless...I just can't, I just can't I just can't seem to get started! Don't have the heart to live in the fast lane All that has passed and gone. he thought.

Raptor lead the way, but was still being escorted by the dark armored guard behind her. The guard had been deep in thought about both memories and Raptor's condition, I didn't think they had that kind of tech. Detaching emotion itself. Why did they do that? What could it possible be used for? He ran through many outcomes over most of the ponies he was acquainted with. None of them seemed to benefit anypony at all, at least not under the same circumstances Raptor was subjected to.

He looked back to Red who was riding on his back gazing up to Cloudsdale, "When your wings heal, I suggest going back up there. It has been noted to be the safest place in these times," he said as they came into a clearing where the side by side fighting was going on. He stopped at the tree line, but Raptor walked on pretty much not taking notice of the event, or she just didn't care.

Red nodded, "Sounds good sir, and when this, if it does, blow over, I will not try to kill you any more," he replied sleepily.

Loony cocked his head on his side, watching with a raised eyebrow. Grey groaned, drawing the dream's attention before he could reply.

Hh, I wonder... he thought.

Hellena snorted, or at least attempted to without it turning into a wet cough. "Whatever y-you say."

Patriatic stepped forward to Loony only five feet away, "Listen, take this chance now, and you shall look back on this day with NO regrets." he proclaimed, Worthless! And there ain't nothing you can do about it...Worthless! Pardon me while I panic! Worthless! Worthless! Worthless! Patriatic continued to think.

Loony watched Patriatic closely, before turning to stare out in the forest. "Hh. Not possible."

Huh... oh, Loony's eyes widened slightly, feeling the presense of several ponies' magic within the trees, What- hm, who- Is that? Ah! It's gone.

"Not possible? I have forever lived my life taking wrath on ponies and now see my errors. I have mutilated Prince Blueblood and now regret it. I shall still reach Rarity, but I shall help reform you!" he continued, I come from KC Missouri, and I got my kicks out on Route 66 every truck stop from Butte to MO, Motown to Old Alabama From Texarkana and east of Savannah From Tampa to old Kokomo, Worthless...I once ran the Indy 500 I must confess I'm impressed how I did and I wonder how close that I came. Now I get a sinking sensation, I was the top of the line; out of sight, out of mind, so much for fortune and fame Patriatic continued to think.

"'Forever lived.'" Loony repeated dryly, flicking an ear, though he was still staring into the forest. "I've lived forever, in terms of Equestria. A generation or two of pent up anger means nothing in the long run. I watched Princess Luna fall, along with my sister species. Who was there whe-" he cut himself off, shaking his head bitterly. "No, I speak out of turn."

Hellena winced at the mere feeling of his anger and sadness for events long past, long forgotten by history. A long forgotten event that very, very few still knew about, a fact the dream was aware of. The feeling was fleeting, gone as soon as it came.

"Well, this has been... fun," Loony finally spoke up again, reverting back into mist, "but unnecessary. I don't want my charge and her... friend... to die. Goodbye."

Ash took another minute to stand up from the dirt. He didn't walk anywhere, Raptor... She's.... Different... Sheppard? Hey, Fire guy? his mind called out for his personal semi-spiritual being. He hadn't thought about Loony being able to sense the Sheppard, and was now regretting the call.

Despite the local call, a spout of fire burst from the ground in front of him. The fire subsided to form the fire entity, "His record seems rather clean as compared to the more recent events. Not a threat to us anytime soon anyway." he was now in full form. He turned toward the commotion relatively close to where Raptor and the two pegasi had left, it was Loony, What is he doing now? he questioned before turning back to Ash, "We need to get out of these trees, can't risk setting the rest of them on fire."

Loony's ethereal form flicked, the dream hovering a few feet off of the ground, drawing closer to Ash's hiding spot warily. There it was again, stronger now, and with it a sense of... familiarity. The dream didn’t understand how or why, but the feeling was there, but not there at the same time. Had his mistress encountered it before, was that why? It just felt so wrong to him. Sense and urgency prioritised over curiosity, and Loony backed up.

He could hear Grey's laboured breathing. Each moment wasted added to that little countdown clock. If he had real hooves, he would've kicked himself for not making haste. Even Hellena was straining. That tree did something to her internally, and the mare was either too proud or stupid to say what.

They weren’t ready to join the rest of their team. Not yet.

The pair had wasted so much time, enough to make the dream wonder why pragmatic Grey, of all ponies, would let it go on for so long. Maybe Loony wasn’t a wishgranter, but the last of the Badlands mercenaries deserved that much.

The pink-gold mist streaked forwards, grabbing both Grey and Hellena within his barely corporeal grip. Even through this contact, he could feel the pegasus’ life waning. He was barely conscious.

"Hold on tight," he warned Hellena quietly, "This will be a rocky ride."

And he teleported, dragging the two mercenaries along with him.

Red looked at the guard, "Who's 'The Sheppard?' And what does he know about the factory or anything that don't?" he asked.

---

Once took a texan to a wedding, once took a texan to a wedding, he kept forgetting, his loneliness letting his thoughts turn to home aand we turned. Patriatic thought as he slumped down on his hind legs, "...I'm...sorry..." was all he said.

The trio reappeared somewhere to the northwest, in a flash of red magic.

Hellena's first impression was that it was dark. Once the lingering light from the teleportation spell faded, along with the ambient light that Loony gave off as he left the room, the firebug could hardly see any details of where they were. She was aware of the smell of blood, both her own and Grey's. The latter groaned, shifting.

A flicker of her horn later, and Hellena observed the room they were in. A few beds were scattered about. A pile of toys lined one wall, and countless stacks of books and papers against the other. The whole room had an air of disuse, as if no one had been present for at least a few months. She couldn't see anything of what was out the single window, though. The place as a whole looked to be a perfect representation of Loony himself.

Grey was repeating something under his ragged breath.

"Lumi..." his voice was barely audible. "Lumi..."

Patriatic's horn glowed again as he tried to decipher there location, "Come on...it's a filly's playroom I can tell, but yet I keep hearing 'Lumi' over and over at the same time, like a ghost mutters it non-stop...wait! That's Grey's voice!" I took a man to a graveyard, I beg your pardon, it's quite hard enough just living with the stuff I have learned. Worthless! his mind screeched.
'

Jed's sword hit the ground and he bent his knees to absorb the impact of the fall. He turned his head towards S to see the weapons heading his way. Jedidiah quickly lifted his blade and leaped back away from Side Swipe as the magic weapons neared him.

They slammed against the blade which guarded his face as well as his armor knocking him back almost to the ground. He landed heavily barely catching himself. One of the weapons had knocked his blade back causing it to nick his forehead. Blood dripped down his face. Sharpening of the blade was truly a double edged sword. Where as he was used to a more used blade back when he had no time to sharpen it.

'I...I don't know what to do' Jed thought in panic. It had been so long since there was not a clear answer. He stood up straight and sheathed his blade. Jed then held out his hoof and in a clear voice asked "may I please have the orb?" Worth a shot right?

---

Seeing Sic hit the ground Dusty seized the opportunity and leaped towards his throat with the hidden blade only to meet a back hoof to the face. Sicolus was up again as Dusten stumbled. He quickly put the flailing pony on the ground with several strikes.

Sicolus turned his head towards Barkis "I could kill you with a thought" he said sneering "but if you want to play by all means please join the game."

"Very well then," Barkis proclaimed, "maybe afterwards, I may be able to convince you stop you're deluded hegemony. But enough said, let us begin!"

S was standing calmly on the grass looking at Jed, "You still haven't told me what you want it for. Do you even known what it does, or even how to operate it?" He made the orb hover next to his ear where he flicked his ear back, for the sphere was barely brushing his ease fur.

Raptor walked only a few meters behind S as she was just crossing the clearing, but was stopped by a semi-cheery voice, "Raptor dear," it was S1D3 calling back to her, "How has the doctor been?"

The guard stopped, "Who? Who said anything about a Sheppard?" He asked looking over his shoulder to Red.

"I did." Red replied, "I mentioned The Sheppard. Are you his friend?"

"It doesn't matter if I know how to operate it" Jed said "I know somepony who does, and well you could say I am a friend of a friend of that orb. So if you would be so polite as to let me see it."

---

"Well come on then, don't be shy" Sicolus poked "If you want to fight go ahead and jump on in, don't expect me to go on the offensive against TWO ponies. That would just be unfair, I mean then you would have no chance of survival." "you sure are cocky" Dusty said picking himself slowly back up. "oh trust you me, it is well earned" Sicolus replied.

"Well I was just wondering why you would just bring something up like somepony had just mentioned it," he knew verywell who he was talking about, but how did he come to know that name. The guard had made a few steps out toward Raptor while he thought.

Barkis cocked his head back and avoided trying to show any fear, "Who said I wanted to survive? If I die, that's cool, just let him (Dusten) live in the end. And hopefully, you Sic, may change." he stated.

---

"I heard you or somepony speaking of him...so I thought I'd get the answer from the source, just so happens, you're the source guard," Red explained, "also, when I heal, I'm not going back to Cloudsdale."

Loony returned a few minutes later, carrying a few things in his magic. A pile of fresh bandages, a lit lamp, a small tub of what Hellena assumed to be medicinal cream, and a needle and thread.

Depositing his load on a table gently, Loony slowly carried the rambling pegasus to a bed, laying him down a bit roughly, though careful not to aggravate any wounds. He seemed to flare up a bit, trying to push he dream away, but quickly fell both silent and still.

"What-?"

"I create and maintain dreams," Loony stated, "and have done so for the last couple of millennia. Is it so implausible that I have a sleep spell or two up my sleeve?"