darkSpyro

"Call us what you like, but will live longer. No amount of words will open this door." Clayton replied.

Colton turned to his sword, "Rainbow Factory... They don't kill ponies... They are occupational hazards. I've been there myself. I see the machines they work,"

"Not now Colton." Clayton stopped him, "We only have our weapons... No others. We are safe because we are smart, and watch each other's flanks. You will not be getting anything from us, unless you want some... thing... to... through." he slowed down as a thought came to his mind, "Well... I could make some clay daggers or even wooden one from the tables."

"We have no way to melt mettal here, it's all in my shop in Cloudsdale." Colton added.

Hellena crept closer, ears pricked up with interest. Pain and fear. Two feelings she always tried to get out of the ones she hated. Pain was easy. But fear, true fear, was so much harder to get, so much more satisfying.
Dreams of cruelty, as it always was, she thought to herself. Always will be. Even my own allies fear me and what I would do. But it doesn't matter anymore.
"I'm falling apart." she murmured quietly. "But I will stay myself until the end."

"Me me me, how typical a thought process" sicolus murmured to himself. 'If I only thought of myself they would be dead right now' then he heard what colton said. "HA, occupational hazard? I come from the factory they kidnapped when I was 8. I used to have a bright red coat,n blonde mane, and green eyes. They put my on the incinerator and my coat was dyed black with dead ponies, I got into so many fights my mane was dyed red with BLOOD, I have been experimented on so much they even changed my eye color. Where do you think I got these scars? Do you ever wonder where rainbows come from? Ponies, your coats have all the colors the factory needs. And when they take it from you they cut you open with this machine and drain the color leaving nothing left but a grey dead pony. But the factory doesn't stop there, they also experiment on live ponies. Where do you think you get all your medicine? I have been stuck there all my life and this is my first chance at freedom. And guess where I'm going after slendermane is gone, back to the factory to rot out the rest of my days in a cell. And yet I'm trying to help everypony here, what happened? I was always the evil one, I thought 'the factory drained my emotions, now all I am is a cold-blooded killer' but I guess its better than being a coward. How long do you really think you are going to live? We all have an expiration date stamped on our hooves, life is not measured in quantity, but quality. If you just sit back your just as bad as slendermane, how many ponies have died already? How many children enslaved as maskies? And yet you still sit in your house and cower. I don't want anything from you. I would rather fight with nothing than weapons made by rats."

Hellena froze, her eyes widened in slight surprise.

---

"Where's Azura?" the heavily bandaged filly asked, orange eyes shining with an unfamiliar coldness. "I would've thought she'd be here. Part of the welcoming committee, hmm?"
"Sh-she went for her flight test a few weeks ago." Storm stuttered, unnerved by his friend's appearance and the subtle hatred in her voice. Both the pegasus filly and himself had suffered a few injuries from the accident, but nowhere near the scale of what happened to Hellena. "In Cloudsdale. She said she'd be a few days, but none of us had seen her since." The other foals present murmured in agreement, a few of them with fear in their eyes. Hellena just grunted apathetically.

---

"So that must have been what happened." she said to herself, eyebrows raised. She wandered over to the two stallions, not caring about stealth anymore. "Hey, arsonist amateur. You ever met a pegasus filly by the name of Azura Australis, at the Factory? Apparently she went for her flight test a few weeks before I escaped hospital, and no one has seen her since." She thought for a moment. "No. You look a bit too young. This happened forty years ago, I think that's before your time."

"Arsonist amateur? I don't know maybe, a lot of ponies go through there. Azura Australis?" sicolus thought back "about how long ago was this and what color was she?"

"Forty years ago, and she was white with a blue and purple mane." Hellena said quickly. "Before your time, I think. But it seems likely."

Steel jumped at the appearance of Hellena, having not expected another pony. Things were getting out of hoof. It made Steel ancy. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Evil factory, hiding from monsters, and all that crap. Has everypony realized that Celestia plans to 'sterilize' the area if we don't take care of our little problem?" He brought his hooves together. "Little bomb..." He spread them. "Big bang. I helped create it, and its sitting in Cloudsdale, ready for deployment."

"It's more important than that. What the sun princess wants is none of my concern. I have places to be, plans to carry out, murders to commit." Hellena paused. "Hmm. I wonder... No, doesn't matter now."

"It's a little difficult to go anywhere or kill anypony when you're a little irradiated pile of ash." He ran his hoof through his spiny mane. "Everything within this bubble will be obliterated. Completely, utterly, obliterated." Steel snatched another glance at Sicolus.

"Ouch. I'll have to do something about it, don't I?" Hellena giggled. "I would be very, very afraid if I were you. Ever heard of Teufort? Quite a reputation there."

"Never been there. They haven't let me out of medical since my assignment in Marelaysia." He ran through his mane again. "Fresh air is nice, even if it kinda smells smoky." Steel scratched the back of his neck with his hoof. "I should be afraid because...?"

"Oh great everypony has had adventures except me, I'm gonna kill Gulaven when I get the chance" sicolus said mostly to himself "Ya your friend is dead, I almost have no doubts but I doubt everything. I'm actually the oldest 'guest' at the factory. Well I've lived there the longest. The average lifespan for our new subjects are usually a week to a year, of course sometimes they keep you for work. I think they keep me for mental examination and situations like this". Sicolus looked around "level it all huh? That's everypony's problem, well not mine. To me that's more like liberation. Well I guess if we don't have long to live we might as well enjoy it." He pulled out a makeshift glass knife "let's go skin us a phantasm."

The firebug shrugged. "Oh well. What's done is done, no point thinking otherwise." She turned back to Steel. "Hmm, Teufort is a secretive little place and the ponies there rarely leave. Anyway," Her charred horn flickered. "They didn't call me the Pyro for nothing."

Sicolus pulled out the blade from his mane and threw into the ground in front of hellena. He looked up and smiled "care to join? Its more fun to die killing slendermane than to sit in a corner and wait."

"I'm staying neutral, for time being." Hellena said, ignoring the knife. "I'll side with whatever benefits me more, and I'll adjust things for my own gain. Maybe I'll become the third team in this game of capture the flag. I even fear the clichéd outcome. Evil has won before, in my case. But even then, I manipulated what I could to my use." Hellena giggled, though there was something else underneath her cheery tones.

Sicolus looked a little hurt "of course no one wants to play games with the psycho". *Tick Tock* his started pounding with every beat *Tick Tock* 'times up' *Tick Tock* 'games over' *Tick Tock* Sicolus grabbed his head in pain *Tick Tock* 'your freedom is gone' *Tick Tock* "SHUT UP!" He yelled *Tick Tock* 'no one to help you' *Tick Tock* 'you will rot away' *Tick Tock* the clock was excruciating inside his head *Tick Tock* every beat made him want to vomit *Tick Tock* 'you where weak' *Tick Tock* 'allowing yourself to be defeated twice' *Tick Tock* 'and now you will be tooken awy' *Tick Tock* 'and you will have no other chance' *Tick Tock, Tick Tock*

"I'm already playing a game. How long does one last until they're eaten away by an evil they've tried to destroy?" Hellena cocked her head, watching Sicolus. "Mm. The voices in our heads are stronger than we think. Mine's sentient."

Sicolus looked around eyes wide *Tick Tock* he saw their mouths but heard nothing *Tick Tock* in fact he couldn't hear anything over the blasted clock *Tick Tock* he grew angrier and more despaired *Tick Tock* he looked around for a solution but found none *Tick Tock* 'that always announcing the time always telling me its almost over' Sicolus thought *Tick Tock* he didn't even like the ponies here *Tick Tock* in fact the white one kind of annoyed him *Tick Tock* always talking about how you can't change who you are *Tick Tock* always coming up with an excuse *Tick Tock* "JUST SHUT UP!" Sicolus screamed as he reached for the knife and dove forward at Hellena *Tick Tock*

Hellena cried out in surprise and anger, horn blazing up with her fire magic.
"Argh!" she screeched, feeling the painful sting and familiar trickle of blood running down her cheek. "You want me to shut up? FINE!" She struck out, flames curling around her frail body.

---

Loony flinched, having listened to the conversation outside.
"She's probably going to set the building on fire." he said quietly, his round face uncharacteristically pale.

Sicolus smiled as he hit his mark. The ticking became more of a rhythmic beat than a headache as bloodlust took over. He laughed madly as the flames burnt his hoof. He rolled out of the way and came back this time aiming for the throat.

Hellena crouched low, teeth bared in anger.
Perhaps now is the time? a voice echoed in her mind, chuckling. You keep pushing me back. But I've waited long enough, Hellena.
"So have I, Brother." Hellena whispered. "Do what you want, but I'm not ready yet." The firebug cried out in pain as she felt the presence emerge from the dark recesses of her mind.
Of course, little Hellena. We wouldn't want precious Angelheart to leave you now, now wouldn't we? Hellena screeched in anger, striking forwards.

OOC: Cue boss battle.

Sicolus hit the ground with a hard thud 'good going genius, charge the aged fighter. Did you even learn anything in the factory' sicolus thought. He stood back up 'she is just as torn up on the inside as I am' he thought. His horn began to glow and the windows around them broke. The shards floated around them "DIE WITH ME" sicolus said and then began laughing. The shards of glass thrusted forward and the clock began to fade as they moved quickly to embed themselves into both ponies.

Hellena recoiled, crying out in pain. "You- You dare think I'll go down that easy?" she demanded, mouth curled in an insane grin. The real Hellena hardly knew what was going on anymore "You ignorant foal. So many years I've waited! And to be brought down by the common unicorn? HA!"

Sicolus felt the blood running down his body and the glass in his skin. A sick smile spread across his face he replied "trust me, I'm not an average unicorn". His horn began to glow again as the glass began to exit his body and fly towards Hellena.

"I'm sure you aren't." the dark spirit hardly reacted, though her grin grew wider. "The more it hurts, the stronger it is, didn't you know? That's how counter-magic works." The unicorn's orange glow was almost a blinding white. "So much you can learn in centuries of solitude. So, yeah. Goodbye." The Brother released the magic, the smirk visible on her face.

Sicolus zig-zagged forward quickly weaving a spell he jumped high over Hellena smashing his front right hoof into the of her head. He hit the ground and tumbled. Tasting dirt he stood back up "ya I know about solitude. I also know the insane routine we go through. Trying to build up your life only to lose yourself and then everything around you, but that's life, that's the game. It would be boring if everything where perfect. Oh and counter-magic or no counter-magic itdoesnt matter when you bleed out. Those gashes are physical wounds. Pretty soon you and me will start getting woozy, then you pass out, then you die. And the more you fight the faster blood pumps, the faster your blood pumps the faster it all occurs."

"I unde-underestimated you." Hellena said weakly, still with the hint of a smile upon her face. She released a hacking cough, a mixture of dirty from her head impacting on the ground and blood. "But I found myself at a disadvantage, now haven't I? Call me a coward, but ambush and... and hit-and-run are my specialties." She attempted to pick herself up, wincing with a hiss as she put weight on her front left leg.

Steel had hardly moved a muscle as the two unicorns fought. The pegasus was a little closer, having had to dodge a bit of glass, and looked...different. His normally slicked-back spiny mane was hanging in his eyes, hiding them. The disturbing thing, however, was the almost literally ear-to-ear toothy grin seamed into his face.

Pepperwing peered through Zecora's window. "There's nopony home. Its completely dark in side..."

"What are y-you grinning at?" Hellena asked, picking out a large bit of glass that was embedded in her shoulder. Her horn flickered feebly, a small crack present around the tip. The unicorn felt that it was there, but didn't care much. She was much more concerned about the two psychos.

I begin to worry. The fear is evident on my face as I gaze around for signs of where my sister may have gone. Then I turn to Pepperwing.

"We've got to find her and the three of us have got to stick together. Slendermane will pick off any stragglers and all he needs is two unicorns and, I gulp fearfully worried about my sister, a zebra, I say worriedly. Come on we've got to find her before Slendermane does."

Sicolus was a little disappointed. He wanted to continue facing the dark spirit, his plan had only just begun. "Who me? A measly little unicorn. Untrained and terribly under nourished. How quickly you fall." As he spoke his horn glew as he prepared another spell. The knock on the head shouldn't have done much damage, but it might have been enough to spoil the entire trick. "If you have really waited this long to get out, surely you won't be stopped by a CHILD!"

"I haven't fallen yet, child." Hellena wheezed, straightening slightly. "I can- I can still fight. Just you watch! Just... just you..." The half-posessed firebug trailed off into a hacking cough, blood splattering onto the ground.
Oh god... she thought, somewhat sickened. Oh god oh god oh god...

OOC: I guess the Brother counts as his own character now. Maybe he'll appear in a corporeal form later idk.
Name: Artico Boreal (More commonly referred to by his title of The Brother)
Gender: Male
Age: Several centuries, with the mentality of a young adult.
Species: Formerly Icewing Pegasus (An arctic species that can manipulate solar winds and icy air.)
Appearance: Physically midnight blue with a black mane and tail, with the tips of his large wings fading to royal purple. His eyes are icy blue.
Personality: Rather snide and cunning, usually making sarcastic remarks. Considers himself to be the most evil thing to have stalked Equestria for the past few centuries, though it was mainly his little sisters doing the curse's work. Quite intelligent, having read up on unicorn magic and spells should he 'need it'.
Special Traits/Abilities: One of the few types of pegasi to be able to fly in the arctic/antarctic skies, though he's never been to either pole.
Other: Once had four little sisters, quadruples. An earth pony named Terra, a unicorn named Flora, a pegasus named Aqua, and a fellow icewing named Aura. While the sisters spread a spell of corruption as they played together, Artico became their guardian, nonexistent to the fillies. Loneliness eventually drove him mad, and years later became sane again.

'Dang, not gonna get enough time and I'm almost out of power' sicolus thought to himself 'ok perhaps I can extract the dark spirit into myself and then stop my heart beat and it will die with the host. Only problem is if I can't hold back the influence it will all be pointless. Of course I'm a lot worse off physically than hellena, surely if he gets stuck in me then they will be able to stop him. So I guess its worth a shot, I just gotta keep him talking a little longer'. "You know I was neve good at magic, how is everypony dieing and yet not staying dead? Its not natural, your time has come die already."

OOC:...

Colton stood up hearing all that Hellena has said, "Well I'm done." he ran over to the door to unlock and open it. Pulling his sword out, "Ok guys lets do this." he jumped up over all the glass shards to glide over to the unicorns. Quickly dropping down between them, he rapidly swung bid blade left and right to try and separate the two.

Clayton was frustrated that Sicolus had destroyed his windows, "This... is... OUTRAGEOUS!!" stepped over to a broken window that was boarded by tables, and bucked one of the desks out toward the others.

Hellena drew back painfully, waiting until she had stopped coughing. "O-oh... This is- this is your house, is it? Well then. Now you know the pre-precious firebug's little secret, don't you? She's a ra-raving lunatic with a ghost in her.
"A ghost that can come out whenever he likes." The spirit aimed the last sentense rather pointedly at Sicolus.

That idiot is going to ruin everything, but then again he may be just the distraction I need sicolus thought to himself 'oh great on top of that I also have to make a binding spell, I won't have to stop my heart the exhaustion will kill me.' "It must be hard fighting considering she has such a strong sense of survival. You would probably have more motion if it where just you" sicolus said 'if I'm correct he might believe that my mind is weaker and the lack of a will to survive willmake me a more suitable host. Then again it really doesn't matter at this point I'm finished'. Sicolus ran forward clearing colton and slamming his horn right into Hellena's. He cringed and backed up a thread of black connecting them as he tried to pull the spirit into his own body.

"You can't make me kill you." the Brother said quietly, drawing away. "I can see memories. Remind you of feelings of pain and regret. But you can't make me kill you. The break is far more enjoyable than the kill."
"I have... I took this thing in... to save my team mates." Hellena stuttered, limping back. Her horn was flickering, trying to repel Sicolus' spell. "I try not... try not to think about what he does. But... You! You selfish little prick... Y-you dare throw yourself in my way, take what is not yours to take...? I will- I will kill you myself, and I don't need help- help from a little icewing. Someday... When I burn Ponyville to the ground... And return to Teufort..."
"Yes, and then you'll attack your little friend, now wouldn't you Hellena? I forgot his name."
"No... No I-you won't..."

'Great now they are arguing over whether to kill me or not' sicolus thought "none of that matters at this rate we are both running out of energy too fast, not to mention the blood loss, we will both die over something stupid. The only difference is that I don't mind and you do." Sicolus cringed a little 'just got to hold out a little longer, if I can lift this burden it might help things, or you know be completely pointless. But that's the game.'

"Sicolus." Steel said, slicking his mane back with his hoof. His face was once again friendly, although worried. "Sicolus, that's enough. We've deviated far enough from our task at hoof."

"I would thank you to stop." the ghost said calmly. "I have a personal vendetta against the pony who killed my sisters. But we both agree that you should die. Just I won't do it to you directly. The engineer, on the other hoof-"
"I would thank everyone... to butt out of my business." Hellena interrupted angrily. "To make things clear... Black unicorn, I'll kill you eventually. Creepy pegasus, have fun with your jobs... Other pegasus, we'll talk... talk later. Everyone got this?" She picked out a piece of glass that was embedded in her side, tossing it aside.

"NO!" Sicolus said with a mad smile "its not over till I take my last breathe". He opened his hoof blade and kicked at Hellena's face trying to distract them from the task at hand.

Steel caught Sicolus' hoof with his own and twisted behind the unicorn's back. The pegasus then stomped on his back, flattening him on the ground. "Enough, Sicolus! I'd like to keep you breathing, thank you very much!" He kept his weight on the unicorn. "There's already a murderous freak running around, and we have to stop it."

OOC:....

Colton too walked over, only to be stopped by his brother. Pushing him back, Clayton walked up to the unicorns, "Which one of you broke my windows?" he stamped hard on the ground, "You've awoken something you do not want to see, and I will get repaid for all the damages." he looked at Sicolis, if I remember right, you were closest to my store when it all shattered," he leaned in closer ignoring the pony atop him, "You have the least cuts, so I'm guessing it was you. Do you have the bits to fix all this?" he pointed to the windowless clay shop.

"No offense, fellow pegasus, but you are interfering with a military policing action." Steel adjusted Sicolus's hoof. "You'll be compensated in due time."

OOC: Anything you wish to say, SpyroD?

Sicolus quickly rolled out of the lock, one he had experienced many times via guards, he stumbled and fell on the ground only a few feet away. 'Well I'm still alive, like that's a good thing' he thought to himself. He then adjusted himself to face his 'audience'. "This isn't necessarily me being pointless. In order to defeat slendermane we need to cast out our inner demons. Have you no faith in me? Did you think I was going to lay down and die? Even if this body became lifeless I would have been with you. Not in your heart but in your head, I'm that little rift of insanity in everyone's mind. I'm that thing that helps you walk across a line you wouldn't cross, because sometimes to survive you have to put your life on the line". He remembered his plan. When he had hit Hellena over the head he had planted a receiver for his conscious when he died. This would allow him to be a voice in her head and he could later spread to others. He could then fight slender on his own plane, the mind. Of course with enough power he could revive and return to his own body, but one step at a time. "What angers me is all your ignorance. Here I am fighting for a place that is not my home, when all its going to get me is a concrete bed in the factory or a wooden box six feet down. You aren't even worth fighting for. You are all greedy and cowardice. And here I fight for you. You fear dying by the hands of slendermane but yet..." he pulled a piece of glass from his shoulder "this will be all that's left if we don't fight."

Clayton nodded to Steel respectively, "As long as I have your word on it," he then turned to the wounded unicorn who had just spoken, "You think I don't fight? You really think I don't do what it takes to survive? Do you even know why I am who I am? No you don't. And you think you're so special because you've been in rough places, and that you are from a place of such inexistence that you actually believe killing is all you know. Nopony here is special, otherwise they would not be here!"

"Clayton," Colton stepped in, "The things he says... it's true. About the Rainbow Factory or Cloudsdale Weather Corp., all of it. I've been there, I refuse orders if I don't know what they are intended for. Yes they are used for bad things sometimes, but I do not make the parts needed for the color extractors. I only make the armor and weapons, where they get the other stuff they will not say." and turning to Sicolus, "I am sorry you were unfortunate to have my things used against you, but I cannot stop them from using what I've already sold them."
--
Raptor took slow steps back, "If you want to stay safe, you need to find a place to hide. A place that no other pony can reach or get into. As for slender, you just need to die so we can all live normally." she felt like the last part wasn't necessary, but she usually speaks her mind.

"Oh please don't give me that sympathy crap. I was just trying to get you outside earlier and as for coming from rougher places. Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining I just love to tell stories and I'm trying to make a point" sicolus looked around and smiled "now that we are all here let's go kill slendy" he paused "but can I get some medical aid first I think I scraped my knee."

Colton could not hold back a laugh, and dropped to the ground next to his sword. He was laughing quite hard, making his eyes water at the same time. Clayton just looked at Sicolus with a glare, "No medical attention cam have you ready for another fight for a few days, even then you would still be weak. You should pick your battles more carefully and stop being so foolish in the ones you have. Seriously breaking glass and trying to kill yourself with voodoo, those are not ways to win a fight, only damaging you chances of survival severely," he looked at Steel again, "And I will not attempt such medical proceedings without being assured you will be watched and kept from waiting my time and supplies." his voice was more directed for Sicolus, but was also intending Steel to understand how serious he was. Knowing Sicolus's form of fighting makes it least likely he will want to help, especially if he will end up the same way. Last time Slendermane got away, and seemed to heel rapidly, leaving Sicolus a bloody mess on the road.

Colton pulled himself together as he listened to his brother's words and stood up, "Ok, I think I'm good now. Haven't had a good laugh for a while," he was breathing deeply with a smile while wiping his face of dirt and moisture.

"Hey in my defence I wasn't necessarily in the right mind just a second ago. And I will be fine with not being a hundred percent. And I didn't really ever plan on surviving, just wrap me up and send my on my way" sicolus said "and as for slendermane, I was more effective than you where".

"Okay!" Steel said, clapping his hooves together. "Now that everypony is on the same page, or close enough to it, lets get Sicolus and our matchstick friend some band-aids." He pulled Colton to the side. "You're the Cloudsdale smithy, Colton aren't you?" He whispered. "You make some fine things. Good work keeping your trap shut about the Factory too."

"I don't know this forest." Pepperwing said, taking in her surroundings. "If we track her, I still need your help. If you're strong enough "