darkSpyro

"Mixed up? I ensure you that my memory is right, he was once or still is one correct?" he asked Hellena

"No." Grey shifted, stretching out his left wing muscles. "I wouldn't risk my reputation by acting unprofessional. Hh, so what do you want?"

"Just your assistance really. I'm here to see if you're willing to help survive this apocalypse in return for my undying loyalty," Patriatic answered

"undying loyalty?" Jed spoke up "I doubt that, you will probably just use them and leave them when you get the chance." He took a couple of steps towards Patriatic. "Don't get me wrong I am willing to help out anypony" Jedidiah clarified "but you smell like a rat" he said making clear his distrust.

Dusten turned towards the uninvited guest. 'He just walks up and starts talking to them' he grimaced 'in a grave yard, I don't like this'. He turned to the chest. 'They are mercs' he thought 'if he has any intention of getting this, me and Jed are outnumbered 3 to 2 not to mention I am hardly standing right now. I hate to admit it but I may have to use it, for now I will just put it in my vest and put the chest in my saddle bag. If it comes down to it I have an ace in the hole'.

Dusty reached for the key in his vest. A shock pierced his body and drops of blood flew past his vision. He hit the ground dropping the chest as well. He realized the pain was coming from his arm. He checked the wound to discover an arrow, his arrow stuck in his shoulder and coming out the other side.

The nurse who was quiet up until this moment dropped the crossbow and quickly swiped the chest up running towards the woods. This infuriated Dusten "GET BACK HERE YOU BI-AAAAAGH" he had shifted the arrow in his arm in an attempt to pull it out.

---

Why am I so small? So weak? Why do others suffer under the hooves of the strong? It's not right. I want to be stronger so that maybe one day I could remove this tyranny that haunts this land. I want to be stronger, I want to be a warrior.

---

"Not necessarily, if we could break the mane six then the elements would not be far behind" Sicolus explained "All we would need then would be corrupt alicorn magic and that is in the amulet. With the most powerful weapon in Equestria at our side, corrupted and harmful we could cause mass destruction on a global scale. But I don't want to stop there S, I am talking slavery, an empire. I know it is not ususally my thing, but send some to the torture chamber for entertainment, and make the others build."

"First this world then the next and the next and then we open a worm hole to a new dimension. Once the Elements of Harmony fall I am expecting a visit. I am going to need you in the tech department S1D3. I'm not one for conquest but I will turn this world into the center of hell!"

---

"have you seen my daddy?" the filly asked. "He's not coming back is he?" she looked down mournfully "mommy didn't come back either."

"You want my assistance?" Grey shook his head. "If you hadn't noticed, kid, I can't exactly see what you'd want from me, if you catch my drift."

Hellena took a moment to react, head shooting between Dusty and the nurse. Limping forward as fast as she could, the mare's horn was faster, gleaming a brilliant orange as it shot forth a flaming torrent towards the treeline.

"Hhh hhh... ha, haha... Effective, I'll admit." she glanced back. "You doin' alright, stranger?"

---

"I- I don't know." Argaent replied after a moment, frowning wearily. "...Look, I'm sorry, I haven't seen anyone since Canterlot." he paused, chewing his lip for a few moments. "Should we- should we go look for your dad?"

Barkis heard S and decided that as for now it didn't matter, he decided to find the night guards S had promised would accompany him.

---

Patriatic turned to see the tree and chuckled, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you are asking for a fight to prove myself," he said with his horn glowing a deep mahogany approaching Hellena.

"What? No!" Hellena said, exasperated. The unicorn was still hobbling along as fast as she could, wincing at the pain put on her right forehoof, silently lamenting that she hadn't given herself time to rest it. "Do you not see-? Agh, do what you want."

"You mean hurt you now? I'm not interested in assaulting whomever I desire," he said with his horn glowing less, "I just need to speak to Grey,"

"Fire away, then." Grey hadn't moved. Having little knowledge in conventional medicine, and not really sure what had just happened, he had no reason to.

Patriatic walked towards Grey and sat down in front of him, "I'm here because I heard you were a great merc, but with your injury this may be a problem," he said

"Uhhuh, you don't say." Grey replied coldly, backing up with his head held high. "Times change. You're kidding yourself if you think I can help with anything. Besides," he scratched at the ground, expression tightening. "what would you even want? Someone killed?"

"No, just protection in return for me being by your side until you decide I'm not needed anymore," he continued

"Heh, I don't offer services as a personal bodyguard at the best of times. I made one exception, and even then, I wasn't alone in that department. Besides," Grey flared out his large wings, flexing the appendages carefully. Maybe he wouldn't risk using them, not yet, but it was nice to just get the hang of it again. "We share a personal policy of one job at a time. We're busy."

"Then perhaps," said Patriatic, "there is something I may be able to do to get your help? Anything at all will do, even assault,"

Ooc:
Sorry, I wasn't really fully awake; it's fixed nowQuote: SandmanOfTexas

ooc:jet-vac6000 please delete either your first or second post. It is not proper RP etiquette to post more than once in a row. Also you set your characters gender to male but you use she and her to describe said character. Please fix this to clear the confusion.

Meanwhile, Proditora moves swiftly through the Everfree forest. She hastily makes her way over branches and roots. She moves silently, leaving no trace...

And if assault won't do it for him, Patriatic thought to himself, maybe a siege with one of his non-injured friends shall do,

"..." Grey remained silent for a moment, his expression creasing. "No. The ponies that did this to us are dead. She made sure of that." He pointed in his companion's general direction. "Sorry, kid. I'd rather risk my life on my own mistakes then what you're trying to coerce me into doing."

Patriatic looked calm, "Very well, but before I go, are you acquainted with a pony named Arlon?" he asked

"We've met." Grey replied coldly, a little too quickly to have been entirely truthful with the statement. The question had caught him off guard. His wings quivered, but it wasn't anger that fuelled his emotions. Not entirely, anyway. "He tried to have me killed. Why?"

"I may know where he is going," he said almost smiling

S looked at the orb now, made a quick shrug and sent it flying somewhere out away from the building behind them, "Oh wow! That's boring," he stated walking out toward the trees, "But... there really isn't anything better to do now is there?" he sat looking up a tree with either amazement or wonder, "So... someponies out there have mentioned my place of birth a few times. Like all who have been there, you must feel it too. The tug at ones heart," he placed his left hoof over his chest, "But... mine... isn't real. It was created by a machine."

--

The guard looked back down on Red, "Well you haven't harmed either of us yet, so I really have no reason to say you are in danger," he put his helmet back on after resealing the open port in the back, "As for your current predicament, I only have pain medicine, but even that is in short supply, I had not expected to have to help anypony else," his left wing rose up and pulled the shield off again to lay it down inside up, "Now, what i can do, though it wouldn't really be of any help to my orders or current mission, I can bring you with us so you are not bleeding out here. You never know what or who will come along to finish you off, unless that is something yob want?"

--

Gulaven(forgot about this part the last few posts) followed the outer wall of the factory toward the back side which was considered the eastern wing. His two guards, and Rainbow Dash had followed shortly behind, "I do not expect much from you, but do try not to get killed or otherwise betray us please," Gulaven said with a hint of sarcasm near the end.

Rainbow Dash looked over the side of the clouds along the way, just wondering to herself what al was going on below.

Red tried to get up, though his hinds legs pained, "I was just on a rush to surprise you two...and start seeing if anywhere else beyond the area hasn't gone to hell..." he told him

Grey frowned, folding his wings back along his side. "Uhhuh. Wouldn't think he'd make it so obvious, but alright."

"He said something about looking for somepony missing, the kidnapper, whoever he/she could be didn't come from his past, but that is as far as I know," Patriatic explained

"Great." Grey replied wearily. He doubted the kidnapping theory; Arlon was a politically strong pony with powerful enemies. Mere kidnapping was out of the question for anyone that wanted to screw him over. More likely that ponies would end up dead as a result of bad blood.

OOC: do note the arlon never mentioned anything about kidnapping, and denied it when it was brought up.

---

Luminia's eyebrows raised skeptically. "I'll keep that in mind." she replied dryly, flipping back a lock of red-gold mane.

---

Pharate just shook his head in blind shock, unable to form comprehensible thought in the face of his home being quite violently being torn apart, most of his family wiped out, and the panicking mare opposite him demanding answers, refusing to believe what had just happened, as he expression fell.

"No..." she moaned in disbelief.

Phosphora dove down to the tunnel's entrance, dumping the files down in a spot that wasn't smouldering. She could fill the flames stinging at her hooves, but the pegasus was beyond caring.

It was silent. The only movement was of smoke and fire. There were two changeling corpses by the entranceway, the pair having either suffocated or overcome by burns. Phosphora didn't recognise either of them, not in the state they were in. The surviving changelings fled down to the lake, most of them still screaming.

Phosphora just stood there, dumbfounded. Then came the anger, and the grief, and the yelling.

OCC: Sorry about that

"I can see where you are going here," he commented, "He did seem like a great and seasoned pony of great and promising potential and if he is affiliated with you you all must be strong together,"

"Just earlier you were about to shoot my friend," the guard added as Raptor scoffed at the comment in the background as she hadn't really gotten too far, "If you do not desire her death any longer, I will help you, but if there is any doubt, any off setting disturbance that could either harm kill or any means betray either of us, I will put you down like the sick dog you have already shown us you are," he stepped up and placed a hoof under one of red's front legs, "Lets try and prove me wrong then," he began lifting and pullin Red toward the shield.

--

Gulaven made a quick chuckle of amusement, "Don't be all serious now, just because the world has gone to hell doesn't mean one should loose one's sense of comedy," he slowed down to a point that he was next to Rainbow Dash, "Just gotta have a little fun here and there, add some positive excitement, otherwise you won't get through this with you sanity in tact," he glanced at Dash with a menacing glare. He quickly raised his right front leg up to push Rainbow over the side of the cloud.

Rainbow Dash was taken by shock and was not able to react very quickly. She tumbled through the air toward the ground, but was easily stopped by spreading her wings. Her heat was racing, adrenaline rushed through her, a sense of survival, a need to go fast. She smiled brightly realizing it had been quite a while since she had flown. The wind, the speed, the blur of others as I foy by at speeds unmatchable, her eyes narrowed, lowering her red goggles, and sticking her tongue out to run it over her lips, Time to fly!

"I got rid of my guns..." Red explained while getting up, "also, thank you kind sir,"

"Or a delusional fool who's in way over his head, either works." Grey responded, turning his head away with an uncomfortable huff. Heh. Not even a crowd, and he was getting riled up. Not without good reason, of course. This particular aspect was a sore spot. "...Funny how you should think that, but no. There's no affiliation. There never will be."

Ever again.

"I don't know what exactly you want. Quite frankly, I don't care. But it's best if you forget about him."

---

"I'm sorry. It's hard to stay positive when most of my children are- aheh..." Luminia cut herself off, chewing her lip uncomfortably as she looked away with a slight blush, her eyes watering. "...aren't alive."

It took a while before she sighed, shook her head, and continued in a slightly hurried stutter. "...Th- that... brings me to my original request as to- as to why I came." The pegasus would've hit herself for how high-pitched and weak she sounded, but no matter. "Are they- any, any of them at all... Here...?"

"And why is that?" he asked, "I truly am curious Grey, after all, you had my curiousity and now you have reeled in my attention."

As Barkis went to the night guards, the thought of S gaining his rule came to his mind, with that final command, each and every legion that had gathered around the great hive began to depart, with hellish fury and ravaged hunger burning in their eyes. They flew and crawled in every direction, en route to every land that lay beyond. S and Sic watched this beautiful scene of impending conquest for just a little while longer, before they too spread their great possibly alicorn wings. From their balcony, they would approach their countless minions with the elements of harmony, ready to lead them and their forces to the fields of battle.

Quote: popfizzfan4life

As Barkis went to the night guards, the thought of S gaining his rule came to his mind, with that final command, each and every legion that had gathered around the great hive began to depart, with hellish fury and ravaged hunger burning in their eyes. They flew and crawled in every direction, en route to every land that lay beyond. S and Sic watched this beautiful scene of impending conquest for just a little while longer, before she too spread her great wings. From their balcony, they would approach their countless minions with the elements of harmony, ready to lead them and their forces to the fields of battle.

OOC: whoa bro, he said a few guards, plus you gender bent you character twice in the same sentence... Not only that, but you have posted twice in a row for maybe the third time this RP. Slow down or use the edit option(at the bottom of your own posts).

OCC: Yeah, sorry about that. I'll fix it.

"He's relentless. Ruthless." Grey answered. "I've known ponies who went after him and his... empire. One way or another, they don't come back. Families; wiped out."

The Factory. Changelings. Poison. His own assassins, after a little girl.

"Empire?" Patriatic was now surprised, "that pony has an empire of willing ponies dedicated to his every whim and command with no hesitation?"

OOC: ok the whole "few guards" part in my last post should be disregarded, for some reason I did not catch on to the whole thought thing, I thought you were saying all of that was happening now, lol, embarrassment. But the double posting does need to stop.

The guard looked over Red, "So you did," he acknowledged the missing weapons and placed the weak form onto his shield. Kneeling down next to Red, the guard reached into the left saddlebag to pull out a small jar of pills, "Here," he also pulled out a small needle, "This will not only clean the wounds, but it will also numb them. In time it will then enhance your metabolism and aid your cells in there recovery. I only have two of these, don't make me have wasted it on you," she then proceeded to inject a small dosage into each leg, whip also putting a small amount between the shoulder blades, for the wings and nerves along the spine. Tossing the now empty syringe toward some ruble, he put the un titled pills away. Extending his own wing out under the shield, it locked onto the matching materials and drifted up onto his back. A quick wheeze spewed from each of the guards leg armor, and he stood all the way up. The shield had found its original resting position on the guards back, and settled to lock into place. Catching up to Raptor would not take too long, the increased weight only slowed the guard by very little, but it was still noticeably slower than normal.

--

Gulaven looked down on the cloud under him as he continued to walk the side of the structure, "We've taken in quite a bit of the sane survivors. I have lost track of them all in the midst of the paper work required to figure the material need and the labor costs. I would not doubt any of them would not be inside, but then again, in this new hell, it is best not to raise ones hopes too high," he concluded as Rainbow Dash ascended into the air, whizzing past the initial starting height. She spiraled by cheering to herself, making quick of the Buccaneer Blaze stunt. She circled the factory, flying by waving to the four who still walked the cloud that supported the structure.

Red noticed his wounds disappeared and stood up, "If we meet again guard," he said, wings extended, "I will do anything to be in your debt."

"No. Not like that, anyway." Grey stopped, apparently not wanting to elaborate any further. It was hard to pull of the air of distraction and staring off into the distance, and he knew that. Grey was steadily growing more and more unsettled with the subject matter, and the regrets that came with it.

---

Luminia merely nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She unfurled her wings in preparation for flight, the mare chewing her lip again as she argued with herself internally.

Most likely would be the pegasi... Phora, Pen, Delly and... Cosmo...

Not Phora, she wouldn't... no. Pen, he hasn't flown for so long... lost the magic to... The twins... I-

Luminia shuddered and let out a short cry, hiding her reaction as she dove off of the clouds. Letting herself fall for at least a few metres, she angled herself up and soared higher into the air.

"So what are you trying to emphasize or rather, visualize for me dear Grey?" asked Patriatic, "was he a fraud?"

Grey shook his head, turning around to face the other way, but otherwise ignored the questions. He unfurled his wings again, though there was something more confident about the way he did it. "Did you see his mark, by any chance?" he asked, quite out of the blue.

"Yes," replied Patriatic, "if memory is correct, it was a marionette puppet of a tall, snowy white pegasus mare with a long, three toned mane of black, soft yellow, and bright red, though, he or she was an alicorn."

Quote: popfizzfan4life

Red noticed his wounds disappeared and stood up, "If we meet again guard," he said, wings extended, "I will do anything to be in your debt."

OOC: I don't have super drugs, it would be a day at the least for something like that. It was why I had the guard pick him up with the shield, the wheezing tech was pushing to carry two instead of one. I'd let you know when is the most efficient time for him to at least try and move, his limbs should still be numb.

lol, you need to slow down a bit man

Gulaven looked off as Luminia flew by. They were nearing the back of the factory, "We can run a personnel check once we return. If they aren't here now, no reason to doubt they won't be found while we are out," he added walking up to the two guards he was bringing, "If they are not, and we return with the component, I will send search parties to find them," he stopped for a seconds reaching his left hoof to feel his right leg. He does not tell anypony about the pain it give him, and how much work has gone into it to keep its poisons at bay.

OCC: I didn't understand fully, sorry

Red immediately began to feel the sharp pains set in again and laid back on the shield, "They obviously must take time for the effects to set in," Red noted, "though I am still grateful sir, but why did yo heal me?"

"Good, now figure out the connection." Grey responded coolly, beginning to untie his blindfold.

---

"My two youngest were at home when... it... happened." Luminia called back. "And Juliet and Becky lived in Canterlot. That leaves si- five, I guess. Argaent was in Manehatten; I was going to meet him there, but I think he kept going. Phosphora should be in the labs still. Johanna was going to plan off to plan something with a colleague in the Badlands about a week before. I don't know where Pen or Aerum are; I haven't seen either of them in months."

Patriatic thought to himself what it could mean until it struck him, "Arlon must have or possess some form of magic that involves puppets as well as species/prophecy changing or prediction." he answered.

"I don't know why," his voice seemed too be heavier. It was unclear as to why. It could be the extra weight, or a pent up hatred, or even a random emotional state, "Just don't let my efforts be all for nothing but a waste of time," he seemed to snarl his words about mid way, "For now just rest and wait for the effects to wear off. Should be no more than five hours to 24 hours. Either way you're not moving on your own."

Raptor took notice of the sudden change in tone, but looking back the guard had the visor down and shaded to the point all one could see was a red glow from what seemed to be from his iris with squinted eyelids, "Don't blow a fuse there metal legs, your mission is to ensure my survival... For some odd reason," her blank expression turned away from the two as she continued walking ahead of them. The trees were merely ten fifteen seconds walk now, "Where exactly are we going? I know the royal palace city atop their valiant mountainside, but what are we doing there?"

There was no reply from the armored soldier, only the clank and rotating of the gears that drove his legs forward carrying the almost limp stallion and Red. It was not completely obvious, but the guard himself was not moving, but the armor moved as if on auto pilot. The steps were too smooth to be manually made, too much precision, "R?" he finally spoke, but with a strain in his voice, "What exactly did they do to you up there?"

Raptor stopped, not making any further movements.

--

"We will find them, if not find out what may have happened to them," Gulaven started walking again, "But first I must make sure my employees have what they need most. It is hard to keep moving when your stomach crawls and churns for sustenance."

Rainbow Dash circled back with a loop, "Leave it to me, I'm sure I can find them... Well id have to know what they look like first that is," for once, in quite a while, she was smiling for more than a few seconds, "I'm sure they are safe the way you talk about them. You live here in Cloudsdale? It got the easiest of the outbreak."

"Of course, I understand. Employees are important to keep order inside." Luminia sighed heavily, before turning to Rainbow Dash. "...No. We lived in Canterlot. It would've been impossible to live here. Zephyr's main laboratories are based in Canterlot. Half of our children aren't pegasi, so they wouldn't have been able to live here."

---

"I- what?" Grey looked back around, eye cracked open slightly. His vision was hazy, and all he could see of Patriatic was a black and white blur that was shaped vaguely like a pony. Still, it seemed a bit better than before. "I dunno how you came to that conclusion. He's a puppetmaster, a manipulator. No need for magic when he's smart enough to twist the nobility to his own ideals."

The aggressive tone his voice gave is definitely enough to keep me quiet, Red thought, But I wonder where he is going to...

---

"A puppetmaster? Twisting nobility and idealism?" Patriatic questioned, "How can he do it? And if he can, why make himself look like a weak nobody instead of a nightmare?"

"Because nightmares are conspicuous." Grey responded in a low hiss, using a wing to shield his eye as he readjusted to the light. Still blurry. "Good on the kid for wanting to keep secrets. Embracing, what, insanity? It isn't the way to go about it."

"Nightmares? Now let me clarify all of this: Arlon is some kind of master manipulative puppet-master, who can twist nobility and idealism without magic and somehow controls nightmares?" Partiatic responded trying to put everything together.