Re: The Rise of the Windigo King

SubjectZ Mon Aug 12, 2013 9:03 pm

Torch is silent during Ragnarok's explanation, his expression unreadable. He waits until she finishes, then says, "Well... good job, Private Mind. Seems you've got me all figured out, huh? Well, you missed one fact: Not just one somepony, two." He pulls out the letter and throws it at her feet, continuing. "Got that this morning. So I guess the jig is up. You probably think I'm some sad little colt crying or mommy and daddy, huh? Don't answer that, I know exactly what you think. Well I've got news for you, all of you. My plan stays as is, and nothing on this earth will stop or dissuade me. After that... I guess I'll face whatever punishment fate might have for me. But I'll do it a happy stallion, confident in the knowledge that he's done the right thing. Wait, let's see what the deity herself thinks, hmm? How about it, Verana? What's your take? Because I won't hold you against your will." He sits back and prepares for the worst.

Ramsus Mon Aug 12, 2013 9:33 pm

Aoi shakes her head and says, for what feels like the hundredth time today, "I had a very good look at Verana's necklace earlier and I'm absolutely certain that nobody who is not on her level could use an item like that safely. Especially not for something so completely unnatural as bringing the dead back to life. And when I say it isn't safe, I don't mean just the user would die horribly. I mean everyone within miles, if not farther. I have no reason to doubt the Windigo King's artifacts would work any better. In fact, given what I know of the Windigo King it would almost certainly be worse. And you're seriously deluded Doctor Torch if you think Verana is going to want you to steal her power to do something that is so against our nature as seasonal deities. But, don't take my word for it." At this point Aoi looks over to the necklace, waiting for Verana to appear. Then she thinks about the situation and quickly begins to back away from Torch, just to be on the safe side in case of smiting.

tygerburningbright Mon Aug 12, 2013 9:58 pm

Ragnarok picks up the letter before answering. "If you truly know what I am thinking then I need not tell you that I accept your ultimatum and I am going you my own. I will do every thing in my own power to stop and or dissuade you. Though I must admit that it is clear that you have not put much thought at all into what you are trying to do. What happens to the mind after death? Have you preserved the bodies? Can you create new ones? What happens to the "soul" after death. Is there anything after death? If there is something is it better than this world? How are you going to use the artifacts? What price will you have to pay?" Ragnarok pauses for a moment. "Would your parents have wanted you to do this or would they have wanted you to move on and be happy?"

SubjectZ Mon Aug 12, 2013 10:04 pm

The letter's contents read:
This letter is addressed to "Healing Torch." if you are not "Healing Torch" then please reseal this letter in its original envelope and pass it over to your nearest mail post.

Dear Healing Torch.

It is with a heavy heart and solemn duty that we write to inform you. There was very recently an incident at Canterlot. Many ponies were injured and some were lost to this world. We regret to inform you that your mother has passed away due to this incident.

We are sorry for your loss

Sincerely: The Royal Canterlot Ministry of Postequeous Affairs.

Torch looks at Ragnarok and says, "Aoi said much of the same. I may not know the specifics, but I do that I will pay any price. And I know they would, no, will, be proud of me." He turns away and waits for Verana.

RavenscroftRaven Tue Aug 13, 2013 1:08 am

Land Lobber claps his hands. Wonderful thing, hands. But that's not all, he speaks, too.

"So, that's all sorted, then, eh?" He gives a game smile. "If he is not to be being dissuaded, then he be goin' fer the prize e'en if we drug him and leave him in a ditch, so we might as well have a crew member that we know will be double-crossin' the plan at the end, since that means until the end, we all be good fer another person, and this bein' a lethal run an' all, there's a big chance o' him dyin' on the road anyways, as there be fer all o' us, so any given one o' us is not being likely to need to deal with it, eh? And if we do, we don't be needing to worry about some super frost ghost or fire vampony while we be debating it, unlike them bullet-deflectin' cultists that be preparin' their next hit."

He scuffs a hoof on the dirt. "Not that I be carin' bout the collateral damage, just that it be ruinin' sea traffic fer my after-job work if the town be being destroyed 'cause we bicker. Wouldn't be good."

Dr Blight Tue Aug 13, 2013 1:47 am

There's no response or appearance from Verana for a long while. With a sound like a sigh, a bit of orange smoke rises from the necklace at last and expands into the form of the ghostly mare. She regards you for another long moment in silence. "I care little who among you carries my necklace so long as they do not try to wear it, you are unbalanced however. For now it might be best that it not be you. As for your ambitions... some forms of necromancy were common in my time but what you seek has, in my experience, never truly worked. Such a wish was indeed within the purview of the Windigo King's domain but I assure you there would be no happiness or pride to be found in the aid he'd grant."

XandZero2 Tue Aug 13, 2013 2:12 am

Well, Death Ray thought to himself - and GREGG (having stopped in his tracks by this point - and having ignored the ghostly summer deity for the time-being), What Raggie just said there... it... kind of explains a lot...

She was quite informative Dr. Death Ray sir.

Yeah, I'll give her that.

So what now sir? Perhaps you could... you know...?

Death Ray sighed and turned his attention back to Aoi again.

"Look," he said flatly, "IIIII... definitely don't like you and youuu... well... you definitely don't like me. I think... I think we got that much cleared up by now. From what Raggie said you're also a... a hero-type? - which could be another reason why we don't like each other much. Not certain of that since I got along with the last hero in the group pretty well - but then," Death Ray grew just a tad misty eyed as he recalled, "she wasn't like the regular supes if you ask me... Not much like Major Mane in any case, that's for sure..."

Then the Doctor shook himself out of his reverie and raised an eyebrow in Aoi's direction, "You... uh... you wouldn't happen to know about Major Mane... would you? Yes? No? Well - I have a feeling you two would get along juuuust fine" Death Ray shook his head after being sure to roll his eyes, "- but I digress...

"Soooo..." Death Ray glanced up at GREGG, "My robot... among others" he turned his gaze on Raggie, "... seem to think that... uh... that I was too... rough... on you... back at the university..." The Doctor did his normal eye-wandering routine as he went on, avoiding Aoi's gaze (since he definitely didn't want to see any signs of smug satisfaction on the kid's face when he said), "I guess... Well, I guess what I'm trying to say is that... I'm... well... kind of," he muttered, "- sorry that I made you cry..."

The Doctor paused.

"-I may have jumped to some conclusions... even though your actions were still a little too heavy-hooved for my liking... Don't get me wrong, I like excessive force as much as the next supervillain..." The Doctor shrugged, "-but whether you... want to hear me out... or not... there's a time and a... a place for that... and a university library's definitely... definitely not the place... especially when you're fighting... well... with your allies... even if they are doing things you disagree with..."

Ramsus Tue Aug 13, 2013 2:54 am

Aoi gives Torch a look and thinks "See?" and just ignores Land Lobber's comments entirely, aside from noting that he had something of a point about not necessarily having to worry about it in the end.

Aoi didn't respond to the apology for making her cry, largely because she, being a kid, was already mentally trying to push the fact that it happened out of her mind, as if forgetting something happened could make it actually not have happened.

Aoi paused before responding, thinking over what she wanted to say first. She calmly spoke, with no hint of any emotion at all on her face or in her body language, "I thank you for the compliment, even if it was not intended, of comparing me to heroes like Major Mane. I am not sure it is quite apt, however it is still a complimentary comparison. It is clear that you do not seem to like me but, I do not even know you yet. All I know is that you have been mean and rude to me from the moment we met, without the slightest explanation why. I have simply been responding, perhaps poorly, to this puzzling and irritating behavior. As for my clash with Doctor Torch, I simply lost my temper after further such treatment and sought to teach him, and through him the rest of you, the lesson that I was not to be treated in such a fashion, even if it meant having to take the matter into my own claws. At the time I was little concerned with the time and place and, while my actions perhaps were not the most appropriate ones, as some of you have been quick to point out, repeatedly, this is not Neighpon and I do not have the available resources upon which to draw upon to which I am accustomed. If I had truly wished to engage in excessive violence, as you said, I would not have afterwards helped the Professor treat Doctor Torche's injuries.... and rather doubt the library would be still standing. All of that said, I would much prefer if we could interact in a polite and civil manner, as even if part of my nature as a dragonnel is more prone to violence than the average pony, my station requires more of me."

Aoi, finished with her speech, paused and then a puzzled and curious looked crossed her face as she asked, "Did you say there was a hero with you previously?" With a partially restrained bit of excitement in her voice she continued, "What was their alias? Where are they now?"

SubjectZ Tue Aug 13, 2013 2:49 pm

Torch is silent during Verana's decision, and quietly says, "I understand, Verana. GREGG, You aren't caught up in all this silliness, so why don't you keep the necklace? Does anyone have an issue with that?" He turns to Aoi and says, "I forgot, thanks for at laest helping to patch me up. And the hero's name was Halynn, the Green Lantern. She had an... encounter with the windigo king's manipulation and subsequently went insane. That reminds me, I found out some stuff at the library. " He proceeds to share the contents of these two articles.

A night of laughter turned into a grim night of terror as deranged ponies and griffons drew swords on a crowd surrounding the parade in honor of the new discovery and took the mayor hostage. The guards worked valiently alongside courageous citizens to put down the riot and regain order before storming the museum itself after the mayor. The ensuing conflict caused great damage to the museum itself and its Ironhoof exhibit as a result of what witnesses claim was "a gigantic zombie ice dragon that totally froze everything brah!" Supposedly, the dragon was defeated by "a miner, a crazy bipolar chick, some green dude, another green dude, a lightning chick, and some rave enthusiast and his death robot" and was describes as being "most totally rightous brah".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A group of ponies fishing offshore at night near the area known locally as the Leviathan's Maw claim an encounter with the infamous unexplained occurances the area is known for. They claimed that from one moment to the next a thick fog overtook their boat and, though one of them was a pegasus, it resisted his attempts to clear it to any noticable extent. Soon after the fog rolled in, they saw strange green lights dozens of feet in the air slowly drift towards them and stop alongside. Hearing the sound of several somethings splashing into the water from high up soon after it stopped. The sound of swimming growing closer to their small vessel, the two ponies gunned the engine and sped away. The lights gave chase for a time, but they seemed to be too slow in the end to catch up and eventually disappeared into the fog. The fog itself faded away mere moments after the lights were gone. The two youths claim that their experience was aliens who were attempting to board and abduct them. No trace of illegal substances were found in their systems however a doctor pronounced them as suffering from a form of PTSD after the incident and had them admitted.

He smiles afterwards and says, "Aoi, that's from before we met you. The bipolar chick is the Green Lantern, and the "other green dude" was another adventurer who... I FORGOT TO TELL HIM WHERE WE SHOULD MEET UP! BUCK! Ah, whatever, I'm sure he's fine."

Ramsus Tue Aug 13, 2013 2:59 pm

"Green Lantern!?" Aoi exclaims excitedly before giving a polite cough and regaining her composure. "That is... well, I have heard of them before I believe. That must have been an experience........ uh... oh.... uh oh. Went insane? That is.... not good news for us. And there was another member of this group that you just... lost track of? Are there any other formers members to this band I'm unaware of? Perhaps some kind of minstrel or scribe?"

SubjectZ Tue Aug 13, 2013 3:03 pm

Torch says, "The other green one, his name was Mosstone, he was a bit kooky to begin with, bodyslammed the Windigo Dragon. Got us locked in an asylum for the night when he had a panic attack. Nice stallion, though."

XandZero2 Tue Aug 13, 2013 3:19 pm

Death Ray couldn't help but look a little sickened when Aoihizzle had mentioned "compliment" and "Major Mane" in the same sentence. Blah.

-Still, he held himself back. Best not to clarify and rile things up again... for now anyway...

Instead he'd heard the dragonnel out, restraining himself further from rolling his eyes at the obvious bravado of some of her statements. When... Ao-oh-owee- Princess? ... Yeah, that seemed like a fitting name... when Princess finished her speech and paused, Death Ray was trying to think of what he should say next...

Maybe you should give Princess Aoihime an explanation of your actions Dr. Death Ray sir? GREGG's voice had popped into his mind, She seemed to indicate that she wanted one...

What do you expect me to say?

Well, it's not fair that she base her judgement of you off of what happened this morning sir. You'd been under great mental and physical distress. We spent nearly all night looking for-

Then the dragonnel had interrupted the internal dialogue with a question -

Ramsus wrote:"Did you say there was a hero with you previously?" With a partially restrained bit of excitement in her voice she continued, "What was their alias? Where are they now?"

Death Ray had given the dragonnel a bland look. That wasn't anything he really wanted to talk about with her, and he'd been opening his mouth to say as much - when Torch cut in - and at mention of how Halynn "-subsequently went insane-" Death Ray spun on his hoof and glared at the medical doctor. He'd been feeling sympathetic towards the other unicorn up until that point, but now he just wanted to blast him with a disintegration ray.

Then Aoi said, "insane" again - Death Ray just bit his lip and turned back to the street, muttering, "Sanity's overrated..."

"WELL?!" He asked sharply, feeling a dark cloud metaphorically hanging over his head to match the dragonnel's physical one, "I don't care who gets the stupid necklace, and if everypony's done, let's get going."

Ramsus Tue Aug 13, 2013 4:00 pm

Aoi walks over to Ragnarok and whispers to her, "That's it!? That sharp dismissal as if I am not even worth his time is what you were telling me how to act was for? Well, I tried things your way this time but, it seems clear to me that your friend, or whatever he is, is just rude and self centered, not that I should be surprised as he declares himself a villain. I was willing to tolerate a certain lack of respect but, this is outrageous. Do not expect me to trust your suggestions without question in the future."

tygerburningbright Tue Aug 13, 2013 6:05 pm

Ragnarok calmly whispers back to Aoi. "Why is that so many make their conclusions with the lowest amount of evidence possible? You should take into consideration that Torch ,being characteristically immature, just insulted the pony who was rather briefly his lover. Also at the time he was looking at Torch so the dismissal was likely aimed at him rather than you."

XandZero2 Tue Aug 13, 2013 6:28 pm

"Affirmative," GREGG piped up, zipping in-between Ragnarok and Aoi while keeping his high-pitched voice to a low buzz that constituted his version of a whisper. "Princess Aoihime, my deepest condolences. Internal etiquette software assures me that I should apologize for the Doctor's current behavior. He wouldn't admit it to most, but he's been quite distraught as of late. His latest reaction was not directed at you, but, indeed, at Dr. Torch."

GREGG peeked his red eye over Aoi's head to make sure his creator was still trotting down the street - then he turned back to the Hippogriff and Dragonnel, "Permission to speak freely... without fear of this getting back to the Doctor?"

Ramsus Tue Aug 13, 2013 6:30 pm

Aoi shrugs and then nods.

tygerburningbright Tue Aug 13, 2013 6:38 pm

Ragnarok gives a quick nod.

XandZero2 Tue Aug 13, 2013 7:08 pm

GREGG bobbed his gold-plated casing in the form of a nod.

"It is a long story, but the main reason Dr. Death Ray and I are here has to do with mare trouble - at least, as far as my deductive computators can comprehend it. A mare that the Doctor had long admired... and who... never noticed his existence... was recently won over by his arch nemesis - Major Mane - at which time, the Doctor then decided a vacation would be a good way to repair his broken heart. While on said vacation however, he met Ms. Halynn. I'd hoped that might be the end of his mare trouble, after all, even though they'd only known each other for a day, the two appeared to have a high compatibility percentile, and the Doctor himself even felt that Ms. Halynn might indeed be 'the one.'"

GREGG shook his casing from side to side slowly, like a concerned friend shaking his head sadly, "However, Ms. Halynn suffered a traumatic experience in a battle against the Windigo King - and after being manipulated to attack the party - and the Doctor himself - against her will, she was left with what my logistics now interpret to be a case of identity crisis. The Doctor tried to talk to Ms. Halynn - to help her come to terms with her dark side while also expressing his true feelings for her - but he was unable to work up the courage to speak openly, and Ms. Halynn disappeared that very night. Blaming himself for what happened due to his lack of action, Dr. Death Ray and I went on a night-long search through the city streets trying to locate Ms. Halynn... Unfortunately, our efforts resulted in a success rate of 0%. We found no sign of her..."

GREGG drooped in the air, his red eye flashing like a caution signal, "Princess Aoihime, when you met the Doctor today he was at his lowest, his power cells depleted, his emotional inhibitors frayed. That may not be reason enough to justify his actions, but again, I advise that you not be too hard on him. When Torch brought up Ms. Halynn, calling her 'insane,' it also rebooted old, bitter circuitry. That's why his latest actions were targeted at Dr. Torch more than you. Especially after trying to take up for the other doctor back at the university, Dr. Death Ray now feels betrayed and hurt by Dr. Torch's words."

Ramsus Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:53 pm

When GREGG finishes, Aoi nods but, otherwise keeps her thoughts to herself.

RavenscroftRaven Wed Aug 14, 2013 2:30 am

'...Aaaaand that be cue to exit stage right fourteen lines ago, this clearly be not my scene.'

The minotaur keeps walking, though he chuckles at the description of the battle from the news magazine. 'Course, chuckling during an otherwise serious moment isn't the best of ideas... They didn't care. Minotaur custom, he'd say. A shame he didn't get the amulet though. Well, he'd try to use it to destroy the fiery vampony and made no secret of that... And failing that sell it for a profit then be long, LONG gone... But that was hardly reason to not trust him. Oh well, he'd just liberate it from its current holder later.

Heh, that would be funny. He takes the necklace then the green one tries to steal it later that night and finds it pre-stolen. Hilarious. 'Course, while the vampony is bound to it, it'd be pretty obvious it was stolen, unlike those other things, so that was a "file away for later" item. But yeah, definitely on the to-do list.

...Now how far away was this meeting place? Seems like this conversation has gone on for three days, and not just three minutes.

tygerburningbright Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:07 pm

Ragnarok nods in response to GREGG and then begins following after Death Ray while giving a summary of the information she found.

OOC not even going to bother doing it myself sorry.

Findings:

XandZero2 Thu Aug 15, 2013 4:59 pm

Plagued by dreams of horrors and dead things... Running through the night screaming like mad...

As Raggie mentioned the last entry of the journal she'd found, Death Ray's ears flicked up and he stopped in his tracks.

The Doctor shivered, forgetting - for a time - his own anger at Torch.

GREGG?

Yes sir, Dr. Death Ray sir?

Did... did that entry sound... familiar... to you?

Yes sir, it did... Almost froze my hard drive...

Glancing back over his shoulder, Dr. Death Ray asked - deathly serious, "How old is that journal... and where... where is Ironhoof now?"

tygerburningbright Thu Aug 15, 2013 6:31 pm

Ragnarok stops to face Death Ray " I do not know exactly how many years but it around the same age as this town. Ironhoof however is likely in the nearest graveyard or perhaps a memorial unless he recently became undead."

XandZero2 Fri Aug 16, 2013 12:32 am

"Hm..." Death Ray nodded gravely, "May need to look into that..."

He turned back around and continued leading the way, adding, "I wonder if Ironhoof has any... living relatives maybe? ...Or associates? ...Anypony that might have more information on what happened to him... or that crown..."

It might be the key to finding Halynn... the Doctor thought with finality - though he kept that thought to himself.

Dr Blight Wed Aug 21, 2013 11:38 pm

You all continue down the path, making it back to town and following the doctor and GREGG as they lead you to your destination.

A few minutes of walking finds you at the front of a small cafe, the words "Sweet Hearts" written on the sign in a cute and fancy script and a theme of red, whites, and pinks is clearly visible along with several hearts. Some would call it cute and romantic, to the point of being obviously deliberate. Others might say it looks like Hearts and Hooves Day physically manifested and threw up all over a building. A small chalkboard stand sits in front of the entrance showing the days specials.

You see pretty young mares dressed like stylized maids and handsome young stallions in waistcoats along the market street, passing out flyers or flirting with tourists and leading them blushing into the building with practiced ease.

You're momentarily distracted by a loud sound from directly above the entrance. The sound of a noisemaker as bits of confetti drift out of an open window and sounds of cheer can be heard from upstairs. For a moment you see a small glint of light, a glare from the afternoon sun off a metal wing as a small mechanical butterfly flutters out the window and turns around headed back inside.

Sponsored content