dragonofruin

They can be used in the main section, O: It has some requirements that characters fit into the universe, (I've been struggling on a way to phrase it and this is the closest thing I can manage xD) and you can put in an application for your character(s) to be able to play them in the main section. The staff are definitely willing to help you out with anything on your application.

There's also http://www.canterlot.com/topic/14150-fluttershys-creature-compendium-roleplay-species-list/

and http://www.canterlot.com/topic/12309-raritys-simply-fabulous-application-form/ that might be of help for any information.

The glowing eyes in the dark had him on edge, and it didn't help that most of the others were trying to talk to the owner of those eyes as if it would respond. It annoyed him. Whatever lurked in the bushes wasn't here to talk.. although Sombra was beginning to doubt it was dangerous. Despite the glow of the eyes, they didn't seem to belong to anything big.. He tensed as Alizarin was the one to make the first move and approached it. He had to fight himself not to move when she suddenly stumbled back..

.. and it turned out to just be a squirrel.

Dark magic flickered blackly around the curve of his horn and he scowled, briefly debating on lashing out at it just to scare it off. Despite his irritation, Sombra eventually decided against it and let himself relax. He didn't want to frighten the young filly, Apple Bloom, nor did he want to end up making Fluttershy more scared of him than she already was if he was to ever try to hold any sort of conversation with her later on; not if he was hurting animals. The others wouldn't have been as much of a problem. Alizarin and the Captain were the only ones that came off nigh unshakeable.

Sombra turned, ready to throw himself back down on top of his sleeping bag when the ground began to rumble underneath their hooves.

"Either that's the squirrel army or it's whatever must be in this forest causing trouble," Sombra replied dryly. His gaze returned to the shadowy treeline. He'd heard a yelp from something, deep out in the woods. He couldn't determine whether it had been a pony's frightened yelp, or perhaps a sound made by an injured animal.. only that it was a yelp.

"Did you hear that?"

Welcome to Canterlot! <:

Don't do anything evil. He'd heard what the Captain had said when he'd been walking away, and it lingered on his mind as he settled down on the sleeping bag he'd brought with him; he likely wouldn't be doing any sleeping, but it was cushy enough to relax on instead of the hard ground.

He was neither blind or stupid. What he'd done in the Crystal Empire? It was horrendous, and yet he'd gone through with it anyway for his own reasons. Many of them selfish, and vengeful, as well as the intent to keep himself alive and to some extent, to protect himself. If ponies had treated him badly before, they would have done worse if they'd discovered his true nature before he had any chance to act. It was good he'd always been a step ahead.. Up until a point. Would he do anything.. evil.. here? He internally scoffed. It wasn't likely. This was just an investigation, unless somepony got in his way in one way or another.

Sombra rested his chin against a propped up forehoof, his elbow digging into the cushy material of the sleeping bag while he watched the group settling in to the campsite. Ponies set out sleeping bags or propped up tents, and soon food and drinks were making an appearance. He eyed what he could see, especially the bottle of something the Captain pulled out and soon offered to Alizarin. It hadn't escaped his notice that she'd set up near him, and he briefly met her gaze when she'd been looking his way. The growing firelight of the campfire Apple Bloom was building briefly reflected in his eyes as he watched, curiously, as Alizarin took a drink from the bottle the Captain offered.

From his spot, he could smell something strong, but couldn't place it; he wasn't familiar with Equestria's hard drinks. As curious as he was to try it himself, he hesitated, glancing away to look in on what the others were still up to. His eyes briefly lingered on Fluttershy, who was fussing over a small white bunny. His brow furrowed. Where had that come from? He hadn't noticed it before. No matter..

Sombra couldn't help making a mental note to ask the timid mare some questions, if he could, at some point, although what questions he could ask her he wasn't sure. Mostly curiosities like 'Were you at the Crystal Empire with a group of mares?' and.. well, he didn't really know what else he wanted to know yet.

His tail flicking, he turned back towards Alizarin and the Captain, dropping his hoof onto his sleeping bag as he straightened up in his spot. "I'd like-.." he began and was stopped short by a soft sound. His eyes followed the direction Alizarin's head had turned to a spot somewhere behind her, in the dark.. The sight of glowing eyes had Sombra on his hooves at once, his body tensed.

The dark woods ahead of him would have to wait just a little longer. The one they referred to as the Captain seemed to have finally registered his presence there and blocked his path, to them, as well as to the loosely gathered group of ponies scattered in this open, moon-lit space. What snatches of conversation he'd heard were quickly set aside in favor of the one who'd grabbed his attention so thoroughly. Sombra met the armored mare's fierce eyes and couldn't help but be a little impressed by how undaunted she was when facing him, even challenging him.

The tug at the corner of his mouth that would've formed an amused smirk quickly faded as he took in what she said, and what it sounded like she was avoiding trying to say. The last part of it was nonsense, but he could figure out what it was she meant through both context and how that nonsense sounded; it wasn't hard. He most assuredly should've died that day, and yet.. he hadn't. Some small part of him had survived the magic that'd torn the rest of him apart, and it'd taken a few years for his magic and his body to re-form from what remained. In that time he'd been less than the meanest ghost haunting the frozen wastes, and once he'd finally awoken, it was as if almost no time had passed with what little he could remember of that disembodied experience. The Crystal Heart, he felt, must've at least done him the favor of smacking some sort of sense back into him after how he'd acted before.

His tail flicked. In unnerving quickness, he closed the gap between them with just a few short steps, using his height to loom over the mare. His eyes blazed and he lowered his head until his snout was mere inches from hers, lips peeling back from the monstrous teeth he bared at her.

"Go ahead. Say it." His voice was a low growl. "I can assure you I'm no changeling, no pretender. I'm the real thing, in the flesh~." The umbrum tilted his head as he met the Captain's gaze evenly, his eyes narrowing.

His expression changed upon hearing the filly, Apple Bloom, speak. Daring to break off his little staring contest, Sombra looked over at her and straightened up, his expression softening and his voice changing to a silky-smooth purr.

"As a matter of fact, I am. I've heard some rumors about it that has made it interesting enough to check out, with good reason. There won't be a problem at all." His red gaze flicked past Apple Bloom towards the fearful Fluttershy, who was already heading off with the filly, and back to the Captain. An eyebrow rose. The others were leaving while they were still having their little standoff here, and as much as he enjoyed the posturing (as if his anger hadn't flared at what the Captain implied with Fluttershy's friends), he'd rather get to the bottom of this mystery. He certainly didn't need Alizarin's insistence to get moving.

Flashing the armored mare a smirk, Sombra stepped around her and started after the others, following them into the woods to the campsite Alizarin lead them too. It was a nice little clearing with a rock-lined firepit at the center. After a quick look around, he picked a spot apart from the others and settled down, his magic brushing through one of the saddlebags under his plain cape to pull out something he could lay on. It'd probably be best if somepony else handled the fire instead of him.

A few days ago I prepared half a post to finish once it came around to my turn again and Canterlot seems to have eaten it. I usually try and want to put in my best efforts with my writing so if my post seems particularly short and shoddy, I'm sorry. 

edit; i seem to have managed something, I just had to leave out some things i wanted to acknowledge in order to. 😧 It's not as good as it could've been but eh.

😈

Aw.

Have fun camping! :3

It seemed he wouldn't have to say anything after all, she'd heard him coming. He also heard others' hoofsteps too, arriving on the scene shortly after he had. Were these others here to discover the source of the animals' disappearances, or just campers? A look at the ponies that'd arrived suggested the former, especially the red-coated mare in her plain grey armor. His eyes swept over each of them as they approached and gathered in a loose group. After the armored mare who didn't even appear to register he was there, there was a filly, who he was surprised to see here in a place that was presumably dangerous, but out of all of them she was the only one to offer him a smile and a greeting.

His resting expression softened somewhat. Sombra didn't have much of a soft spot for foals, but they were the only ones who were exempt from his hateful view and treatment of ponies; they didn't deserve, and had done nothing to deserve, his ire.

The last to arrive was a vaguely familiar mare of yellow and pink, who quite clearly was trying to ignore him. His scowl made something of a return, with the addition of a slight narrowing of his eyes as he tried to place where he'd seen her particular coloration before, as well as her overall appearance.. Until he gained some sort of clue, he'd have to set aside the question for now. The yapping of a little dog was distracting enough to keep him from delving too deep through his memories anyway, and he eyed the tiny thing with uncertainty; Sombra had never been around dogs before, much less had any experience with any other sort of pets. The filly, Apple Bloom, appeared to like it well enough.

Sombra's attention shifted back up to the first mare he'd seen, who the others addressed as Miss Fruits or Alizarin, when he heard her voice. He really didn't know what an Alizarin Fruits was, or if it was just one of the stranger pony names. He put it out of his mind, instead paying close attention as she approached to greet him first. The undaunted way in which she had impressed him, and he got the idea of some sort of fierceness lying under her stern and collected demeanor. There wasn't the slightest bit of nonsense about her. He inclined his head, approving, and even shook her hoof after a few seconds' consideration of her outstretched foreleg.

"I am," he spoke at last, his voice a smooth, deep rumble. "I've heard about what was going on and I thought I'd.. look into it. For my own curiosity, of course." He couldn't possibly look as if he was here to help.

He tilted his head as Alizarin moved off towards the other ponies, greeting each of them in turn; it was through this that he learned the others' names that he hadn't already heard, other than the armored pony who Alizarin just referred to as Captain. Sombra grunted softly, his tail flicking behind him. He'd learn her name soon enough, he felt, once this particular little party got moving. The mare taking charge of it was something he could appreciate and he took a few, casual steps towards the woods, making it clear he was ready to move, though he had no problem going in alone if it came to it. It likely wouldn't.

Welcome to Canterlot! I'm Mal, or just 'Dragon'.

Your character sounds pretty interesting. 😄 I happen to have a zebra hybrid character, and I find it fun to run across others~

After idly reading one errant newspaper, as his decision to even read the Equestrian news was sporadic at best, the mention of animals disappearing from the White Tail Woods had somewhat caught King Sombra's attention one morning. Animals, disappearing? It sounded unusual, especially for Equestria. The country was largely peaceful, ponies had no reason to hunt animals when they were herbivores (and possibly even opposed to animal pelts or leather as far as he knew), so why were the animals dwindling, and in White Tail Woods specifically?

Perhaps he was bored enough with his general life around Canterlot that he wanted to find out why, as eager as he was to collect more knowledge about this land he just might rule. After a few idle inquiries from different strangers, he gathered a few of what he considered just might be rumors they'd heard from others. Something about a large dark shape seen lurking about the woods, or a great dark shadow of some sort going after the animals.. There were a few others, but one thing seemed to be common among them: something big.

It piqued his curiosity. If he really thought about it, it might not be what he thought it would be, but who really knew? Nopony, apparently, and definitely not him.

Sombra wanted to be certain, though, in the slim chance it might be something deserving his attention. So, with a few small things of importance gathered and tucked away in a pair of saddlebags and a plainer dark green cape in place, the king set out, taking the train from Canterlot to the small White Tail Woods train station, where he'd heard ponies came to camp and enjoy the scenery. It took a few hours from the capital, but he soon arrived and stepped off of the platform with long, confident strides. The forest stretched out ahead of him, vibrant and green even in what little light remained. The canopy cast thick shadows, interlaced with fading rays of light from the setting sun. It looked to be a lovely place, and the scents of nature were thick, all around him.

The tall, dark stallion breathed it in and moved towards it, though he paused when something began to register in his view. The shape of a pony. His approach slowed to a halt and he eyed their back, wondering why they were just sitting there, alone before the woods. Waiting on somepony? Or.. afraid of the rumors? Sombra quietly scoffed.

He wasn't sure if he should bother saying hello.

not in my heart.

I'll pm you so my rambling/this conversation doesn't clutter up this thread. xD;

This looks pretty interesting and I'm debating on offering up Sombra to get in on this, 👀

I think he'd probably want to look in on any rumors about 'shadow ponies' lurking about.

Surely there was something interesting about this old Crystalline book. He could certainly read the language, considering the time period he'd come from. However, he didn't have the time to just sit here and read it when whatever had been in this room had already moved on. If he could really call it a something. Whatever it was, he intended to find it. Deciding that he could read this book later, Sombra decided to teleport it to Celestia's room for easy access later. Right now he had to focus on the company he currently had.

"It's not likely to show itself just because you want it to. This is something we're going to have to find, wherever it is in the castle, if it even has a source. It.. might." A small frown crossed his muzzle and it was evident in a look in his eyes that he suspected something, but he wasn't entirely sure what it was. He would never voice his concerns aloud, however. The only thing he would reveal was the amusement he felt over Blueblood's angry grumbling, which had sadly had to take a back seat to everything else no matter how cute he found it. There was the barest trace of a smirk for the noble stallion before he turned away and started down the hallway, heading deeper into Canterlot castle. It was a bit of a maze if somepony hadn't been living here for a while and learning its layout.

They weren't likely to get far before there was a brief surge of magic that went flickering across the halls, heading.. somewhere. The exact destination was an unknown, but it was quite a giveaway. It was more than just a fluctuation causing these hauntings, but what exactly it was, Sombra couldn't discern. He quickened his pace to a trot, hoping to catch up with it.

Welcome to Canterlot!! :3 

I think you've been forgetting my Sombra for a while : )

Thankfully the few books that'd flown off the shelves at him had missed Raven, although one pony was not so fortunate. Sombra couldn't fight back the smile that spread across his lips when he heard Blueblood growling- or at least attempting to. It sounded so much like Blueblood was trying to sound angry, or perhaps like himself, and failing. Ponies just couldn't growl, and all their attempts to sound like they were was.. cute.

While Raven went to inspect the bookcase, which just looked like any other bookcase though had a lingering, steadily fading magic around it, Sombra turned to face Hogo-sha and Blueblood, mostly to give the latter a curious look. Beyond a bloody nose, the noblepony seemed fine. His attention shifted to the book Hogo-sha had sniffed and recoiled from, the book Blueblood now held. Sombra reached out with his own magic, hoping to pry it from the unicorn's magical grip so that he could get a good look at it too- there was something in the glimpse he'd caught of the title on the book's face that looked a little familiar to him and he couldn't put a toe on it just yet.

"I will," he stated, almost boredly, though Hogo-sha's reaction to it told him it was about the same: dark magic. Sombra didn't think the book would really be anything, beyond a random object the strange force in the castle had flung. The magic was likely already shifting towards some other part of the castle to wreak more havoc, and it'd only grow stronger as it wore on towards night- it already had been since it started. He couldn't fathom what might happen beyond scaring ponies, though the fact that it'd managed to harm one didn't seem to bode too well.. Sombra's mind was particularly stuck on the 'scaring ponies' part of it. Rather useful to somepony like him, but he was the only pony like him.

There were a few other disturbances in the castle, scattered among the rooms, although distant enough they likely might not hear anything from here.

Hey, welcome to Canterlot! :3

A grey ear twitched back towards the sound of Raven and Blueblood's voices as they talked, as well as the latter's musing on what could be going on here and something involving Luna. It did seem like a haunting- not that Sombra would really know anything about haunted places. This was his first experience with it, as well as most things since he'd come to Equestria. He didn't answer Blueblood's question as he stepped into the room, feeling that he'd answered with everything he knew about it so far.. which was very little. Just unusual.. activities.. Nor did he try offering Hogo-sha another greeting, in usual, grumpy fashion; not that he'd really said hello to start with.

This particular room was just one of a few public rooms in the castle on the ground floor. Sizeable enough for a small gathering, with some furniture, a coffee table, and a couple shelves of books just for appearances, as well as two tall vases of flowers in the corners and some tapestries along the walls. Sombra stood just beyond the doorway, looking around the room with his usual frown for any sign of.. whatever might have lead Hogo-sha to this particular place. So far, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary..

A book flew at him, flying off of one of the shelves. Sombra ducked his head just in time, and its passing over him ruffled his mane as it went flying out the doorway behind him. He scowled, straightening up, only to narrowly avoid a second one that flung itself at him. Maybe Hogo-sha had managed to sniff out something here, after all, though it was, thus far, a little half-hearted. Or perhaps it was just the beginning tonight? The castle always grew more active as evening waned towards moonrise..

Sombra quietly grumbled to himself, seemingly unbothered by what had becoming something of the norm for him. "Maybe you've found something."

It'd been some time after he and Blueblood had gone out together for drinks, although Sombra couldn't recall how long it'd been between that time and when it all started. He did, however, have a general idea of when it might've started. His brow was furrowed throughout the time he'd fallen into step behind Hogo-sha, following the strange biped through the halls of the castle as he sought out a 'scent', what Sombra assumed was the magic the canine could smell. However that worked.
 

"A week ago," Sombra replied. "Maybe a little longer?" his voice held a questioning lilt as he tilted his head, eyeballing the ceiling in thought. "So far it's been strange noises, and some of the castle staff have seen chairs or tables move by themselves. A few books flying off shelves. Doors slamming on their own. Things like that. It's becoming more and more common. Escalating."

It hadn't escaped his notice that Raven had chosen to walk beside Blueblood instead of him, leaving him to walk alone between the yokai ahead and the pair of ponies behind him. Sombra tried to ignore this slight and tried to keep track of the bipedal canine, who was roaming further and further ahead in an attempt to track down the magic-scent. Soon, Hogo-sha had disappeared around the corner, and all Sombra heard of him was strange sounds. His brow furrowing, his pace increased to a trot and then to an all out gallop after that last, loud shout and the sound of a door banging open.

He skidded around the corner and came to a halt some distance away from Hogo-sha, who was no longer a biped, but something four-legged and wolf-like, eyes aglow.

"No," Sombra replied with a confused frown. This was.. unexpected, but it wasn't much of a problem. At least as far as he could tell.. ? Glancing over Hogo-sha, Sombra strode to the room the yokai found and took a step inside. His eyes narrowed, unsure what he expected to find in here.

Rose sniffed. "Very well, you can have your victory." Despite her jibe, however, she was looking forward to this trip to some extent. It was surely peaceful out in the Whitetail Woods, and it might give her some time to simply relax and think. She'd be free to do whatever she liked, if anything at all, after they set up camp of course. "It's such a pity. I was hoping to get even a hint of what this danger was so I could at least know what I could expect. Alas," the pegasus shrugged.

Her attention was snagged by the heavy sound of the train's approach and her ears perked towards the sound as it steadily grew louder. Their ride was here! It stirred some excitement up within her for what lay ahead of them, and it was with an effort that Rose pulled herself back to her hooves. She tried to do it with as much grace as she could muster so that nopony would see her struggling, though she'd likely be unsuccessful in that attempt.

In any case, she could strive for that grace now that she was on her hooves, holding her head high and looking as unbothered as she possibly could as she moved closer to Grey on the platform. The stallion had pulled his bags on with ease, something she could admire just a little bit. After all, he was stronger than she was, and he was far more used to the weight and.. everything else about travel. Rose stood by him, watching the train's approach as it came ever closer to the train station, and soon, slowing down in front of the boarding platform with a squeal of brakes.

Those hours passed Sombra by and lead him right back to the train station, where he was planning on returning to Canterlot after a less than productive trip to the country town. The only thing notable that he could tell Celestia about when he returned to Canterlot would be his encounter with Hope, but beyond that? Eh.

He started up the wooden steps of the platform when it happened. The feeling of dark magic just on the edge of his awareness. Sombra came to a halt and looked back at the town with a frown, scowling when he saw the gathering of dark clouds and various ponies drifting up in what looked like... bubbles? He blinked. Somehow, he had a feeling he knew who was causing it. Sombra turned back to the platform, finding himself in a dilemma. It would be very easy for him to simply get on the train and go right back to Canterlot, to leave ponies to deal with this on their own. Surely the Princess Twilight Sparkle would rise to the occasion to meddle, as she did, but who knew? His tail lashed. He had no interest in helping.

Grumbling to himself, Sombra heaved a sigh and turned back towards town with a roll of his red eyes. Perhaps he would decide to meddle, though why Hope didn't come directly back to him to blast him with magic in some fit of distraught anger was a mystery.

The king of shadows trod right back into town, heading for where he knew Hope's house to be. He ignored panicked ponies along the way, feeling that what ponies were still on the ground were more than capable of reigning in the upset children without his help.

The quiet ambience of the town had finally settled over Sombra, who was intent on trying to pick up where he left off: exploring this town. It gave him a reason to get out of Canterlot for a while, gave him something to do, though after his meeting with Hope, he could scarcely manage to resume his explorations before. Thoughts still crowded his mind and anger still sat uncomfortably in his chest, burning like a flame.

He was only distracted by the sound of wingbeats and the sudden appearance of Hope, flying swiftly by him. He ducked to avoid her, feeling wind ruffling his coat and his long mane, though his hooves remained firmly planted on the ground. Where could she be flying off to so swiftly, or had she made an attempt to attack him after considering he was worth fighting? No.. perhaps not.

His eyes narrowed and Sombra straightened, frowning after the disappearing blue blur of Hope.

[You would have to apply to play her, since she's considered a canon character.]

King Sombra felt a certain vicious satisfaction in letting loose that secret he'd been harboring ever since he'd discovered the mare's identity. He saw the way her eyes flared red with dark magic and his body tensed, expecting a fight. He would've even welcomed one if it meant a little excitement, but instead Hope appeared to struggle to control her breathing until finally taking that one, deep, calming breath. Some disappointment filled him and he quietly snorted, relaxing.

His magic flickered out to tear down whatever illusion she'd put in her house, returning it back to normal. He hardly looked away from her as he did so, watching the changeling leaving him alone in her own house. Sombra debated on following her this time- he could easily end up pushing the issue without trying to.

Sombra pulled himself to his hooves and strode after her, just far enough to exit her home. He shut the door behind him with his magic, red eyes focused on Hope as she headed off in between Ponyville's straw-roofed buildings. From what little he could tell of her body language, she was deep in thought. Perhaps it would be best to leave her be to think.

"Find me when you want answers!" Sombra called after her. Leaving it at that, he waited until she was out of view before he started off, picking a random direction to wander in. There was still time left in the day for him to wander Ponyville..

A grin flashed across Sombra's face, baring many of his pointed teeth at the yokai. "I am exactly who I claim. Being trapped in an icy pocket-dimension beneath the ice as a shadow can do wonders for preserving one's looks," he quipped. Chuckling low in his throat, he turned away with a little toss of his mane.

"I'm sure we can look into making this sword after this problem is dealt with, presuming we can do away with it tonight," Sombra told Raven, looking her way as he initially picked a direction to walk in. Whether there were any civilians still in the castle, or if any might have slipped through the door, he neither knew of them nor cared if they were here as long as they didn't get in the way. Blueblood leaving leadership to him encouraged a smirk to flash across his face and Sombra paused then at the question that came afterward, glancing back at his current companions with a thoughtful look on his face.

"I can't really say. It comes and goes," he paused as the tall, double doors of the castle's entrance finally swept shut with a hard bang. It didn't look as if the guard had much to do with it. "Maybe the two of you have a good idea. We can start out and work our way inward, though I doubt we have to go out onto the castle grounds anywhere.. It's only been in the castle." He frowned. "Let's look into where it's weakest, then. Take the lead."