(Unyasi) The Quest for More (ATTN Presteza, all others PM for Invite

[Pretzelparty]

 

Bevel brushed some of the dirt from her snout and smiled faintly as Twilight pointed out the pathway stones. Surprisingly her bodyguard even knew about it! thank goodness! A team of individuals who actually knew something about what they were doing in regards to magic! Working with mostly griffin assistants; it was hard to get them to wrap their head's around the basics of aetherology or magical theory... thank the stars for small miracles.

"I'll be fine, I've had worse injuries." she said to the pair asking about her condition.

The guard's words garnered a nod from the inventor, "Some theories back in the school in Canterlot mentioned the idea that those stones came from an older tradition of stone that changed how space worked as the inhabitants of where the road leaded would be able to..." The mare raised up her hooves in a method seemingly supposed to imitate quotation marks, "Walk twenty paces back to their home city... from across the continent. I'm not sure I've gotten your name." She said to the armor clad pony as she placed her hooves back on the ground and coughed, walking over to twilight's side and assisting with the excavation.

"You asked about my invention earlier...While you're right it isn't using unicorn magic, it's one of the few I own that cannot be empowered by my own magic."The mare pulled out a strange looking spanner from her bags. The item had some very strange patterns and lines over it. It had what looked like a few smaller gears and cogs, within the handle. The mare levitated the invention and set it down at her side. "As for how I got the Inter-dimensional Etherial analyzer to interface; it uses a magical "Circuit that calls up predesignated spells and brings a chain reaction through the device similar to a sound wave... Once we unearth this Gate(at least I assume it's a gate). I can fiddle with The I.D.E.A. until the magical pulses it's emitting resonate with the network to open up a bridge that will grant us access."
 

"Hm... " The inventor's ears perked as she noticed the hissing. "Could be a Megatitanoboa." She said casually, "So long as we keep relatively quiet and don't make any extremely bass sounds we should be alright.... well if that is what that sound is. By the way, Good to meet you Daedalus."

[Lux]

Hearing that the magic once held safe within the temple was leaking was an unsettling thought for Twilight and her fellow explorers. Normally the power of a spell on an object, pony, or area would dwindle over time unless renewed. But if a very powerful artifact was altered or damaged, even if it decayed the spell might leak out to other areas. The Princess often wondered if such was the case of the Everfree Forest if something cause the place to be wild and unaffected by magic, like the Tree of Harmony or perhaps the ensuing battle between Celestia and Nightmare Moon.

"If this magic has been leaking, it's original intent to hide might not be as strong as its creators had intended it to be. It might still be able hide away from most, but a clever eye would be able to detect it.."

"Right, if this temple was concealed by a powerful cloaking spell or sent to a pocket dimension, if it's waning in strength we should see signs of its presence here. Maybe like a section of a building or structure."

"I'll be fine, I've had worse injuries."

"Glad to hear that. I think if we all keep alert we can avoid getting injured or any nasty surprises," she said with a smile, "Thank you by the way for accompanying me on this journey. I know you were going here by yourself, but working together will help us all get there in one piece."

“Yes, let’s.” Daedalus groaned as he cracked his neck.  Had he pulled something shoulder checking that tree?  Still, he did his best to remain chipper.  “I am Daedalus, by the way.  And you are welcome.”

In her haste to leave the giant plant behind combined with spotting the stones, Twilight forgot that there was now a fourth member to their adventuring party!

"Oh I'm sorry for not speaking to you earlier. I think the whole plant thing made me forget. Anyway, nice to meet you under better circumstances. I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, but Twilight is fine. Being a Princess really doesn't matter being here in a jungle. So, what brought you here? Are you seeking the temple too?"

“And did you mention temple?”

That was a no, but why the stallion was here was still a mystery. Still, there was no sense keeping it a secret.

"We are seeking a temple in the middle of the jungle. This temple was said to hold powerful magical artifacts before it was abandoned. Our goal is to retrieve them before they corrupt the jungle or worse fall into the wrong hooves. Plus studying them will give a clue to the former civilization here!"

"I remember reading about pathway stones during my previous trip here.", Fire Walker was curious to see what their stone was, but already had a suggestion. "Before we had modern streets, travelers would mark stones with symbols. These would generally warn passerby's about upcoming dangers, or even inform them of upcoming villages or life-saving resources like streams. Do you see anything carved or written on the stone, or do you believe it to be simply part of an old path?"

"You're right, I remember reading about stone markers like these. They were the forerunners of our current road signs or trail markers. I wonder what this one means? This civilization I only know a little about."

"Some theories back in the school in Canterlot mentioned the idea that those stones came from an older tradition of stone that changed how space worked as the inhabitants of where the road leaded would be able to..." The mare raised up her hooves in a method seemingly supposed to imitate quotation marks, "Walk twenty paces back to their home city... from across the continent."

"Hmm...a space/time folding stone. If these are like that, then we're talking about a very advanced society, perhaps as advanced as what we have today. I assume that the traveler would have one stone on them and use it to 'communicate' to the home stone and therefore teleport there?"

"You asked about my invention earlier...While you're right it isn't using unicorn magic, it's one of the few I own that cannot be empowered by my own magic. As for how I got the Inter-dimensional Etherial analyzer to interface; it uses a magical "Circuit that calls up predesignated spells and brings a chain reaction through the device similar to a sound wave... Once we unearth this Gate(at least I assume it's a gate). I can fiddle with The I.D.E.A. until the magical pulses it's emitting resonate with the network to open up a bridge that will grant us access."

"Interesting, sensing spells rather than energies like a unicorn can to detect magic present. Did you build it or buy it from somepony else?"

“Hey, not to butt in, but I think we’re being watched...”

"Huh?" Twilight said as she stopped and looked around. There was nothing that she could see nor that she could feel with her magic. It was hard to decipher what was safe or dangerous since the threats were natural not magical yet. That's when she heard the sound, a hiss that made the Alicorn's tail stand on end!

"Hm... " The inventor's ears perked as she noticed the hissing. "Could be a Megatitanoboa." She said casually, "So long as we keep relatively quiet and don't make any extremely bass sounds we should be alright.... well if that is what that sound is."

Twilight in her mind focused on the name, which basically meant "Really Big Snake!"

"Why did it have to be a snake?" she said shivering slightly, "We should get going. Keep your eyes open for anything out of the ordinary like those markers or walls and foundations."

Spoiler

Apologies for the big post, but I wanted to cover the whole conversation. As I said in the PM, the snake won't make an appearance ... yet.

 

[tacobob]

 

 

The red mare nodded politely at the stallion as he spoke and introduced himself. “I am Fire Walker. First Lieutenant Fire Walker of the Royal Equestrian Army. I thank you for your aid.”  While her tone was professional, she made sure to sound grateful and the Pegasus pony made sure this was meant for both Daedalus and Bevel. But did they really need help? From what she had heard, the good princess was one of the greatest living spell-casters in all of Equestria. There was probably a dozen things the good Alicorn could have done, but she was nearly snatched up by the plant monster. Maybe she wanted to make sure her ‘guard’ was not made to feel useless.

 

“Oh yes.”, the officer responded again to the stallion. “I’ve been here before and there’s a good deal of creatures out there that could be watching us now.”, she glanced towards the direction of where the new noise was coming from. “Thankfully most creatures out there will do their best not to cross our path.”, a smile formed on her snout as they moved on, “As for those who wish to interfere with our progress, I usually recommend an commanding, but gentle hoof to lead them away. Most will see that there are far easier prey out there to mess with.” Hopefully they won’t run into the same sky pirates her previous group had run into before. While her friends did put an end to Captain Hookbeak and The Red Talons’s reign of terror in the sky, there would be others ready to take his place. Some might not even had the strange code of honor the griffon captain had held over his crew.

 

She gave the inventor pony a quick look over, "With the exception of a slight bump an even an itty bitty bruise, you appear to be in tip-top-shape.", along with having a good head on her shoulders, Bevel looked like she probably had been on more than a few adventures. "However, if anything does happen, I have brought along an first aid kit, and I've been trained to handle most minor to middling injuries." The mare's first aid kit contained slings, bandages and a few healing potions.

 

"An Megatitanoboa?", she had heard about such a snake, but they were generally the type of critter that popped up in either horror stories or science books and they were. "I thought they were long extinct."  Inter-dimensional Ethereal analyzer?! The mare could hear a few things 'snap' in her brain as she tried to think what an item such as that would be.  Even with Bevel's explanation, it was still something that was beyond her knowledge.

 

Fire Walker nodded her head as the good Princess spoke. "I remember hearing about hidden camps the R.E.A would build during the old times. They would not show up if you were actively looking for it, but if you knew about it, and simply walked towards the camp as if was always there and visible, it would be revealed." That might not have made sense. The book did a much better job at explaining its passive magic. "Sort of like when you wake up, there are things you might do..Things you do all the time without even thinking." Could magic detect active thinking?

 

"I would have loved to study the trail markers during my previous stay, but we were doing a lot of running..And flying...I do believe my guidebook has some information about them. Maybe there's a guide to help us understand their meaning." Once they were very sure there was not an oversized monster snake that should be extinct on their hooves, the mare would check out her book....But for now, they would continue their adventure!

 

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

 

Upon hearing that 'Thank you', Bevel gained a blush and minor look of shock. The mare coughed into her fetlock and nodded sternly, "It was only the sensible thing to do. Dying on my own on a failed expedition is hardly how I hope for my life to end. A good thing that doesn't seem as likely now." At Twilight's other questions the mare looked down at the stone. "There are a few myths about ancient civilizations that had managed to out magic today's magical academia... but finding proof of them is difficult. As for Space time folding technology it's not all that difficult for the right pony... My mother wore a top hat that she could pull a cannon out of and from what I'm told she often held a warehouse's worth of gadgets in there as well." Bevel coughed again as a bit of dirt was caught on her breath,"That's a far cry from spatial folding on the base plane though." 

 

Over the time the two ponies were finished working, a fairly larger portion of the 'gate' was now exposed. It looked like a small outcropping of well carved stone with several markings over the visible surface and most likely the rest that laid beneath. The brown coated mare pulled out her invention and fiddled with a large dial on it, then pushed a button on the side. There was a faint tone that resonated through the air... but save for a weak spark; nothing.

 

After a slightly disheartened sigh, Bevel looked back to the alicorn. "I build all of the devices I use on my expeditions that may involve magic." She began tinkering a bit with the machine in her hooves with a magically held screwdriver pulled from her jacket pocket, "It's what I'm best at after all... and you're right. This stone isn't the primary one that leads to the metaphysical border of the city... It should probably be considerably bigger in order to catch the aetherial charge that the rest of the gates send to it that results in the spatial folding."

 

The guard was proving to be rather pleasant company as well, and she had the common sense to bring a medical kit. Bevel smiled faintly at the mare, "I'll be sure to let you know if I get hurt particularly bad." Upon hearing Fire's questioning tone about the presence of a megatitanoboa in the area, Bevel nodded. "Their aren't many of them but I have found the skin of at least one on my last trip here... I needed to properly calibrate the device for the magical signatures native to Unyasi. I found a shed skin on the border of the brackenweald that was larger than a train."

 

 

[Dio]

Megatitanoboa.  Ah yes, more megafauna, exactly what they needed.  Biology was not Daedalus’ specialty, but even he knew enough to stay out of sight and out of earshot of anything with a ravenous appetite and the means to quickly crush and consume the lot of them.  Thankfully, it seemed the other ponies had the same idea.

 

As for interdimensional ethereal analyzers, Daedalus was both far more astute and far more curious.  However, he knew better than to be a know-it-all.  Princess or not, there was nopony to show off for.  He was here for the artifacts and not the ponies after all.

 

Fire Walker nodded her head as the good Princess spoke. "I remember hearing about hidden camps the R.E.A would build during the old times. They would not show up if you were actively looking for it, but if you knew about it, and simply walked towards the camp as if was always there and visible, it would be revealed." That might not have made sense. The book did a much better job at explaining its passive magic. "Sort of like when you wake up, there are things you might do..Things you do all the time without even thinking." Could magic detect active thinking?

 

Perception filters coupled with perhaps a pocket sanctuary spell, likely a derivative of Meadowbrook’s Magnificent Mansion.  Not the flashiest of magicks, but one of the more useful.  Every mage wanted to learn how to sling fire and lightning.  Nopony wanted to learn how to give succor to the hungry, heal the sick, or shelter the destitute.  Daedalus himself knew variants, though his summoned dwellings were far more spartan and utilitarian, with lab spaces and secure storage vaults in place of banquet halls and ballrooms.  If the temple was hidden by magic, however, that sort of spell architecture was the simplest means to do so and likely the kind of aetheric latticework they would be looking for.

 

“This stone isn't the primary one that leads to the metaphysical border of the city... It should probably be considerably bigger in order to catch the aetherial charge that the rest of the gates send to it that results in the spatial folding."

 

Bevel’s musings caught Daedalus’ ear.  One look at the path marker was enough to show her to be right… mostly.  It may not have been a primary gate stone, but it was still part of the network.  So long as the network still existed in whole or in part, a node trace spell would be able to point them to the nearest main gate.  While the mares spoke, Daedalus constructed such a spell, a cluster of small glowing runes arranging themselves in the proper order before they folded into a neat thaumograph that hummed pleasantly to the ear.

 

To the untrained eye, there was only a small glowing circle of runes hovering in front of daedalus and perhaps the feeling of electric charge running up and down the spine as the spell probed ambient ley flow, mapping it to determine nearest nodes.  To those who could sense the aether, a faintly glowing pointillistic portrait of ley flow unfolded, overlaying the terrain with small chevrons pointing to potential sources of magic.  Studying the point cloud, Daedalus began to see a pattern.  While there were other nodes that the spell picked up, the closest one appeared somewhere to the south, where the trees appeared to thin into a clearing.

“Hmm.” Daedalus began to trot forward, tracing the flow to its source while the rest of them continued to converse...

[Lux]

It didn't surprise Twilight that Fire Walker had been here to the jungles of Unyasi. After all, there were places beyond Canterlot or Ponyville to explore and at times protect. This was why she choose the REA soldier as no amount of research could count for first-hoof experience. 

 

"I remember hearing about hidden camps the R.E.A would build during the old times. They would not show up if you were actively looking for it, but if you knew about it, and simply walked towards the camp as if was always there and visible, it would be revealed."

 

"So to find these REA camps you had to not be searching for them but act like they've always been there," Twilight said to get the point in her mind, "I suppose that's a good first line of defense by camouflaging the camp, especially from creatures in an area. I'm glad that you know this area more than I do. I think I would have been lost or worse if I ventured alone on this quest."

 

The discussions between the ponies put the Princess's mind at ease from the harrowing experience before. Fire Walker and Bevel Gear seemed to be happy to talk with each other. Still, she had to worry about the possibility of something lurking in the jungle, like that  Megatitanoboa.

 

"I build all of the devices I use on my expeditions that may involve magic." She began tinkering a bit with the machine in her hooves with a magically held screwdriver pulled from her jacket pocket, "It's what I'm best at after all... and you're right. This stone isn't the primary one that leads to the metaphysical border of the city... It should probably be considerably bigger in order to catch the aetherial charge that the rest of the gates send to it that results in the spatial folding."

 

Twilight listened to Bevel's description of the runed stone, while also admiring the machine the unicorn tinkered with. This got the Princess thinking, as well as Daedalus who intently studied the stone and the surrounding area. 

 

"If this stone was part of the network supporting the space time folding of the area, then we are close. You're right Bevel, there should be bigger stones around for the energy, so this one may be a tertiary stone in the network, one that only acted as a safeguard in the network. Take out a tertiary stone and the network won't fail, but a primary or secondary one would surely cause it to collapse. That makes me wonder, what if the magic leaking out from this artifact and perhaps more is contained by this field? We must guard against not having a massive leak or else the magic can warp the jungle area, like what I theorize happened to thee Everfree Forest." 

 

“Hmm.”

 

"Hmm?" Twilight said as she activated her magic to scan the area of any signs of magical energy, "You're feeling the energy too, right? We're getting close, although dropping the enchantment is going to be the trick." 

[tacobob]

 

“Yes, I’ve read about the old magic as well.” Being a good little part-time adventurer, Fire Walker made sure to bone up ancient magics as there was no telling what sort of old sorcery she could run into while in the darker parts of Equestria. One could be just a simple ‘Klaatu barada nikto' away from a horrible monster invasion if one was ignorant in the ways of wizardry. "It was strong, but I remember reading that some of the nastier, more powerful stuff had a bad habit of burning through its caster like an old torch. And don't get me started on their artifacts either." Some fool pony got in his head to make relics with their own intelligence. This made for a 'mighty powerful' magical tool, but its user would either become corrupted by the artifact or eventually taken over by his or hers former magical item.

 

The red mare couldn't help but grin as the inventor spoke of her mother and her 'cannon hat', but broke out in a light cringe when the mare mentioned the shredded skin that she would fine. Yuck-City.

 

Curious to see what he was up to, she watched Daedalus for a moment. She dared not ask him what he was doing, as the mare would not want to break the unicorn's train of thought. Thankfully, she at least understood what he was trying to do, and even if she asked, he'd probably go a bit over her head. She knew a few things about magic, but probably couldn't graduate from magic kindergarten with her knowledge.

 

 

On 6/7/2016 at 9:52 AM, Lux said:

I

"So to find these REA camps you had to not be searching for them but act like they've always been there," Twilight said to get the point in her mind, "I suppose that's a good first line of defense by camouflaging the camp, especially from creatures in an area. I'm glad that you know this area more than I do. I think I would have been lost or worse if I ventured alone on this quest."

 

 

 

"I've been here before, but I probably wouldn't make the best tour guide.", the mare admitted, "Last time I was here, we spent so much time running or flying either from or away trouble, I didn't have enough time to enjoy the place. Maybe when things calm down a bit, I'll be able to travel back to the Unyasi and actually get to take in the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and the people of these beautiful lands.", a few ideas quickly formed in the mare's mind as she already had a romantic weekend planned out. "Take my Swift Squall along...", she trailed off as she followed the others. While the others kept their eyes open for any hidden magic, she would keep her peepers peeled for any pesky critters.

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

 

 

 

"Once we finish here I'd enjoy hearing more about your theories on everfree... I had planned to visit that place to take some readings from it." Bevel's horn was beginning to light up with magic but a short "Hmm." and a look towards it's source had made her realize this stranger had beaten her to the activating of a sensor spell. Oh well, less of her own magical pool to spend. The inventor got up from the dirt and brushed it off herself, coughing a bit in response before she followed along after the stallion; hopefully with the other two in tow. 

 

"As for containing the energy leakage and dropping the spell to reveal the temple..." The mare winced as her hoof collided with another stone, "I can easily make some alterations to the I.D.E.A. and make it so it will only drop a small spot in the spell for us to slip in. Sadly though I can't really do anything about Aether leakage without additional equipment back on my ship and even then it would take maybe a couple hours to throw something together that could hold the energy." The dread-locked mare stopped a moment, "Princess, Do you know the buffer spell, for isolating and filtering larger magical feedback surges in the network and lessen any damage it could cause to the physical world? It was an early precursor to the failsafe spell before it's invention by Starswirl." It may have been becoming more and more obvious that Bevel had absolutely no knowledge of this princess beyond her title. "a bit of a modification to the spell to make it into a feedback loop into the realm while my device holds the entrance open... and we could prevent any damage to this..."

*Splat* 

The mare looked down and noticed a foul smelling bloom she'd stepped in, "This... surely ... magical place." She snorted and wiped her hoof on a leaf from the forest floor. This was beginning to get very annoying.

 

 

 

 

[Lux]

"I've been here before, but I probably wouldn't make the best tour guide.", the mare admitted, "Last time I was here, we spent so much time running or flying either from or away trouble, I didn't have enough time to enjoy the place. Maybe when things calm down a bit, I'll be able to travel back to the Unyasi and actually get to take in the sighs, sounds, smells, tastes and the people of these beautiful lands."

 

"Oh...right, I can see how that would be hard to do if you're facing monsters like we just did."

 

The Princess caught a name that Fire Walker said before her voice trailed off. The Alicorn wanted to ask who Swift Squall was, but perhaps that was for later once she and the others were safe. 

 

"Once we finish here I'd enjoy hearing more about your theories on everfree... I had planned to visit that place to take some readings from it." 

 

"Oh yes, the Everfree is an interesting place. It's filled with magic, yet not manipulated like the rest of Equestria could be." 

 

"Princess, Do you know the buffer spell, for isolating and filtering larger magical feedback surges in the network and lessen any damage it could cause to the physical world? It was an early precursor to the failsafe spell before it's invention by Starswirl."

 

"Oh, right, the Aetheral containment and syphoning spell. It has been a while since I tried this spell on a large scale, mostly small contained magical experiments, but I'm willing to try if it means getting into this temple." 

 

It was then they heard a roar in the distance, far away enough to not be an immediate threat, but too close for comfort. 

[tacobob]

 

 

Ho-Boy! Bevel really knew her stuff! The red mare's ears perked up as all the magic talk soared over her head. Thankfully, she understood one thing she said. Starswirl The Bearded. He was the most important conjurer of the pre-classical era. That was it. Everything else was a bit heavy for her, but she still understood what they were trying to do. And. Yeck!

 

What did Miss Bevel step in? "If that's what I think it is, I would make sure you remove all of the residue from your hoof before we continue." Was it a toad plant, or even the nastier Dead Horse Arum Lily? "There are many unique and interesting plants here, but many are very smelly. And the longer it stays on you, the worst it gets...And there's also the issue with flies. and even an allergic reaction could happen." While Fire Walker was not here to look after Bevel, she still wanted to be sure the mare would be safe while she traveled with the Princess.

 

"But worry not Prin....Twilight, I do know a bit about what to avoid while here.", She stopped as the roar sounded. Was that a lion? "Thankfully, most of the animals here will give us a wide berth and leave us be. But some out there thrive on being an unwelcome pest." Would they encounter an Tarax Hippo? Or even the monster plant, the Yehwe Zogban!?

 

The officer needed to pretend she was not looking for the temple. Keep her mind free of anything thought of such a place. Soon, it would come to her. Not the other way around...

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

"As a princess, you gain access to a higher aetheric pool to draw magic from don't you?I'm sure if anyone is up to the task in terms of capability: You are." The brown unicorn pointed her invention around several places, soon enough the beeping began to become frequent enough that she had a decent idea of where the group's entrance would be. "If you do for some reason need any assistance I can attempt to draw some energy as well." 

 

At teh worries of the scent on her hoof she nodded, it's a shame she wasn't a botany expert. "Right... do you have anything that would get the scent off?" She asked as she pulled a tissue from her pocket and wiped off the stuff. She looked around and let ought another annoyed sigh before pulling a plastic bag from her coat and sealing up the tissue in there. "So far I feel alright so unless the allergic reaction is delayed... I'm sure I'll live. If not... well it'd be an acceptable loss so long as the artifact is retrieved."

 

Bevel glanced back to that roar, "That sounds like it's growing closer... We should probably start the process sooner rather than later." Soon the device in her hoof began to beep in rapid succession, "Ah-ha! The dimensional folding seems to be at it's weakest right here."

 

 

[Lux]

"There are many unique and interesting plants here, but many are very smelly. And the longer it stays on you, the worst it gets...And there's also the issue with flies. and even an allergic reaction could happen."

 

"And I thought Poison Joke was a problem," Twilight said holding her nose at the smell that whatever Bevel Gear stepped in. She could only imagine how wonderous and dangerous this place was to her friend Zecora who grew up near here. Perhaps some other time Twilight could return to study the unique flora and fauna here, maybe collect a few samples. But now was not the time for that as they had a mission to track down the lost city. 

 

"But worry not Prin....Twilight, I do know a bit about what to avoid while here.", She stopped as the roar sounded. Was that a lion? "Thankfully, most of the animals here will give us a wide berth and leave us be. But some out there thrive on being an unwelcome pest." 

 

"Well, I don't want to take any chances meeting something like that pony eating plant." 

 

"As a princess, you gain access to a higher aetheric pool to draw magic from don't you?I'm sure if anyone is up to the task in terms of capability: You are.  If you do for some reason need any assistance I can attempt to draw some energy as well." 

 

"I can do that yes, an I certainly thank you for the help. Depending on the strength of this shield this city emits, it may require help busting through it." 

 

 "Ah-ha! The dimensional folding seems to be at it's weakest right here."

 

"And not a moment too soon. That creature sounds like it's getting closer. Alright, I try to open a hole in the shield while you two keep alert in case that thing is going to show up." 

 

With that Twilight focused her magic on the shield and began to tear a magical hole through it. It was much like trying to break through a piece of paper, that is if the paper was as tough as a brick wall! 

[tacobob]

 

 

 

Fire Walker did not like the sound she was hearing. It was a very rare thing in life when a 'roar' was a welcoming sign. Mostly it meant the end was near. Thankfully she was a trained solider, paired with two powerful spell-casters. And while harming a foe was generally reserved for when all the other plans have failed, the mare was ready to even kill if necessary. If this beast were to attempt to harm either Princess Twilight, or Bevel, the young officer would be ready to do whatever it takes to stop it.

 

"I have never encountered poison joke myself, but my brother Cordy helped confiscate a rather large supply of the stuff in Trottingham. Apparently somepony wanted to use it to cause a bit of chaos in the city, so they would be free to rob a nearby jewelry store. Thankfully, they did not get very far into their plan." She now needed to be on the full look out. Would this creature catch up to them, or would they find this hidden temple just in time? She heard a few more magic terms that were far beyond the realm of her understanding.

 

Knowing her weapons were better while in flight. the red Pegasus hovered a few feet over the ground. This allowed her to get a better view of her surroundings, and would allow her to get a few good whacks at whatever was stalking her little group. She hoped it would not come down to this...

[Dio]

The conversation behind faded away as Daedalus scrutinized the arcane sensor. He stopped in his tracks several tens of meters away from the rest of the group. Making a few adjustments to the floating rune circle, the pointillistic display evaporated, leaving only a faint glowing line on the ground.

 

At the same time, his ear twitched as he heard the echoing roar rumble through the trees. Something out there was angry. Or hungry. Hangry. Either way, it was bad news.

 

Daedalus’ eyes followed the still-glowing indicator line all the way back to Twilight. What was she trying to do? Her horn lit brightly and a milky white pool of light appeared before her. The veiling spell, she was trying to burn through it!

 

Daedalus quickly scanned up and down, realizing that the line that the sensor had traced out appeared to be a “seam” of some sort that could be torn open. It would still be delicate work and Daedalus realized it would be difficult and distracting to have Twilight explain the spell to allow him to mirror it. Meanwhile, whatever it was was getting closer.

Suddenly, he had an idea. “Twilight! There’s a seam in the perception mask here! Maybe instead of trying to burn through a single spot, you could apply a bit of shear and force it to tear itself open!”