Trilobite

There was a sound like a thousand dentist's drills and the ennui retreated with an almost physical sensation of withdrawal. The Shapeless Terror shrank, swirling down into an intensely dark cloud that gripped the armor with its tendrils, pulsing as though it were drawing something from the artifact. Its eyes, squeezed down to slits against the light, focused on Emerath, and everyone could feel the waves of cold power flowing out of it and crashing against the unicorn. You're not like other unicorns and you never will be...always in the background...no one would have you on stage...alone even among others...unwanted...tolerated only because you are useful...your special talent is just something anypony could do if they cared to pay attention... Everyone could hear the thoughts, coming through in distorted mixtures of their own voice and that of Emerath, but Emerath, as the focus of the attack, felt these things as though they were his own thoughts, as though they came from deep in his own heart.

2D6+2 (Pocket's unicorn magic and such)=11! I love it when the dice are good to my players.

No problem, Emerath--especially since you let us know! That and taking the chance to post when you can are the main things. Love the variety y'all put into your posts, and thanks for stepping up to a somewhat unusual roleplaying challenge! I like to throw the occasional curveball like that in, but only for the sake of doing something interesting, and only sometimes. Thanks for indulging me and writing such fun stuff with it. Now our ponies have something a little more pressing to contend with...

If the instructions had been simple, following them was much less so. Numerous cave ins forced them to double back, and claws had deeply marred every surface, making further labelling unusual. The trio passed through narrow crevices opened by the shifting of stone and squeezed over barricades that had been thrown up in the battle. Everwhere there was rust and dust, dust and rust. And emptiness. The chambers, built with so much hard work and so much pride, now lay totally empty, silent. All the hopes and happiness and sweat and dreams that had gone into building them had been for nothing. All the fire and courage and dedication of those who had defended them had been for nothing. They were empty now, dark, and cold, like the world itself, the whole world. Empty and without meaning, like the efforts of the Iceguard, like their expedition, like all effort, everywhere... The words echoed in their heads, in their hearts. ...pointless... Every sound seemed hollow, the light gray. ...futile... There was something on the floor of this vast, scarred chamber something familiar. A tarnished bit of silver and gold, surrounded by useless weapons, that drew their eyes. It summoned a memory, but what was the point? ...fleeting... Above them, a black cloud descended, a dozen red eyes glowing in it, tendrils reaching down toward them.

Hey there! Shade looks good to me; the only thing I might recommend is a bit of expansion on her motivation; why does she want to leave home (I mean, there's plenty of reasons, but which in particular make Shade feel this way)? Also, just what is it about writing that appeals to her so much? I like the cutie mark and the reasons behind it, and what comes across of her personality in the cutie mark story. All in all I think this is an interesting character and perhaps with those minor expansions she'll be good to go!

I love what we have so far. I think only Emerath remains!

Hey gang! While folks are working on...well, working and other scheduley-type things, I think it's a good time for some travel scenes! Here's how I'd like to do it. Describe a scene of the trio travelling through the dungeon. You have the general look of the place now, so feel free to elaborate on that, putting in any dungeony elements you like. Show the PCs encountering an obstacle of some sort. Show how another character other than your own is key to getting the group past it. Don't repeat obstacles, and don't repeat key characters. That's it!

A tendril of darkness, like a coherent stream of smoke, slithered up from the pit behind the trio. It flowed along the floor, snaking this way and that, until it reached a few spilled peanuts. In a flash it seized them and was gone.

No problem, gang. Post when you can, and I've no doubt we'll be back on track shortly.

No worries, mate. Thanks for the heads-up--and enjoy the wedding!

Yeah, I've had days like that.

We love you Emerath! Post when you can. Ginger, feel free to post your own response whilst Emerath tries to find a spare moment.

Yippee!

Just a quick recap on where you are after all the action; the hallway continues to curve away, sloping gently downward. Niches dot the walls every few paces, and the glowing mushrooms are gradually resuming their lightshow. That may help with decisions about where to go or what to do; I'll post when necessary.

Oops! Sorry if I wasn't clear. I was thinking you could describe how Ginger Mint would help with being lifted up, but I can totally roll with this, especially as you've presented us with a very nice problem to handle next. Excellent description of disarming the trap, by the way! I like how you made it difficult and tense, and the way she talked with the device is great. Okay, 2D6. Difficulty 9. I roll a 1...and a 6! 7 (roll) +2 (using the highest magic rating since you're working together) +1 (Emerath's assistance) +1 (Ember Spark's assistance)=10! You've done it, and with just enough magic left to give a little bit of help to Ember Spark as she makes her way back (it's a fairly easy jump from any given pendulum to the far side--the gap itself is only two ponies wide). The unicorns in the party will still need to rest for a scene before they can use magic again. I really liked how this went. Despite the complications, when it the chips were down you guys immediately settled on working together, even helping Ember Spark complete the task she was insisting on rather than just yanking her away. In the world of MLP, this sort of thing usually works. As a result, I'm adding one die to the friendship bucket. Dice are added to the friendship bucket when I think a character, or characters, really does something that reflects the spirit of cooperation so important to ponies. Any character can take dice from the pool at any time before a roll. These extra dice are then added to the roll. You can take dice to add to another character's roll, no problem. I'll track the friendship bucket on the first page of this here OOC thread. Alright! I'm curious to see whether you go on exploring, make camp next to the pit, or what.

The mushrooms had gone almost completely dark, and the only light in the tunnel was the glow of magic surrounding Ember Spark and coming from the unicorn's horns. Sparks popped and flared, accompanied by a sharp jolt running through their horns and down into their hearts. It wasn't painful, exactly, but definitely unpleasant: a combination of the feeling that came with being over-cannfinated and the sensation of hitting one's funnybone. The bright, flickering glow clearly illuminated Ember Spark's goal as she was lifted toward it.

Two unicorns working together can totally catch an earth pony, especially since you were ready and waiting. She's safe! You can a) move her away from the pit. Exhausting, but doable. b) Lift her up to the ceiling so she can complete her work. I'll roll for this, difficulty 9. Since Emerath and Pocket Change are working together, we'll use the highest applicable trait--Pocket Change's magic of +2. For each pony that describes how they are helping, I'll add +1 to the roll. Emeber Spark can contribute a +1, too, if she can figure out how to help! If I really feel the spirit of cooperation here, I'll add another +1. Regardless of what happens, you'll need to create take a scene to rest before you can use magic again. Go! Oh! And I absolutely adore the flashback--relevant and nicely timed!

We love you Taco! You can do it!

I, the GM, may be working to keep this a ponies-type story, but the ponies in those stories have certainly felt real danger--and Ember Spark is in very real danger right now! I love the tension which you, as players, have generated here through the actions of your characters. Okay, here's the skinny. Ember Spark, you can totally fix this thing. Well, not fix it, but you can see a relatively quick and simple thing you can do to shut off the mechanism, which will stop the hallways from collapsing. But you other two can see that that chain is going to slip at any moment. If something isn't done right now Ember Spark is going to fall into what looks like a bottomless pit. Often players in these situations ask me how much they can talk. If you're planning on it, I'd say there's time for one short, simple sentance before action must be taken. Go!

There. The growing fissure had exposed the mechanism, support timbers and clock parts and gorgeous ornamental chains repurposed to form the ingenious system that drove the trap. But time had wreaked havoc with the jury-rigged system, and the stresses of operation combined with the load it bore were tearing it and the surrounding structure apart. It couldn't be fixed. Well, not right away. But it could be stopped, Ember Spark could clearly see just what she had to do to shut the whole thing off. Then the walls wouldn't collapse and this whole thing could be repaired and reset later! The chain slipped, and the earth pony slipped with it. Below, the abyss yawned, dark and bottomless. The chain caught and held, groaning with stress, the gear it was fastened on threatening to come loose at any moment. There was some distant shouting, and other noises, but the camshaft, the key to stopping this whole thing was close...so close! Emerath and Pocket Change saw the chain come loose, slithering rapidly toward oblivion, pulled by the heavy weight of the rock which bore their friend. It stopped suddenly, but was already slipping again in slow fits and starts, as if eager to dive into the pit below. Ember Spark continued to climb, seemingly fixated on the mechanism above her.

Duran looks good to me...nothing crazy or overpowered there, and personally I like picturing a lynx drawn in the MLP style. The name changes look good, too..and I think a nickname is no problem. I'll ask folks to look it over and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks for sticking with this and for being so amenable!

Hey there! First of all, not sure about your pet question. My personal feeling would be that you'd simply add it here. Second, I think Pegasus speed is more a concept or idea thing than a hard and fast rule, but ask around here and maybe someone will know better than me. Third, having talked the application over with the more senior RP helpers, it looks like everything's good to go except the name--the idea of human family-style last names doesn't really work in Equestria (Pinkie Pie was probably just done that way for comedic effect). The Apple family, for example, all have different names rather than names that end in Apple. I think that minor tweak should do it!

A hoof-sized piece of stone clattered down against the statue that Ember was trying to heft and skidded across the floor, all the way into the pit. The mushrooms were going dark as the crack neared them, and increasing amounts of dust were beginning cloud the air. With a sproing, a spring shot free from the growing fissure, and the mechanism's action took on a strident note.

I put the B is subtle!

Glad they were useful!