[Canterlot] Down in the Deep Archives (Closed)

[Karnaloth]

Strife, being a royal lunar guardsmare, didn't fear the darkness surrounding her at all, actually, she rejoiced in it, until torches were lit around her and she looked upon everypony there so much for a nice Stallion she giggled, and flew upward a bit, floating above the ground she heard a voice "I do hope you'll be able to find all that you're looking for down here, but... understand that knowledge doesn't come free... I expect something from each of you in order to get the information you desire... Let me start you off down the correct path..."

''you know, ponynapping me is probably the worst idea you've had, your going to jail for this stupid prank buddy.'' she gazed into the direction of the torches ''but finding out what you're up to is probably a correct path to take'' Strife blundly followed the torches, not really aware about the others anymore, her mind set to putting this ''prankster'' behind bars.

[EquestrianScholar]

''You know, ponynapping me is probably the worst idea you've had, your going to jail for this stupid prank buddy.'' said the pony near where she was ''but finding out what you're up to is probably a correct path to take''

"Perhaps he has reason to be so careful," Stardream spoke up nerviously as she followed Strife and the others, "a pony once told me 'knowledge is power, guard it well'. There could be those that would use knowledge for selfish reasons... reasons that could even harm others."

She looked around, wondering if she really would find what she was looking for... and wondered what her price would need to be.

[MidnightRead]

"I do hope you'll be able to find all that you're looking for down here, but... understand that knowledge doesn't come free... I expect something from each of you in order to get the information you desire... Let me start you off down the correct path..."

Midnight turned her head to find the pony who had brought them to this strange place. Midnight watched as a pony ran down the path of the torches.

"Who in the name of Celestia was that?" Midnight asked,

What did the mysterious voice mean? 'Something from each of you'? What would they have to give up? Millions of questions raced around in Midnight's mind.

[RarityDash]

"Welcome, subjects, to the Deep Archives" a voice announced boldly to them before long, following on a trail of deep and ominous laughter that seemed to sound from all around them. A voice projection spell? Just what was this? Who was this? What were they after...?

"I do hope you'll be able to find all that you're looking for down here, but... understand that knowledge doesn't come free... I expect something from each of you in order to get the information you desire... Let me start you off down the correct path..."

Arcana smirked. Curious. How very curious. This ominous presence would claim that if had all the knowledge they were looking for? Quite the bold claim. Arcana didn't trust it. She couldn't trust it, but she had to admit she was in the very least amused. On the off chance the knowledge she sought really was here in this dark place, she was eager to find it. As the torches turned from green to red, extending out in a line into the darkness, she was eager to follow.

"Show The Archivist that you're worthy of this knowledge, and I may find it in my grasp to bestow it upon you..."

So they were expected to "prove their worth" now? Arcana smiled. If this might be real, she was going to grasp it. There was no challenge she couldn't topple. She would not be bested by some game. If true knowledge, true power could be hers, she was not going to be contained!

"I don't know who you are, but I do doubt you know the calibre of pony you now deal with! If this folly is some manner of game or challenge, I'll have it appear as but foal's play, you have my word! If you truly do have the knowledge I seek, you cannot hope to keep it from me!" Arcana called out into the darkness, smirking as she spoke her piece.

She didn't even glance at the others. They were of little consequence to her. Instead she just started to trot ahead following the red torches, eager to find where they'd lead.

[SilverMint]

Silver Mint

Silver Mint barely had time to process what was going on before several of his fellows were dashing down the corridor of bookshelves with the red-lighted torches. "No! Wait! We should all stick together!" he called out, watching their figures galloping into the darkness. He turned to Midnight Read and the dark blue unicorn who was teleported with them. "You two stay here, I'll try to catch the others and get them back here. If I'm not back in two minutes, come after us, okay?"

Without waiting for an answer, Silver Mint dashed off to try and catch the two who had gone on ahead. "Where are you???"

[Karnaloth]

Strife was following the torches down the lit up path, noticing only darkness beyond those torches, she tried extinguishing one, only to have it re-ignite after a moment.

now thats interesting she thought as she continued her investigation, it was a while before she noticed a voice behind her call out "Where are you???"

she recognized it as from one of the ponies from earlier, and replied in a kind manner ''who are you looking for dear?" she continued in-specting the surrounding area, slowly advancing up her shadowy path.

[EquestrianScholar]

Stardream slows down for Silver Mint to catch up before saying, "we should all follow, that way we stick together and move forward. I can't let them go ahead without me"

She worried what might happen if those ahead disappeared from sight, espectually that one unicorn... what was her name? She got a bad feeling with her.

[MidnightRead]

Midnight was about to say she will go with him but before she could open her mouth he was already gone.

Midnight sighed she hated being left behind, she began to look around at the dusty bookshelves.

She turned to the path that was lit by the red touches.

'How long as he been gone? Has it already been two minutes?' She thought to herself,

[SilverMint]

Silver Mint

Silver Mint caught up with Stardream and Strife. "I think we need to stick together down here--" he said simply. Reflecting that he had just abandoned Midnight Read back in the round room, he sort of kicked himself for saying what he just did. "It's probably best until we find out exactly where we..." Silver Mint trailed off as something moved in the corner of his eye as they passed between two bookcases. "I just have a feeling we're being watched..."

-----

The Archivist

The Archivist watched as Arcana hurried ahead of the others, following the green torches. The Archivist checked the records on Arcana... black fire... that would work quite well, quite well...

A few muttered words, and the torches nearest Arcana switched to an evil-looking black flame, casting a negative glow on everything, her dark pink coat suddenly glowing bright blue in the negative-light. The Archivist chose this moment to address her directly. "Arcana... on the constant search for the knowledge of power... but afraid of her own abilities..." The Archivist paused a moment to let its voice set in. "You seek knowledge as a source of power, but how can you handle the power you desire when you cannot handle the power you currently possess?"

((Sorry about the long wait, every pony. I got swamped at work because we lost one of our cast members, and I had to learn his role at the last minute. Now that the show's open, I'll have more time to give this RP the time it deserves. Again, thanks for your patience.))

[RarityDash]

Arcana was surprised when the green flames turned suddenly black. What in the world? It looked almost like her own flames, but its glow was somehow strangely eerie. A voice accompanied it.

"Arcana... on the constant search for the knowledge of power... but afraid of her own abilities... You seek knowledge as a source of power, but how can you handle the power you desire when you cannot handle the power you currently possess?"

A moment of fear set in upon hearing her voice. How? What was the trick? How could she be known? Was this "Archivist" truly clairvoyant? No. Arcana couldn't accept that. This was a ruse. It had to be.

"Is that your game? You think you understand! You have the gall to claim you know what I fear?" Arcana shouted with all the ferocity she could muster.

"I do not fear my power! I have mastered it! My control is flawless! I am not the helpless foal, whimpering at my mother's side I once was!" she continued to call out to the Archivist. "I'm past that! I am in control! I am ready for new and greater power!"

[EquestrianScholar]

Stardream saw the flame change in color, altered by some unknown hoof as she heard the Archivist speak, "Arcana... on the constant search for the knowledge of power... but afraid of her own abilities... You seek knowledge as a source of power, but how can you handle the power you desire when you cannot handle the power you currently possess?"

"So that is way... that is way I worried about letting you go ahead," Stardream say outloud, giving Arcanaa worried look as she stepped closer, "don't you know some power is dangerous, that magic cannot be controlled fully by unicorns?"

[Karnaloth]

Strife ran forward when she heard the ''archivist'' ''no time I've got to put this mad pony behind bars'' she ran forward eventually arriving at Arcana

''do you know where he is, it seemed to come from everywhere..'' Strife looked around puzzled for a moment ''no doubt its a unicorn now.'' she walked forward slowely looking around for clue's to where the voice would've been able to come from, it must've had a specific origin.

[SilverMint]

Silver Mint

Silver Mint had frozen when he had heard the voice. He tried to place where the owner of the voice was from based on the accent, the pacing, and the pattern of the words, but it was unlike anything he had come across in his studies on voices and dialects. The Archivist seemed to be focused on the black-hatted unicorn, Arcana... insinuating that she was looking for some source of power in the library... what was she looking for?

The flames returned to their red flames, leaving the group in a stunned silence. Silver Mint looked over at Arcana, a hint of suspicion in his eye. "What does The Archivist mean when it says that you're looking for power?"

-----

The Archivist

The Archivist turned its attention to the abandoned unicorn, still waiting in the opening foyer. This was Midnight Read, the one searching for inspiration. She wouldn't need the theatrics required for Arcana to be deterred; she would need something more subtle.

"Help me, please..." The Archivist placed a small foal's voice just out of sight near Midnight Read, leading away from where the other ponies had gathered. "Please help, I'm lost..."

If The Archivist were capable of a smile, it would have. This new batch of ponies was going to be far too easy.

[MidnightRead]

Midnight Read was currently waiting for Silver Mint's return. She was about to go galloping in her self but that was until she heard the voice.

"Help me, please..." Midnight turned her to where the voice came from, she trotted forward a little bit noticing it was a foals voice, "Please help, I'm lost..." Midnight looked behind her to where the other ponies had gone. She turned her head back to where the foals voice came from and lit up her horn adding some more brightness into the room.

She began to gallop in the direction of the voice lighting up the pathway as she galloped. She would stop every so often hearing more cries of help from the voice and made sure she was going in the right direction while shouting at the top of her voice, "Don't worry! I'm coming!"

[SilverMint]

The Archivist

The unicorn had separated herself far from the others... now was the time...

The Archivist created an illusory foal-- a young version of Midnight herself at the end of a long corridor... The trap was set, and the pieces were moving.

Midnight read arrived at the end of the hallway, coming face-to-face with the young doppleganger. The small foal gave a wicked smile. "Looks like you're all alone again." it said, its voice no longer the innocent wail it had been before. It disappeared in a flash of light and smoke, leaving Midnight Read all by herself.

The Archivist let out a disembodied laugh. "Poor Midnight Read... you just came here looking for a story to write, something to inspire you? These bookshelves contain tens of thousands of scrolls and books, each of which containing dozens of stories, both fiction and non... What is so wrong with you that you can't find something to write? You're all alone here, abandoned by your comrades... with no one but me to watch you wither away..."

The Archivist's voice trailed away, leaving Midnight Read in darkness, silence, and stillness. Alone.

[EquestrianScholar]

((O.O.C. I wish I could do something, gah))

[RarityDash]

Arcana gave a frustrated stomp of her hoof as the presence and voice seemed to depart. She turned to see the other ponies there, staring at her with questioning eyes.

"Don't you know some power is dangerous, that magic cannot be controlled fully by unicorns?"

"What does The Archivist mean when it says that you're looking for power?"

The words came from the unicorn mare and the stallion respectively. The pegasus guard meanwhile seemed, quite sensibly, more concerned with their mysterious "Archivist" than Arcana. The other two seemed to judge her, as was obviously the intent. What an obvious game. This Archivist seemed intent on creating distrust amongst them, putting them at each others throats. Fair enough; these ponies didn't have reason to trust Arcana to be honest. She however didn't have time for this.

"This Archivist means what they say. I am a seeker of ancient secrets; lost magic. I came here seeking the knowledge of forgotten spells with which I might bolster my magical power," Arcana said in as terse of terms as she could. "Is there something so wrong with that?

[SilverMint]

Silver Mint

Silver Mint traded a glance with Stardream and looked back at Arcana. "Nothing wrong with that. I'm sorry, you're probably right. This 'Archivist' character is trying to turn us against each other. He'll probably try to separate us..."

Silver Mint trailed off as his eyes widened with realization. "No! We left Midnight Read behind!" he cried turning around to face the darkness from which the group came. He was about to run off to save her when he was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Oh, yes, the ever-reliable Silver Mint... doing his best to play the hero, both on the stage and off... what are you trying to prove? That you can beat destiny? Your namesake, your heritage, and your mark all decry your two-faced nature."

Silver Mint visibly wilted at these words. How had this thing known... but still... it couldn't be true...

"We have to go back for her..." he said, his voice void of the heartiness it had before. "...right?"

[EquestrianScholar]

"Oh, yes, the ever-reliable Silver Mint... doing his best to play the hero, both on the stage and off... what are you trying to prove? That you can beat destiny? Your namesake, your heritage, and your mark all decry your two-faced nature."

Stardream noticed the change and says to the stallion, "don't worry, you will get through this and find what you seek. We need to find Midnight" Her encouragement to Silver was clearly honest... yet her tone of voice made it difficult to tell if she was just helping him feel better or if she actually knew what she was saying.

Stardream looks to Arcana, still having a bad feeling about her but says, "Please, you will find power but we need to stay together."

[MidnightRead]

Midnight blinked as the foal disappeared.

"Poor Midnight Read... you just came here looking for a story to write, something to inspire you? These bookshelves contain tens of thousands of scrolls and books, each of which containing dozens of stories, both fiction and non... What is so wrong with you that you can't find something to write? You're all alone here, abandoned by your comrades... with no one but me to watch you wither away..."

"Who are you?" She asked trying to be brave, She began to trot forward but went strait into a bookcase, she began to gallop in different directions but came face to face to a bookcase every time, not giving up Midnight continued running in different directions.

[Karnaloth]

Strife turned to Silver ''dont let him get to you, he's just trying to put us against each-other, like said before'' she gave an uncertain and hopeless look ''I ofcourse would love to find midnight, but I am absolutely clueless to where she would be, if you can find the way back, feel free to go for her, while I'll go ahead and but this weirdo and maniac behind bars'' moments later Strife galloped down the corridors fearless of the darkness as ever.

[SilverMint]

The Archivist

It was all too easy, they were falling apart piece by piece. The guardsmare had gone off on her own, it was time to strike another blow.

"Running off from anyone who will speak with you? Eh?" The Archivist asked, "Strange, how one who seeks affection so desperately is so quick to desert those in need..."

Two black-brick walls rose up at the ends of the floor-to-ceiling bookcases on either side of Strife, effectively cocooning her with nothing but a single green torch illuminating the shelves of ancient scrolls.

"Surprised? Don't be. You've put up so many walls around yourself, I don't see how adding a few more will make any difference!"

The Archivist turned its attention to Stardream. This pony was the one that The Archivist held in the highest amount of curiosity.

"Didn't see that coming, did you?" The Archivist taunted, "One would think that you'd be able to control your abilities-- oops! Did I say that out loud? Well, I'm sure your friends will understand how much of a freak you are. If I were them, I'd be curious as to why you didn't use these abilities to prevent all of this from happening." The Archivist let out another cruel, bellowing laugh. "I do believe I've overstayed my welcome, but don't worry, I'll be keeping a close eye on you all. 'Ta!"

---

Silver Mint

The voice resounded into silence. Silver Mint, still shaken from The Archivist's taunts, looked from Stardream to Arcana, the only ones left nearby. "Alright, the guardsmare will look for a way out, in the meantime, I say we stick together, find Midnight, and then see if the guardsmare has found a way out by then. Does that sound good?"

[Karnaloth]

Strife was galloping down the corridor when the archivists voice was heard again

"Running off from anyone who will speak with you? Eh?" followed by "Strange, how one who seeks affection so desperately is so quick to desert those in need..."

''oh, I had hoped we could have a nice little chat!'' Strife wasted no time on the second remark until she saw wall rise up in-front and behind her ''Desert those in need, those ponies were fine, its you that needs a visit!''

she started beating at the walls around her with her hind legs trying to break out

"Surprised? Don't be. You've put up so many walls around yourself, I don't see how adding a few more will make any difference!"

Strife felt her kicks strength drop when this remark made it to her ears, she sat down and started thinking how does somepony know all this about me, its impossible clearly he just made a wild guess... but why does it hurt so much? she shook the thought off rather quickly and decided that the bookcases would probably hold structural weaknesses because of being so old she then yelled to re-assure herself ''I'll make sure you get a few walls surrounding you by the end of this day!''

[RarityDash]

Arcana was honestly a little surprised with how readily she was accepted. Maybe they didn't quite understand? They clearly didn't know what manner of power she sought, nor what she intended to do with it. Though as each new utterance from the Archivist proved, perhaps these ponies had their own secrets. How curious.

The stallion who the Archivist called Silver Mint: he played hero, he wished to beat destiny, something about his name and heritage and in fact his nature? The mare named Stardream possessed some kind of ability, something that made her a freak, something that could have prevented this happening? Arcana could hear whispers of what the voice said to the other two as well, but it was more distinct at the range. Surely they two had secrets though. How interesting. At this rate, Arcana would soon actually find herself having fun.

For now, she might as well play along, if only to see where it would take her. Sure, she didn't care a single jot over the safety of the filly that had stayed behind, but for the sake of curiosity, it seemed the wise thing in the case. If they were playing by this Archivist's rules, it would do her well to have others around her to soak up the damage of whatever attacks got thrown at her.

"Very well. Let us return and regroup then," she said with a nod to the stallion, ready to follow him.

[EquestrianScholar]

"Didn't see that coming, did you?" The Archivist taunted, "One would think that you'd be able to control your abilities-- oops! Did I say that out loud? Well, I'm sure your friends will understand how much of a freak you are. If I were them, I'd be curious as to why you didn't use these abilities to prevent all of this from happening."

Stardream flinched and stopped moving for a moment when the Archivist said this. Tears moving to her eyes as she says softly moving away from the others a bit as if hit, "but... I can't know everything, I can't control it well." Shaking her head she wiped her eyes before looking at the other two afriad they would ask questions, her hair hiding her face.