To Contact Their Spirits

Subject: To Contact Their Spirits Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:26 am

It was now midnight at Everfree, a lone full moon in its dark sky. The forest had a faint blanket of fog intruding its premises, increasing its eerie atmosphere. The howls of the Timberwolves echo'd throughout the area, banishing their potential prey into their dark hideouts.

A lone mare stood in a clearing, wearing only a dark cloak. Her silver mane was hidden in the cloak's hood, yellow eyes staring at the ground in front of her. There was what seemed to be a symbol of some sort, made with dark ash. Surrounding the symbol were candles, just barely holding onto their light against the breeze.

The white mare began reciting an incantation, eyes open and alert at the symbol. She focused on the words, focusing on their purpose and meaning. By the time she was finished, she was out of breath. She stood in silence, waiting.

After what felt like decades, she let out a sigh of disappointment. "...It didn't work." She lifted her cloak, revealing a saddlebag. She took out a small book that looked as if it had lived for many decades. Flipping through the pages, the mare found the ritual she had performed.

"Hmm... It doesn't look like I did anything wrong..." She read the page over and over, trying to find if there were any errors in what she had done. But alas, she was not mistaken. It didn't work. Just like the rest of them.

The mare put the book back into her saddlebag, sitting down. "Well, it looks like I came out here all for nothing..." She mumbled, staring at the 'presentation' she had created. This was such a waste of time.

Subject: Re: To Contact Their Spirits Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:49 am

The winds ran softly against the trees in this dark place. At times the breeze would just hit the branches with a certain angle that let out faint whispers that would send chills down the spines of little foals. Creaking as the branches swayed with the wind, an eerie atmosphere was created. Set in the night, the scene before the blind zebra was like the start of an old mare's tale.

The zebra, covered completely by a cloak was trotting by the forest when he felt a slight change in the wind. He did not know what it meant since he had only reestablished his link to the world of mystery, the world of spirits where all things living and dead were connected. Intrigue was what brought him there, into the dark depths of the unknown home to many fierce creatures. One of which was howling.

He followed an invisible trail left by the wind, towards a clearing where a mare was performing some sort of ritual. The wind blew to his direction, sending the mare's whispers to his ears. Such strange chants... He felt uneasy as the chanting continued. Spirits started to grow restless in his head. Unsure why, he drew his bow and arrow, attempting to hinder the ritual. But soon it was over, much to the disappointment to the mare. He returned his weapon on his back, next to his gear and stepped out to the clearing with his face still covered by his hood. "Do not trifle with the dead or you will see, that the spirits are not too keen on giving mercy." He said in an ominous tone. The spirits do not need to be disturbed. They had earned their eternal rest.

Subject: Re: To Contact Their Spirits Tue Feb 26, 2013 5:41 pm

It was strange to see a filly stroll around the Everfree around this time. Or, ever for that matter. Especially one from Canterlot. But Spell Tome heard interesting tales of this place. She heard it was magical, but very dangerous. But it could hold some very nice ingredients for some potions she could cook up later. So down she went, into the Everfree, without a care in the world.

To her surprise, she saw one other pony already in the area. She heard her doing some sort of dark ritual. Summoning the dead, maybe? Whatever reason, she was interested. Maybe she could learn from it. She approached the mare in the robes excited. "Oooh, are you summoning dead ponies? That's so fascinating! Can I watch?" Not one's favorable experience, but watching dead rise is always a fun trip. Who knows, maybe it'll come in handy. She payed no mind to the zebra, as he was trying to ruin the ritual "I tried doing this once, too"

Subject: Re: To Contact Their Spirits Thu Feb 28, 2013 7:14 am

"Do not trifle with the dead or you will see, that the spirits are not too keen on giving mercy."

"EEE!" Mirage nearly jumped out of her fur in surprise. She jumped back a few hooves from where she was, eyes wide and shifting in search of the origin of the voice. Her eyes landed on another cloaked figure, a distance from her. The white mare was unsure of what to think of this situation. Another stranger in Everfree at this late hour? Not possible. What if the figure was some sort of... Spirit guardian? That sounded silly. But this stranger just popped out of nowhere, right when she finished her ritual. Could it have really been a coincidence?

"U-Umm..." The mare couldn't think of what to say. Words were tangled and and twisted as they attempted to form. And just when she was about to speak again, she was interrupted by the most unusual sound. The voice of a little filly.

"Oooh, are you summoning dead ponies? That's so fascinating! Can I watch? I tried doing this once, too"

What shock Mirage had was doubled. Tripled, even. A filly had emerged out of nowhere, trotting up to her and asking to watch a ritual to summon the dead. The filly even said she TRIED it once! Well, the ritual the white mare was doing wasn't actually to summon the dead. More of to communicate with them, really.

"Little filly, what are you doing out here?" She asked, taking her attention away from the cloaked figure for the moment. "Where are your parents?" She added. What kind of adults would allow their filly to just wander into such a dangerous place. At midnight, nonetheless!

Subject: Re: To Contact Their Spirits Thu Feb 28, 2013 9:45 am

The mare seemed shocked, possibly thinking the zebra was a ghost. He had no way of telling whether his assumptions were right, but her aura emanated anxiety. The only way he could identify the mare was by the collective blots of silver -- or was it white? -- that formed the basic shape of a female pony. He couldn't identify whether she had a horn or a pair of wings, but the vibrations of the ground as she jumped in fear of the zebra had sent a message that she had a much denser skeletal structure compared to pegasi and unicorns, and the sound of her hooves had that distinct sound for her race.

All these things were almost impossible to notice for most, but being blind from the start of his life made Blindsight more attuned to these smaller details to compensate, but he was no superhero and blindness was still a major handicap for the zebra. But in some cases, he was glad to be blind. He didn't have to see friends get mauled by wild beasts in the wilderness. Such an experience would no doubt leave deep scars of burden.

A few moments have passed and the mare was still in shock. Perhaps she DID see a ghost and he just didn't notice. Blindsight's face was still covered in the shadow oh his hood as he sensed another approach the clearing. This one was much lighter and by looking at the small yellow blob coming out of the trees, he could say that it was a child, a filly if his deductions were correct. He didn't really listen to the conversation between the two ponies, but was a bit unnerved by the notion of a young filly performing a forbidden ritual.

Blindsight approached the ground where the candles were standing, a bit intrigued. There on the ground, he could make out the outlines of a symbol drawn with what looked to be ashes. He lifted his front hoof over the rim of the symbol and gently tapped the surface of the ash. A breeze blew by, making the candles dance. He pressed his hoof on the ash and slid it to one side in a wiping motion. As he did that, a strong breeze blew out the candles and scattered the ashes. He walked a few steps away from the two.

"If spirits are what you seek,
Then I'm afraid your hopes are bleak.
Your attempts are meek,
For the spirits refuse to speak.

Disturb them not or you will regret,
For you will be seeing something you might never forget.
This is not a threat,
But an asset."

Subject: Re: To Contact Their Spirits Thu Feb 28, 2013 5:41 pm

Spell Tome was still amazed about everything happening right now. A mare contacting spirits and a blind zebra? Better than staying at home and sleeping. She looked over at the mare in the robes and responded to her being here at this time "I sneaked out of my house to find some things for potions I was going to make. Then I came across this, and I'm interested." Spell now realized that it wasn't normal to be in the Everfree at this time. Nor was it to admit to preforming magic to summon spirits. "Maybe I should've left that last part out from before. Hehe."

Spell finally acknowledged the zebra, how he was rhyming and feeling everything. "Um, are you ok?" The zebra was making her a bit uncomfortable. Which is odd because she was perfectly fine with the Dark Magic. She was starting to take what he said a bit more seriously, and wanted to go back to her business. But something kept telling her to stay and see what would happen with the mare and zebra

Subject: Re: To Contact Their Spirits Fri Mar 01, 2013 11:46 am

"I sneaked out of my house to find some things for potions I was going to make. Then I came across this, and I'm interested."

Mirage narrowed her eyes, before making a 'tsk tsk' sound. "Silly little filly, you shouldn't do such things, even in the name of magic. Now I may be an earth pony, but I'm pretty sure little unicorn like you shouldn't be experimenting with such dangerous methods. Leave the potions and dark magic for the experienced. Now go on, scurry home before the Timberwolves come and eat you." She warned. Was this really the youth of today? Running amok, making potions and attempting to summon the dead? And they said she was crazy.

The white mare's attention switched from the filly to the cloaked zebra, who had suddenly trotted up and began to wave a hoof at her symbol. As she was about to question, a strong breeze blew by, blowing out her candles and bringing her dark ash along as it passed. Her dull yellow eyes watched as her hard work was blown away by the wind, all gone. She turned her attention back at the cloaked figure as it spoke with the same ominous voice as it did when it came.

"If spirits are what you seek,
Then I'm afraid your hopes are bleak.
Your attempts are meek,
For the spirits refuse to speak.

Disturb them not or you will regret,
For you will be seeing something you might never forget.
This is not a threat,
But an asset."

Taking a moment to absorb the odd rhyme, Mirage frowned. The spirits in this forest weren't going to answer her calls, and she was being warned not to do anything to disturb them again. Remembering the past books she'd read, she guessed these spirits weren't the 'evil' ones whom would wreak havoc and cause mischief. What a disappointment. With all these odd occurrences in the forest, she was sure she'd find some spirits who would contact her. But it seems her hopes were to no avail, as the ones that rested in this forest seemed peaceful and undeserving of such disturbances.

"Well, my sincerest apologies then. I didn't mean to disturb. I just wished to speak, is all. I promise not to commit any more of my rituals in this forest." She said, watching as the cloaked figure began to step away. "Oh, but may I ask who you are? I've never actually met somepony who speaks in rhymes. It's... Intriguing, in a way."

Subject: Re: To Contact Their Spirits Fri Mar 01, 2013 9:32 pm

Only in this forest? Well it was a start. The zebra nodded at her promise that no more rituals will take place here. That seemed to send the environment to a calm state. He turned to leave, having no more business here but before he could take another step, the mare had asked who he was, saying that a rhyming somepony was new and intriguing for her.

"I guess there is no harm in knowing,
Who is the one talking.
My name is Blindsight,
And no, I do not bite."

Blindsight pulled up his hood to show the windy markings on his face and the stripes on his neck. His yellow eyes were hazy as if they were fogged. The rings hanging on his ears glimmered under the lunar glare, illuminating the small notch on his upper ear, a result of a beastly encounter.

"I am a zebra as you can see,
And blind I may be.
But I can clearly see
All around me."

Perhaps he exaggerated the last part, perhaps he did not. Things like those were dependent on the situation, and not entirely controlled by will. Sometimes everyone just needs a helping hoof or two.

Subject: Re: To Contact Their Spirits Fri Mar 01, 2013 10:22 pm

This was starting to get a little much for Spell Tome. She didn't want to argue with the mare about her magic skills, because that would be pointless. "This is getting a little too much for me. I think I'll just collect some things and go." She was considering going back home and sleeping this off. But her curiosity kept telling her to stay. She didn't know what to do, and she was starting to get scared at the mention of Timberwolves. But what the mare said about her not being experienced and to "scurry along" made her stay, to show that she was brave and experienced

Subject: Re: To Contact Their Spirits Sun Mar 03, 2013 3:31 am

"Wow... A zebra? I've never seen one..." Mirage seemed fascinated by the zebra's odd physique, especially because he was blind. She'd never met a zebra before, having heard of them only in books. They were known for having strong spiritual connections to the other world, due to having a tribal background. Rumors has it that they were able to create charms, potions, and other odd goods that supported their odd beliefs and otherworldly abilities. She felt giddy about this, but knew that the zebra probably wouldn't exhibit any of those abilities, especially after warning her not to commit any rituals to disturb the spirits that resided in the forest.

The white mare took her attention away from Blindsight, noticing that the filly wasn't heading home. What a persistent little filly, not minding such dangers! Then again, it was already a very dangerous hour. Letting such a young unicorn try to wander back alone would be terrible. Just then, Mirage got an idea.

"Oh! Why don't we camp out here for the night? It's awfully late now. It would be dangerous to go wandering at such darkness." With that, she got her saddlebag out. "Luckily I've come prepared. I've already gathered some firewood from earlier, along with a few necessities."

The mare stopped, looking over to the zebra. "Um. That is, if the spirits don't mind?"

Subject: Re: To Contact Their Spirits Sun Mar 03, 2013 4:29 am

Blindsight admired the filly's courage, but that could easily been a false face she put on to prove she was capable, which was not always good. Either way, her staying with a group was for the best. There was no telling what dangers there was just lurking behind the bushes. He will have to escort these two when they chose to leave. No point in forcing them out since he didn't have any form of control or authority here. The zebra tilted his head, feeling a vibe of fascination from the mare. It was probably a common reaction, considering the scarcity of his kind around this part of Equestra.

He gave a smile as the mare suggested to camp out for the night. It was both a good and a bad idea. Traveling at night was dangerous, but so was camping out in such a place. But he had faith that the spirits would guide them through the night. As the wind blew, he closed his eyes to focus on what it said. "We will not be denied so long as we abide, the rules of common respect so we wont be treated like a threat. Though for the wilderness I cannot say the same, for her creatures won't be as tame. Wild beasts do roam as we do at home."

He took a few steps forward to the two. "I have already given you my name, would you be so kind as to do the same?"

Subject: Re: To Contact Their Spirits Thu Mar 07, 2013 10:47 am

Spell Tome was a bit confused right now. But they did suggest they camp out, so there's that. And, as far as she could tell, Blindsight was asking for their names. "My name is Spell Tome" This was starting to get a bit creepy. She would've ran out, but it's too late now. So much as walking behind a bush could get her killed, and being a filly is too young to die or lose a limb. "We should get started on our camp, then"

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