//------------------------------// // Death Loop // Story: Cyber Equestria: Shadow's Adventures // by nihilis3 //------------------------------// Shadow: Shadow had been wondering the labyrinthine corridors of his underground prison for quite some time. He was beginning to feel alone and lost. Shadow was also sporting several new cuts and bruises. The only positive the young pony could find in his situation was that his echo location skill had been steadily improving. Shadow could now tell gabs and crevices from simple divets and cracks. He also noticed a a steady at increase in his ultrasonic range. Still he would be happy to leave his dark prison behind. 'I wonder if I've passed this spot before?' He wondered scuffing a hoof across the stone. The sound caused to cavern to alight to his mind showing jutting stone outcroppings and an ever extending floor. Shadow sighed audibly causing another flash of landscape. 'I guess there's still no point in standing around.' He thought following the path his ears showed. 'Still how did this happen?' He thought as he moved. 'Maybe its a vr system I was...' Shadow paused to explore the current train of thought some more. Finally after a brief search through his memories he conclude that no he had not created a virtual world capable of trapping a ponie's conscienceness. 'Though the application for prisoner reformation and containment are promising.' He smiled at the thought and continued. Shadow's lonely walk continued on for several more hours. He passed the time reciting the Equestrian periodic table, several designs he had made and several long spells from his mother's grimoure. Eventually he found himself at a crossroads. Shadow froze willing his ears to hear. Some of his father's words coming to him. "Listen if your trapped underground there are two things to look for." Iron said to his toddler son. "Firstly is an elevated path." He paused looking to his son. "Do you understand? " he asked a slightly confused Shadow. "Upsies!" The blue eyed infant exclaimed happily extending his little hands to be picked up. "That's right! my little pathfinder." Iron exclaimed scooping Shadow up in his arms. "Do you know what we look for next?" He asked laughingly. "Eeroshun." Shadow replied testing the new word on his tongue. "What?" Iron asked confused. "Wawa go down take rock with is called eeroshun." Shadow said happily. "Well yeah but how did?" Iron shook the question from his head. "Has got to be that unicorn blood. That stuff is potent." He mused holding Shadow up by his armpits to look him in the eyes. "By Luna I hope its the unicorn blood." He said watching the setting sunlight catch on Shadow's hair like fire. Shadow for his part was enjoying the changing scenery. Shadow let the memory fade back into obscurity. Know what he need to do now, yet how to do it was the puzzle. Do to the nature of his hooves Shadow couldn't use them to feel for erosion and with it still being to dark to see his echo location skill was all he had to relie on. How ever echo location couldn't give him the textures he needed to see. "Glad nobody's going to see this." Shadow said bringing his hands together. A small breeze kicked up as he channeled his thaumatrgic energy to his hands. Pulling his hands apart the breeze strengthened playing with his mane and pooling in his hand. The swirling vortex in Shadow's hand soon became visible as his light blue magic combined in the center pulling itself into a perfect orb of bright blue light. "It worked!" He exclaimed with a laugh. "Mom would flip if she knew I could do this." Shadow said leaning down to see the cave floor. A brief inspection show that the path on his left was smoothest, showing the most erosion. Shadow started down the path and snuffed his light knowing that it would be easier to track then his screech. He continued the steadily rising path untill it leveled off and he found himself in a well lit cavern. The cavern was enormous with a single splash of light in its center highlighting a small grass patch with a single flower. The sunlight that rained down warmly bloomed off the grass and was dispersed around the cavern by several crystal formations that lined the stone walls and ceiling giving the cave a greenish tint. Along the far wall was a small lake were a trickling water fall pooled serenely. Over all there was a sense of calm over the place almost as though it was waiting. Shadow felt the data and magic pool above the small lake as words formed out of thin air. Water can quench thirst and heal minor damage. Drink it directly or fill your canteen to take some with you. 'Ok so where's a canteen?' Shadow thought glancing around the cavern not seeing one. After a minute or two of searching and not findimg anything. When his echo located nothing Shadow entered the cave cautiously. 'The light might be a way out which means this is where the first enemies should be.' He thought remembering games he'd seen other ponies play. He slowly made his way to the water looking through the data that flowed just barely below the worlds surfice. He scanned it for anything from activation points to blatant entity frames. His magic however didn't go far. He was stuck readiling only surface data and that he couldn't control much. 'No cheating then.' He thought hopelessly moving towards the water source. "Hello!" High pitched and happy voice called out. The sudden sound made Shadow jump. He landed in with his feet spread and his hands up and elbows in. "Easy there bruiser." The flower said raising its petals to the air trying to calm Shadow. "So what brings you to my neck of the caves?" The overly jovial flower asked calmly. Shadow stared at the flower for a moment before turning away. 'It's a daisy, I hate daisys.' He thought examining the pool of water. "Hey! I asked you a question." The flower said sounding less cutesie. Shadow smiled a bit knowing he was breaking the things facade. 'I knew that thing was faking it. Now let's see whays its real purpose is.' He thought continuing to ignore it. The flower for its part sat still and growled in frustration. "You know its rude to ignore people who are trying to talk to you."the plant said its mouth practically dripping venom. Shadow turned to face the plant again only to feel a sharp pain in his chest. Looking dow he saw a root the size his arm sticking through his chest. "Oh well, not like it changes much. Just proves how rude children are nowadays." The plant scoffed throwing shadow against a stone wall. Shadow felt his blood spilling out as death closed its chilling hands around his heart. He woke with a start still surounded by stone and darkness. 'Ok now it's personal!' He thought angrily. As he picked himself up off the stone floor. Shadow once again start using ultra sonics to mentally map his location. 'How am I supposed to beat that thing?' He idly pondered as he continued his search for an exit. 'Lets see no weapons and powers. Who builds a game like this!?' He threw his hands up in frustration as his foot came down onto nothing. Shadow tried to flare his wings to balance himself only to find that they didn't work and neither did his ability to grip with his hooves. So instead he spewed every explicit word he knew as he fell to his second death. Again he awoke on the cold stone. "Well this sucks." He said to no one in particular as he stood. "I couldn't agree more." A dreadedly familiar voice said. Shadow whipped around to see that the now larger diasy was there. "Really when I kill some one I expect them to stay dead." The flower said nonchalantly. "Your really taking the sport out of this." Flowy said as another tendral bloomed from Shadow's chest. "Buck you, and this damn game!" Shadow spat angrily. Right before his corpse hit the floor. Shadow's eyes opened for the fourth time. "Oh come on already!" He yelled fustrated. 'Who in thier right mind adds realistic pain to a game.' He thought standing. 'Ok shadow think there has got to be a way out.' He thought again trying to reach out with his magic. Yet again he could barely feel the code through the strange magic that was blocking his attemps. 'Wait I can still use my magic? Then why can't I use anything else?' He contemplated the inplacations and possibilities. After a hour or so of walking an idea began to form in his head. I'm not able to pull off complex spells.' It began. 'And if I project something more then a foot it falls apart cause I can't maintain the ethereal field.' It continued to form. 'So I need something that can stabilize or compress the magical field allowing me to use magic.' The next hour or so he spent designing just such a device. Shadow was proud of his design. It would revolutionize pony society. A device capable of letting any pony with strong magical auras cast magic like a unicorn. Now all he needed to do was build it.