IT (Horror Survival Mystery)

[Willow-Wisp]

It started out as a peaceful day in Ponyville....not a cloud was present.
All except for one peculiar cloud that some said moved above the peaceful town on its own. Nopony put much thought into it. They all assumed that is was harmless, they couldn't have been more wrong, as days passed the clouds began to cover more and more of the sky and the clouds above the Everfree forest continued to darken to an unusual obsidian color. The Weather team tried their best to clear the clouds but their actions proved useless for they would pass right through the clouds as if they were an illusion, and their wings would soon freeze if they dared to fly to high.Soon not even the sun could be seen, all letters sent to the Princess would just explode in flames.But they were not alone....for there was something out there..something was able to withstand the sub zero temperatures.And day by day Equestria grew more and more empty...for many were foolish enough to step hoof outside the safety of their shelters, or perhaps they just didn't secure their homes enough.
Now there is just snow, Equestria now lies in the icy ruins of its once prosperous civilization.And in the castle lies two frozen thrones without an owner or princess to sit in them. And the sun and the moon float aimlessly in the sky with nopony to raise or set them.
But you are still here.
And a journal that had once belonged to Equestria's greatest defenders.
and IT is to........
Can you survive?
And can you bring back life to the world.
And most importantly.
Can you defeat IT
before IT gets you..


(Note)
There is a total of 5 surviving communities.
All live in underground tunnels.
There are 4 communities that still need leaders and whoever claims them gets the honor to name them I will give them to the next 4 ponies that join.
I am also looking for mature roleplayers and this will be turned into a fanfic if all goes well.
I will also allow solo survivors and a few people who would like to play as IT.

[-Mizumo-]

(I would like to join survival team 1# as a member with my two OC's as a member
Sol-Zebra
Thvedis-Unicorn
Sol's skills-Healing,Potion brewing
Thvedis-Magic

[The Wandering Magus]

Name: Lord Fancy Pants the Fifth
Titles: Duke of Duchy Fancy, Master of the Pants Estate and the Servants of the House of Fancy.
Species: Unicorn
Gender: Male
Age: 58
Physique: No injuries, extraordinary fitness and agility and strength
Abilities: Expert swordspony and combatant, silver tongue, photographic memory, knowledge of every political foreign language, Genius trillionaire philanthropist owning a large estate with several individual fiefs on it, now doled out to Gentlecolt knights, Counts and Barons who watch over and protect the Refugees that came to Lord Fancy for protection.
Background: Lord Fancy was once the wealthiest and most famous, if not most politically powerful, pony in Equestria, holding vast swaths of land and donating trillions of bits annually to a charitable foundation known as the Pants Foundation, which gave scholarships, built public works, and contributed vastly to society.  It was responsible for building the Canterlot Train Station and maintaining many of the modern railways, as well as the large majority of the hospitals in Equestria.  After the Event, Lord Fancy retreated to the safety and security of his Estate, now a Duchy, with high walls and shields of magic on the outside.  Within, the communities on the fiefs have retreated below-ground into the warm caverns far beneath the earth, lit by magic and warmed by the fires of the earth itself.  Magma rivers and underground springs heat the community and provide water and minerals for growing food and processing materials for tools and building, and of course for staving off the cold of the Outside.  Commander Bloodblade is the head of the Servants of the House, a pegasus specializing in martial arts and wingblades.  Lord Fancy is extremely talented in terms of magic and diplomacy, and has many thousands of Earth Ponies growing food in the vast caverns beneath Fancy Manor with the assistance of unicorns providing warming spells and drilling deep into the earth in the mines, which are very clean and safe, mainly automated.  Refugees live comfortable enough lives here in Duchy Fancy, which is also called Orod Khazad by the locals; though without views of the sky, the hydroponic fields of grain and vegetables keep them well-fed all year round.  Education is a priority, as well as excavation of additional escape tunnels, should this haven be destroyed.  The caverns were natural, but expanded on by Lord Fancy Pants the First, the current Fancy's great-great-great-grandfather, some centuries ago as a means of surviving in the event of a global catastrophe or civil war.  Citizens of Duchy Fancy begin with high-class clothing (tuxedo or gown or more practical clothing), polished and engraved equipment, high intellectual abilities, high crafts, high diplomacy.  Low social, low knowledge of the outside world post-Event, generally low tolerance for the cold.  Normal endurance, normal strength, normal dexterity.  The symbol of Duchy Fancy is the Triple Crown.

Community Name: Duchy Fancy ("survival team 3")
Population: 15 million +, unprejudiced in regard to race or gender
Currency: Bit
Strengths: Intelligence, Crafts, Diplomacy
Default inventory: Fancy clothing, polished and intricately engraved equipment, generous wallet, repair tools, emergency portable magic heating unit, gold-plated writing utensils and high-quality paper, identification papers
Community Tech Level: High
Community roles: Miner, Engineer, Bureaucrat, Farmer, Soldier, Scholar, Cave-Claw Hunter, Architect, Smith, Bard, Pet-Keeper, Teacher, Healer, Merchant, Artisan, Noble
Special Community Abilities: Speaking Fancy (Increase chance of success in Diplomacy), Bootstrap (rig complex machines from scrap materials and fix most items), Translate.
Community Weaknesses: Under A Rock (little to no knowledge of the outside world), Can't Stand the Cold.

General description of the (literally) underground community, adapted from another RP I was a part of:

Spoiler: show

The so-called Empire of Stone is entered through doors of mithril and granite, carved with runes and many images of battles long past and heroes of old, set into a mountain within the perimeter of Lord Fancy's vast estate and originally utilized in part as a medieval reenactment center by his great-grandfather and other guests. Before the gates stands the towering statue of Lord Fancy the First, clad in golden armor and wielding a mithril hammer. The statue represents the attitude of the ponies in its stance: its right hoof faces outward in a gesture of peace, while its left grips the handle of the hammer, ready to fight in defense of home and city. The roads running past the gates and within the city are tiled with marble, while the many-pillared halls are carved directly from the stone of the mountain itself. Orod Khazad, as the fortress-Duchy is called, has multiple central chambers used for a wide variety of purposes; of note are the Merchant's Hall, the Hall of Fire, the Hall of Meetings, the Hall of Remembrance, and the Hall of Justice.

The Merchant's Hall
This is Orod Khazad's center of trade and commerce; craftsmen and smiths from all across the Duchy come here to barter for precious stones and marvel at the newest goods available from the famous forges down below. The pillars are set with golden runes for fortune and protection, and the mine-cart rails leading to the Great Vaults far beneath the earth begin here, guarded by dozens of well-trained soldiers and rigged with intricate machinery which would confound even the most persistent of would-be thieves.  A separate rail leads to the renowned Chambers of Glass, where glowing gems light up row upon row of plants fed by the waters of the underground springs.  Set in hollows along the sides of the hall are endless rows of shops selling all manner of goods, from clockwork marvels to everyday tools and costly jewelry. Here also may be found the Roaring Bear tavern and inn, where one may sample drops of Farthi's Stone Brew, certain to knock all but the strongest stone-cold with a sip.

The Hall of Fire
The sound of thousands of hammers on anvils may be heard here at the heart of the city's crafting area far beneath the earth. Reached by mine-cart, the enormous forges are heated by the fires of the very earth itself by wondrous creations of magic and technology. Here, underground rivers fall fathomless heights to drive wheels of wood and stone; ore is refined in vast furnaces heated by lightning, and flow molten into molds to be cast into ingots and bars; gleaming rails lit by brightly glowing gems guide carts from forge to forge, bringing new supplies of ore and coal from the rich lodes of the Dark Delvings; and both day and night the rousing chants of a million ponies echo from the lowest depths to the highest peaks of the mountain.

The Hall of Meetings
This chamber is where the various nobles, and Duke Fancy, make the pivotal decisions that continue to shape Orod Khazad into the empire it is today. Over the most recent few years, the chamber was expanded and enhanced into a grand throne room and forum for ambassadors, scholars, soldiers, adventurers, and the elders of the city to gather and discuss any number of subjects, ranging from international agreements to decisions on how to run the empire. One old hill was reverently set aside, then carefully shaped over the centuries into a grand throne from which Duke Fancy would preside over meetings and answer questions or make decisions. It is said that the spirits of Harmony and all those who fell to defend this place still dwells within the very walls of the chamber, giving wisdom and guidance to those who gather here to take council. Along the walls are many tapestries and hanging banners representing the Founding Houses of the Nobles, the first followers of Duke Fancy when Orod Khazad began.

The Hall of Remembrance
Perhaps it is surprising to outsiders that the powerful, and some would say privileged, ponies here would give any heed to deeds of bygone eras, but here in the quiet Hall of Remembrance the old stereotype of the forgetful aristocrat is put aside and the grave work of studying the past is placed before respected scholars, ensuring that Orod Khazad chooses wisely in its course through the future. Statues of Equestrian heroes and legendary figures sit silently in alcoves or on lone pedestals, surrounded by millions of shelves containing every book, journal, record and deed ever written in the history of old Equestria since its inception, moved here from Lord Fancy's private libraries. Beams of light shine down from enchanted crystals high above, and the corridors leading to the Chamber of Records or the Chamber of Scribes are without door or gate, to avoid noise as much as possible. Within the Chamber of Records is kept accounts of the year's activities, to be processed the following year before being moved into the Hall of Remembrance. The Chamber of Scribes houses the tireless archivists of Orod Khazad who work to preserve the oldest of the records either in clay or parchment; their priceless manuscripts are renowned throughout the Duchy.

The Hall of Justice
For all the stories of proud and headstrong aristocrats always itching for a duel, Orod Khazad as a whole is extremely strict in upholding the laws of the city. Given the enormous task of keeping the peace in an underground city crammed with well over a million ponies, this should not be too surprising. The Hall of Justice was created with the express purpose of dealing out judgement swiftly and fairly, and thus far there has been a generally positive attitude concerning the efficacy of the system. Those accused of serious crimes are brought before a panel of judges selected for impartiality and a clean record, with or without an advocate as the accused desires. If found guilty, the punishment meted out may range from fines to hard labor, or death in select instances. There are only a few prisons, as investigations are done first before trials rather than during them, and there is no such thing as a prison sentence: all who dwell in the city must serve some purpose, and to house and feed a criminal for free is unthinkable for citizens of Duchy Fancy.

[JinxTheZebra]

Name-Jinx
Species-Zebra
Cutie mark-Dream catcher
Talents-Voodoo,healing talents, has an immense knowledge of herbs
Aged 22
Currently holds no injuries
Has survived a total of 13 days
Status:Alive
(Requesting to join Survival team 1)

[LadyDuskShine]

This idea seems extremely interesting.
I was wondering if any of you would allow my elder OC Wisetale to join your team.
I could share tales of the old Equestria or look after all the foals.

[NightlyMoon]

Name: Nightly Moon
Species: Pegasi
Cutie mark: Heart Shaped stop watch with ice cycles hanging off the bottom.
Talents: Very small, Very fast, very good at stability and getting into tight places, very slender for thin tunnels, nimble, quiet, very stealthy, good hunter, keen eyes, good sense of hearing and incredibly cautious and safe when it comes to certain plants or animals.
Age: 18
Survived: 14 days
Status: alive.
Appearance:

Spoiler: show

Spoiler: show

Requesting join Survival Team 2))

[Lunicous]

Name-Lunicus Shieldheart
Gender-Stallion
Species of pony-Unicorn
Specialty-Teleportation,Illusions
Leader of-The 5 horned star (Leader of community 4)
Community symbol-Pentagram
Tolerance toward-Unicorns,children
Intolerable toward-IT, ludicrous ponies
Community skills-Excellent vocabulary,Well educated,high magick skills
Community flaws-inability to cooraporate with other pony species
Community roles-Magister,Librarian,Teachers,Healers,Nurses,Soothsayer,Scholars,Guards,Warriors,Merchants,Scouts,Foragers,

[The Wandering Magus]

I suppose whoever wishes to join as a citizen of Orod Khazad can simply say so here as well.  Personally, if this is allowable, I would prefer those who do so use this form to sign up:

Name:
Gender:
Age:
Race:
Citizenship: Orod Khazad, Duchy Fancy
Born in Duchy Fancy?: Yes/No
Occupation (Miner/Scholar/Merchant/etc):
Talent (if different from occupation):
Appearance (image or description):
Inventory: [Default Inventory], ...
Patron (if a Count, your patron is Duke Fancy):

[Willow-Wisp]

(Alright everypony I am still going to leave member registration open but since we've all been waiting I am going to start this rp. As for my OC I will be joining The 5 horned star team, just needed to quickly add that it.
Whoever wants to post first may)

[Lunicous]

(Suppose I shall)


Lunicus walked through the halls with a pace that could count as a trotting pace.The blue light emitting from the tip of his horn illuminated the scarce objects that were lined up along the sides of the wall coating each side of the stone hallway with long eerie shadows that was rather unsettling to gaze at, especially during the middle of the night, or so it seemed to be night. The day the clouds covered up the sky it became to difficult to distinguish whether it was night or day so in a way it seemed that they molded into one eternal time period.

[Willow-Wisp]

Will-O-Wisp paced around the pentagon shaped room that served as her private living quarters.Her hooves constantly made a dull thudding sound due to her constant pacing but she dared not to pay any mind to it a white light shot out from her horn which was slightly curved as if to give the impression of a sword.The light instantly lit up the candles in her room filling the small space with their musky stale aroma. They used to have a pleasant cinnamon smell but it seemed that its recent development of a light outer covering constructed purely of mold had literally choked the poor things of their sweet smelling scent.

[The Wandering Magus]

Duchy Fancy, Orod Khazad:
It's mid-morning on a mild summer day down here in the stone cities, and somepony over at weather control decided to turn up the temperature and let the warm air from the Hall of Fire fill up the rest of the place.  It's pleasant, and there wasn't such a thing as "too warm" unless you were right next to a forge or kiln, or a magma river.  Birds were singing in the parks and gardens, little chicks, kids and foals going to and fro, playing hide-and-seek among the grand columns of the Merchant's Hall and trying to keep their mind off the fact that school starts again in a month.

Morning actually does shimmer, seeing as that the stored sunlight from the Sun-Crystals up in the far reaches of the massive cavern light up all the polished angles of the stone and crystal buildings, and the tiles underhoof.  In smaller places like Gemton and Rockton, you might see the mayor giving a speech, and everywhere you went you could always find merchants and artisans, street hawkers, street cleaners and errand-colts rushing past with "very important" messages.  The occasional odd pet.

Nobles were likely relaxing in their grand marble mansions, or surveying their vast estates while having tea and crumpets served to them on platinum platters.  Most other ponies had "real jobs" to do, but life was actually rather relaxed around here, with plenty of spare time for hobbies and the odd "adventure" through a park-forest.

Many citizens had completely forgotten that there ever was such a thing as "above-ground".  The foals, kids and chicks certainly had no comprehension of that place, only rumors of some sort of death world if you dug or wandered too far up or down, filled with either ice or magma.  The magma, at least, they could understand and see.  Nopony WANTED to see the Ice.  To them, this was the universe, an endless series of tunnels and caverns to explore, work, and live in, and occasionally discover and colonize when they grew up.  Equestria was an ancient civilization from what for all they knew was a million years ago, the sort of thing you read about in a boring history book and forgot.  Oceans, stars, grassland, beaches, deserts, all these were pretty pictures on a wall, or strange and exotic places you heard about in old stories and sad songs that always seemed to make the adults cry when they listened or sang.

As for Lord Fancy Pants the Fifth himself, he was in his office in a marble mansion overlooking the vast city of Orod Khazad, just one of several others: Gemton, Rockton, Tunnelly, Hotstone, there were quite a few settlements, all with their own characteristics.  True, it had been... difficult at first to get some ponies to listen, but with his vast reserves of bits, the quadrillionaire eventually managed to convince most ponies nearby, and a large portion of the nobles, down into these caverns.  And it was quite good that he did, all things considered.

He idly sat back in his comfortable chair, sipping a bit of nice warm tea as a maid stood by with the teapot and some cakes on a trolley.  His window opened out towards the Fancy Street - Main Street junction, and the generous Central Park beyond, the pegasi pushing rain-clouds to and fro to water the trees and flowers and setting up new rainbows for decoration.  All things considered, it was almost like nothing had changed at all.  He was even commissioning some ex-astronomers to work with unicorns in making a complete star-ceiling at the roof of each cavern, or perhaps a VERY large illusion spell that could give a feeling of being "outside", much like the illusion spell surrounding the Crystal Empire in the far north.  He did feel a pang of regret and guilt for not being able to save all the ponies above-ground, and... well, picking and choosing who came through the front door, as it were.  But such feelings usually left him quite quickly as he reflected on how much of the old world he had saved and made secure down here.

[Willow-Wisp]

Will-O-Wisp's ears flicked up toward the faintest sound of something shifting above her on the surface. Occasionally she would hear it begin to scratch at the ground or simply stamp its hooves or whatever it used to walk with.The thought of it still searching for something made her stomach churn.She narrowed her eyes as she adverted her attention up toward the natural earth stone ceiling."What do you want...?"She murmured to herself out loud as she tilted her head to the side."Us."The word immediately clicked into her mind."It's looking for us."With a deep sigh she turned her attention away from the ceiling focusing her magic on the steel door handle which was beginning to grow a bit stiff due to the constant ice that kept creeping its way down here.How she used to love the snow, when she wished it would snow every day as a filly she definitely didn't mean something like this.The handle gave a reluctant squeak as she twisted it to the side immediately opening it with a small click. Maybe at the meeting when all of the colonies come together something would be figured out. After all she was itching to get back on to the surface.

[The Wandering Magus]

Another dispatch from the High Council of Nobles.  Lord Fancy massaged his forehead with a hoof as he opened the envelope and read the gold-ink writing on the priceless Old Equestrian paper.  There was the usual bickering about taxes and land rights, favors and deals made from before the Ice, comments meant to reassure him that the mining facilities were up to regulation standards, gossip concerning some knight or lady making off into the blue.  He sighed.  Such was the role of a Duke, after all, to watch over the counts and barons and gentles and gentry.  It was quite inconvenient, but then again, being a noble was not about convenience, it was about leading and making decisions, and being trusted enough that other ponies were willing to listen to you and follow your orders.  There was a fine line between giving good orders and simply being lazy, and the Duke always found it... irritating when some of his nobles couldn't tell when that line was crossed.

An hour of dictation later, Lord Fancy had sent one of his secretaries off to the post-office with golden envelopes for each of the nobles.  He glanced over at the front door as servants came scurrying to put his walking-clothes on for him, and get his carriage ready.

"Just the clothes, I think today, ladies.  I think I'll be going for a walk."

With that, Lord Fancy Pants the Fifth, Lord of Duchy Fancy, Master of the Pants Estate, Keeper of the Triple Crown, and Knight of the Old Equestrian Guard, put on his top hat and went out into the city streets.

[-Mizumo-]

Thvedis felt his jaw tighten as he stood in front of the heavy metal doors that led to the surface. The thing was so thick he doubted that even a bomb could put a dent in it.After a certain incident with a certain group of children who decided it would be quite humorous to run down the hall when everypony was asleep and off guard and scream bloody murder about IT getting in. Of course this caused an extreme panic in the community even a total system shut down and they all were forced to wait in their rooms for a good 4 hours while the exterminating function that came with the security system did its work. And of course there was that moment of blinded rage once they all had found out it was nothing but a childish prank that resulted into some good verbal lashing and a punishment that consisted of dish duty and cleaning the whole facility for the next month.
Despite that being a cruel childish joke pulled by a couple of bored foals the incident its self had awaken a rather horrifying question."What would happen if IT did get in."They began to ask each other that question for days.It was an extremely unsettling thought that was quite horrifying to the mind to even begin to think of such a thing.But it was always a possibility.   "Surely nothing could escape past these doors."Thvedis whispered to himself as he observed the large reinforced hinges."Not even that THING could possibly put a dent through them."His ears began to lower upon imagining a big hole located in the middle of the doors."But such a thing can't possibly happen."The unicorn stallion told himself in a stern tone."Could it?"His mind decided to retort.With a groan of frustration he tried to shut out his thoughts and literally had to force himself away from those doors and back down the halls.

[Willow-Wisp]

Will-O-Wisp raised her brow at what looked like to be a rather frustrated Thvedis.
"Frustrated?"She asked walking up toward the unicorn that was near to the surface locks.
(S)

[NightlyMoon]

Nightly didn't enjoy what was happening nowadays. Insanity..... just a bunch of Insanity. she said to herself as she looked at her wings, she had them clipped by who knows what when she had gone out into the forbidden places. she walked around with an expression of fear. this is all so scary to me since I woke up..

[-Mizumo-]

"You could say that."Thvedis groaned as he rubbed the temple of his forehead with his hoof."I've been getting head aches ever since that little epidemic those brats caused."He huffed puffing out his chest as he did so. Thvedis tolerated children to a fair extent though he wasn't exactly found of some of the things they did from time to time."We honestly need to reinforce discipline upon the future generation."

[NightlyMoon]

She went face first into the wall since she wasn't looking where she was going. OWWW! she hissed.

[The Wandering Magus]

Lord Fancy strolled down the many shimmering, tiled streets in the warm sunshine, the light rainfall of a few hours ago bringing the scent of fresh grass to him as birds sang in the trees.  Kids, chicks, pups and foals ran about, laughing and giggling at their game of tag as the Duke smiled.  This was what Old Equestria was all about, peace and quiet and innocent laughter.

He managed to get his hooves on a newspaper as he walked past, tossing a few coins to the vendor as he took a look at the dailies.  Nothing had gotten past the first door, let alone the second, third, fourth, fifth, or any of the other powerful barriers, enchanted and built strong enough to withstand the moon itself crashing into the planet.  The most "adventure" anypony had down here was a stray cave-claw appearing, or a glow-worm infestation that had to be driven out.  True, there was that one incident with the fire-drake... he'd managed to convince her that the ponies meant no harm, and that it was far, far better to work together these days than to go it alone, especially considering Who was still up there, gone from most ponies' lives here, but not forgotten in the least by the leaders of this place.

A diamond dog sentry saluted him as he walked up with a smile.  "Everything all right, Rover?"

"All good, Alpha!  No problem.  Rover keep peace.  Rover thank Alpha for making school, teaching pups."

"It's my pleasure, Rover.  How are your pups, and your mate, by the way?"

The dog blushed with pride.  "Top of class, Alpha.  Good score.  Mate happy, learn good things.  Make good food in den."

The Duke smiled cheerfully.  "Well, congratulations!  Do have a wonderful day, Rover."

"Thank you, Alpha!" saluted the dog as he returned to his duties.