Ideas - Pony edition - Revision 7

PONIES.
First of all: Little do others know, but cutie marks can be "leveled up" three levels. Level 1 is the basic level that everypony gets eventually (note also that it's a cultural occurance, and non-ponies who grow up among ponies may get cutie marks as well), Level 2 is accomplishing some sort of long-term goal (Twilight Sparkle might achieve Level 2 by graduating from Celestia's school of magic, for instance), and Level 3 is extremely rare, generally a Saving-The-World sort of deal (although Alicorns tend to hit level 3 automatically). There are also extremely rare occurences wherein a pony's cutie mark changes without "leveling up", generally related to an extreme change in personal philosophy. Level ".5", as it's considered, does not provide any special abilities, simply altering the cutie mark's appearance to better suit the pony's use of his/her talent. Level 0.5 is impossible, level 1.5 is almost nonexistant (but there are maybe three recorded instances), level 2.5 is the most common (which isn't saying much because it's rare anyway), and level 3.5 is nonexistant (mostly because Alicorns and World-savers don't tend to change their viewpoints like that)

Characters:
Axolotl Wenceslas: 75% Pegasus, 25% Draconequus, 100% Boss. The team leader, Axolotl has very conflicting powers. He's an expert in law and yet his draconequiss ancestry allows him to use various chaos abilities (Chocolate Rain included). He can also shapeshift into various other animals, via his "Aspect Unleashed" skill. Among other notable forms, he can become a Basilisk (an eight-legged lizard that turns people to stone). Also linked to the element of Kindness. A skilled diplomat. And every Hearth Warming's Eve he goes out into the cold and brings gifts to those who are not as well-to-do as he is. Axolotl believes in second chances, and whenever possible gives his opponents a chance to lower their weapons and "discuss this like civilized beings". He's gotten several Wonderbolt Academy rejects back in, plans to do the same with that Lightning Dust fellow (after teaching Dust a valuable lesson).
Approximate age: 30 years
Quote: "Sometimes, there really isn't a second chance. That's when I make one."
Name origin: Axolotl (a weird type of salamander, "he looked like one when he first learned to shapeshift"), Wenceslas (Good King Wenceslas who was look'd out on the Feast of Stephen)
Cutie Mark: (Current level: 2)
Level 1: A scroll (Earned when he discovered an old, musty box of sealed-away legal texts from many different societies)
Level 2: Said scroll attatched to a flagpole (Earned when his "justice team" defeated a powerful crimelord a few years ago)
Level 3: ?????
Abilities:
Aspect Unleashed base forms and sub-forms (note that there are limits to these abilities):
Eagle (Flight): Hawk (Flight, Charge) Roc (Flight, Light) Phoenix (Flight, Fire) Vazalka (Flight, Ice) Thunderbird (Flight, Electricity) Bat (Flight, Sonar, Screech) Raven (Flight, Extrasensory)
Bull (Charge): Buffalo (Charge) Elephant (Charge, Trunk grip) Mammoth (Charge, Trunk grip, resist cold)
Lion (Roar, Claws): Tiger (Roar, Claws) Bear (Roar, Claws, resist cold) Panther (Roar, Claws) Puma (Roar, Claws, Climbing) Manticore (Not quite sure, still trying to figure out how manticores in Equestria work)
Serpent (Dodge): Eel (Dodge, Electricity, Swim) Hydra (Dodge, Multiattack, Regeneration, Toxic Bite) Cobra (Dodge, Toxic Bite, Swallow) Python (Dodge, Constrict, Swallow) Viper (Dodge, Toxic Bite, Swallow)
Lizard (): Chameleon (Camoflague) Gecko (Wall walk) Basilisk (Stone Gaze) Raptor ()
Frog (Greater Tongue): Salamander (Swim, Tongue)
Bug (Flight): Wasp (Flight, Sting) Scorpion (Claws, Toxic Sting) Web Spider (Greater Web, Bite) Hunting Spider (Web, Bite, Leap)
Equine (): Nightmare (Fear, Darkness) Alicorn (Various; note that this transformation is highly limited) Pegasus (Flight, Standard) Unicorn (Minor spells) Zebra () Earth pony () Jersey (Flight, Fire breathing, Charge)
Dragon (Breath weapon, Any element, Flight, Roar)
Other Abilities:
Controlled Chaos (very low-intensity, small-scale chaos effect, such as generating one Chocolate Raincloud)

Abraxus Eldridge: Unicorn sorcerer, somewhat superstitious. Knows a lot of powerful spells. Chain Lightning and Ultrablast are favorites, though Hydroplane (causes foes to lose traction in even the slightest bit of liquid) is useful as well. Has a strange property: Whenever a true mirror (not just any reflective surface, a true mirror) can reflect Abraxus, his reflection does not appear in the mirror. Instead, a nonsolid illusionary copy of Abraxus appears outside the mirror and sort of does it's own thing. Linked to the element of Magic. Team's sorcerer/wizard type.
Name Origin: Abraxus (I grabbed it from a random D&D Monster Manual. It sounded dignified), Eldridge (I think I first saw it on Failblog, in a joke Facebook screencap. It sounded dignified.)
Approximate age: 25 years
Quote: "Oh PLEASE."
Cutie mark: (Current level: 2)
Level 1: A mirror (earned when he first learned to reflect)
Level 2: A broken mirror (earned when he found the Mirror Pool, reflected his own reflection back inside said mirror pool, and saved three original ponies who had become trapped within)
Level 3: ?????
Abilities:
Spells:
Bolt (generates a lightning bolt above the target, striking them)
Chain Lightning (fires an arc of lightning at a single target. After striking that target, it will split and arc to the next two nearest targets, never striking the caster and never striking the same target twice. Under normal circumstances, can only split five times, but boosted variety can split much more)
Ultrablast (creates a large explosion centered on the caster, severely injuring those caught in the blast and slightly harming the caster. Boosted variety does not harm the caster and allows the caster to create a central "shield" to surround his teammates)
Hydroplane (causes targets to lose traction in even the slightest bit of liquid)
Static E (bright blue flash does minor electric damage to all targets. Targets all opponents that can be "seen" from the caster's horn)
Tornado (Rather small-scale but otherwise self-explanitory)
Species shift (temporarily convert to similar species. Mostly used to grant temporary unicorn or pegasus abilities.)
Detect Magic (self-explanitory)
Reflecting (uncontrollable ability)
Sunburst (enormous light and heat damage centered on caster, caster takes damage as well.)
Sunburst, Supressed (Just really, really bright)
Super Bounce (increases bouncing and increases impact damage)
Shock Absorber (negates impact damage, such as large falls)
Stormbreaker (causes a small area to recieve torrential rainfall and random lightning, also high winds)
Gust (self-explanitory)
Flamer (continuous flamethrower effect)
Psyblast (psionic strike on nearby minds)
Pulse bolt (hurls a strange ball of energy that gets stronger as it travels)
Explosive Words (words which, when read by someone besides the caster, explode)
Hurl (a basic flinging effect)
Gravitation (alter gravity's strength or reverse it's direction)
Devastator (fires a huge beam of energy that moves faster as it travels further, but is incredibly slow at first)
Tripping (just trips someone)
Tidal Surge (raises nearby water levels for a short time)
Summoning (summon an ally, limited)
Portal Echo Trace (allows caster to trace the destination of a recently used teleport effect)
Invisify (what it sounds like; temporary)
Darklight (strange orb of light and shadow; highly unpredictable)
Ice wave (energy ring centered on caster, expands outwards and freezes what it hits)
Earthlifter (raises a small section of ground)
Magma Cannon (fires a ball of superheated lava and rock at target)
Overheal (heals target beyond target's natural ability to withstand. Overhealing past about ten times normal health will cause the target to explode in an enormous burst of energy)
Minimize/Growth (shrink or grow targets)
Magic Missile (basic spell, just a small projectile attack)

Aurora and Borealis ?????: Earth pony twins, physics buffs. Borealis was originally the team member, and he seemed to lack all emotion, citing his loss of his twin sister. The two were in a devastating accident when they were both about 10 in human years, and a single doctor at the hospital told each of them that the other was dead (which they are now investigating). The two lived emotionless lives for a further fifteen years before a chance visit to Aurora's residence by Axolotl's team reunited them. They both laugh a helluva lot more now. They also have a number of odd skills: "Double the Trouble" (allows one twin to summon the other), "The Great Divide" (allows the user to split into two bodies and control each individually, it's a real mental strain though), and "Every hit's a crit" (the two calculate the weak points of their opponents very very well). Both linked to the element of Laughter. Both have dabbled in Psychology as well, and both tend to anticipate an opponent's actions beforehand. They also make good DJs, as more than one party has learned. Notably, when separated, Aurora and Borealis act completely different: Cold, calculating, and unemotional. As they absolutely hate being separated, this rarely occurs anymore.
Approximate age: 25 years
Quote (Reunion): "It's hard, isn't it? To live for fifteen years without living. An empty, pathetic little life, until your soul has vacated your empty shell and moved on. But there's always a little bit left." "Indeed. We can become again who we once were."
Name origin: Aurora/Borealis (The northern lights), ????? (Aurora and Borealis will have their last name left blank. In-character reasoning is that they don't want to talk about it; it reminds them of sadder times, i.e. when their parents died during the event that separated them)
Cutie mark: (Current level: 2/2.5)
Level 1: A # sign (earned when the two of them managed to safely prevent a meteor from impacting a large city with their physics calculations)
Level 2: A # sign bisected by a slash-line (Earned individually after the split, when they managed to both independently disprove a notable physics theory)
Level 2.5: A # sign bisected by a slash-line with a small, barely-noticable heart in the center box (Half-level. Earned when reunited)
Level 3: ?????
Abilities:
Every Hit's a Crit (always hits a weak point on the target)
Uncanny Accuracy and Uncanny Dodge (Aurora and Borealis seem to always aim for where their foe is about to be, and always be where their foe's attack won't be)
Double the Trouble (summons the other if possible)
The Great Divide (allows user to split into multiple bodies, very mentally straining)
Torque twist (adjusts the force and direction of a rotating object)
Gravitation, Lesser (as Abraxus's spell, but only minor increase/decrease intensity)
Heavy Strike (use minor gravity fluctuation to strike downward with greater force)
Coordinated Assault (Aurora and Borealis basically combo the target in all it's weak points)
Mass Hammer (carried equipment, does more damage to targets with more mass, usually heavier targets)
Inertia booster (strengthens inertia's effect on target; harder to move and harder to stop moving. Temporary)
Orbit Strike (twists around the target to strike behind)
Vector Cannon (equipment, fires an energy arrow in a straight line unaffected by gravity or other forces)
Accelerator (increases speed of target)
Pendulum (leap over target and swing back for double strike)
Sine Laser (fires a strange energy beam that follows a sine wave pattern)


Thaddeus Larkin: Unicorn who displays a serious lack of magical talent in most areas (keyword: Most). He's very talkative, designed a headset that allows him to upload live video and audio to a certain site, stuff like that. He tends to get distracted easily but he and Aurora and Borealis make good detectives. He often holds two conversations at once. Linked to the element of Honesty. He's rather worldly, but somewhat casual in his language, and if he doesn't like somepony, he has trouble hiding it, and usually comes off as vulgar when irritated. Among his abilities: "Power Scream" (knocks nearby opponents over, often flooring them), "Harmonic Pulse" (uses a sonic pulse at a calculated frequency to shatter various materials like glass or crystal), "Wave buster" (sends a sonic ripple that causes serious damage to things it passes through, has a minor distortion effect),  "Harmonic Phasing" (temporarily renders the target intangible for some odd reason), Magnetical (Tampers with the forces of magnitizm, can magnetize or demagnetize almost any metal at any strength). Thaddeus is also a communications expert and translator for the team. He believes that almost everything is connected somehow, and is good at connecting seemingly isolated incidents into a bigger picture. Thaddeus is also a great singer, and goes on tour with his teammates now and then.
Approximate age: 25 years
Quote: "You don't seriously expect that to happen, right?"
Quote (aggrivated): "THAT IS A VERY GOOD POINT, KIND SIR, BUT IF I MAY OFFER A REBUTTAL: GO #@$& YOURSELF WITH A CACTUS!"
Name origin: Thaddeus (I remember "Thaddeus Vile" from Monsters Inc. for some reason), Larkin ("Scatman" John Larkin)
Cutie mark: (Current level: 2)
Level 1: Spiderweb (Earned when he solved a rather bizarre crime by linking it to ten previous crimes and using the evidence from each all together, at which point the criminal fessed up)
Level 2: Spiderweb with odd symbols on various threads (Earned when he managed to set up the communication network that Axolotl's team uses, which required numerous personal inventions rather similar to computer technology in our world)
Level 3: ?????
Abilities:
Power Scream (Knocks over all nearby, often flooring them)
Harmonic Pulse (Calculated frequency sonic pulse to shatter various materials)
Wave Buster (Sonic ripple, serious damage to what it passes through, low range, minor distortion effect)
Harmonic Phasing (temporarily renders the target intangible)
Stumbler (uses sonics outside standard hearing range to disrupt inner ear, causing those nearby to lose sense of balance)
Sonic Burst (small sonics-based explosion centered on user, has high knockback)
Fling (sonics-based fling effect)
Paralyzer (uses sonics to disrupt motor control of targets, except for life-critical functions)
Sonar (echolocation)
Reverb (sonic attack that fires three small sonic pulses which proceed to bounce or "echo" around until they strike a viable target)
Soundspiral (uses sonics in a rapidly moving spiral to disorient targets)
Amplifier (increases the intensity of all sound nearby)
Muffler (decreases the intensity of all sound nearby)
Magnetizer (tampers with Magnetism, allows him to magnetize almost any metal at a distance, reversing polarity, and demagnetizing magnets)

Khadish Delitri: Pegasus who has control over portals similar to those in the actual Portal games. However, he hates using them to travel, claiming it "ruins the experience". He tends to take leisurely strolls around through various worlds (that can only be accessed via portals). One of his favorite tricks is linking two portals to his front hooves and using them in combat to redirect enemy projectiles. He's the team ecologist and is good with various environmental things, and everything seems to remind him of something he's seen in faraway places. First modern Equestrian to establish contact with humans (except Pinkie if breaking the fourth wall counts). Linked to the element of Loyalty. Another odd trait about Khadish is that he's immune to any form of memory loss, and remembers the events of time slips (alternate timelines that occur because of the meddling of an interloper that are undone when the interloper is destroyed, note that I consider those grimdark fanfics to be time slips in some cases).
Approximate age: 30 years
Quote: "That reminds me of the time I went lava-diving in the Magma Mountain. That burn needed a lot of ice."
Name origin: Khadish (Awesome dusk forest world in Uru: Ages Beyond Mist, also technically a guildmaster in the game's history), Delitri (I have no idea, it just sounded right)
Cutie mark: (Current level: 2)
Level 1: A planet vaguely resembling earth (Earned when he first realized he remembered something that had "never happened")
Level 2: Said planet, bisected by a large portal, the other half being differently colored (Earned when he made contact with several surviving humans whose ancestors had become stranded in Equestria in ancient times)
Level 3: ?????
Abilities:
Portal generation (described above, results in Khadish being incredibly unpredictable in combat, as he tends to warp around without warning)
Memory Remains (immune to memory loss)
Dimensional Lockdown (prevent teleporting within a certain area)
Portal Echo Trace (as Abraxus's spell, except it's an inherent ability as opposed to a spell, so it will still function in an Antimagic Field)

Elliot Withers: A pathetic looking earth pony adult with no cutie mark. He grew up a slave in an underground trade ring run by interlopers, and as such was very deprived. Axolotl and his team freed Elliot from his imprisonment just days before Elliot was to be "replaced", and clobbered those responsible. What Elliot never tells anyone is that he DOES have a cutie mark; he just gives it every moment to strengthen those around him. Borealis has done some looking into the subject but has no solid proof, and Elliot is too modest to talk about it. He tends to get teased by outsiders for his supposed blank flank, but his connection to the common folk can't be denied, and his way of getting others to talk about their troubles has helped Axolotl's team track down crimes many times. Linked to the element of Generosity. Elliot is also capable of giving those around him spontaneous cases of Cutie Pox, though he rarely uses this ability. He can also CURE cutie pox, but he doesn't know that yet; cases he causes wear off over time though.
Approximate age: 20 years
Quote (when asked if he ever showered): "I fall in the river sometimes, does that count?"
Name origin: Elliot (Just sounded sort of dignified commoner-esque), Withers (Bill Withers, who wrote the song "Lean On Me")
Cutie mark: (Current level: 2)
Level 1: Blank (Probably earned at some point during his slavery)
Level 2: Blank (Probably earned when he was freed)
Level 3: Blank
Abilities:
Giving All (described above)
Cutie Pox (inflict Cutie Pox on target, for better or worse)
Greater Cutie Pox (inflict level 2 cutie marks, otherwise as Cutie Pox)
Overheal (as Abraxus's spell)
Feel Your Pain (absorbs controllable amount of injuries from target onto himself. Capable of saving lives)
Notable Cutie Marks Inflicted:
Psy-eye (level 2, allows bearer to see in all directions at once and see through certain materials)
Entomber (instantly bury or exhume target organic matter)
More to come here.

Epherma: Ghost of a baby dragon who died thousands of years ago. She remembers just about everything, and is the team historian and lorekeeper. She's also the team scout, as she can float through most substances (except for Etherite, which is rare and very expensive, and Evanadium, which is even rarer and far more bizarre). Her bite attack can inflict a number of bizarre supernatural diseases and her dragonbreath uses a type of spirit fire. She remembers several incidents early in Celestia's reign that indicate returns of certain powerful villains in the near future.
Approximate age: Who knows? She's been around since before Celestia, at least. Age upon death was about 5 in human years.
Quote: "Again? I'm sorry, you wouldn't remember. This happens every time. Every time, everyone says they'll never be that stupid. And they have never been right. Not once in a thousand years."
Quote: "Never send to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee."
Name origin: Epherma (Randomly found in a D&D Monster Manual)
Abilities:
Necro Rot (supernatural disease, causes rapid tissue decomposition and is quite disgusting to observe)
Ecto Fever (supernatural disease, causes victim to lose life energy which is emitted in a glow from exposed skin)
More to come here.

Kristie: Not part of Axolotl's team, Kristie lives in Ponyville full-time and is, in fact, a changeling. However, she has a much stronger sense of ethics and morals than many of her bretheren. She built her entire identity on her own, rather than stealing it from another, and she spreads happiness everywhere, only feeding on what she absolutely needs. A Royal Inquisitor comes to Ponyville one day and starts a sort of "witch hunt" for the changeling in town, and when Kristie is found out, the Inquisitor moves in to take her away. But the entire town stands in the Inquisitor's way, saving Kristie and teaching a valuable lesson on friendship. Always willing to lend a hand to those who need her help, but rather shy too. Her fangs are noticably smaller than average for a changeling, and her features are less jagged. Eye color is a very light gray.
Approximate age: Noooobody knooooows (not even me)
Name origin: Kristie (It just sounded right.)
Quote (upon being asked to remain in Ponyville by the entire town): "Awwwwwwww, you're all so sweet!"
Cutie mark: None (Previously a small lizard-like shape, Kristie walks about in her natural form now and as such has no cutie mark)

Emanuel Wenceslas: Axolotl's Draconequus grandfather, a hunched, kindly old Draconequus with a moustache. Emanuel is thought to be dead (spoiler: He's not.), but he served in one of Celestia's first advisor courts, and rumor has it that he was a king long before Discord or Celestia ruled. Furthermore, he has (unbeknownst to all) been among Celestia's advisors in various forms for most of her life. He has so far been known among the following names: Monic (looked over the young Celestia and Luna), McGruder, K'Thandra, DeLaren, Aegis, Genezis, Exthoto (in this guise, he modified the anti-changeling spell to allow those of pure heart through).
Approximate age: Thousands and thousands of years.
Quote (upon being asked to respond to the "secret question" that Monic knew the answer to): "Don't bother asking. I know it well. The question is "Who do you see when you look at me?" and the answer is "He or she who is, was, and will be". Yes, it is me."
Name origin: Emanuel (I have no idea, but ironically a song in a later story arc of mine is a remix of "Veni Veni Emanuel"), Wenceslas (see Axolotl Wenceslas)
Abilities: Too many to list.