BlackShardNixium

Kalith narrowed her eyes, only vaguely listening to the conversation between the ambassador and Celestia's guard. She turned towards the Royal Sisters, bowing low. "Your Majesties, I am Kalith, student of Grandmaster Siobhan and member of Lucerna. I was sent here by my Lady and her sister to warn you of the malevolent power growing beneath Canterlot," she paused, withdrawing a letter from within the pocket of her cloak, "This is for your eyes only. It contains every bit of information Lucerna has on the situation. She handed the envelope to Celestia, watching as she opened and withdrew one of the papers from inside. Celestia's eyes widened almost imperceptibly when she saw the runes, stiffening in horror. "Dear Gods.." "I was told that, once you saw those runes, you would understand exactly what kind of situation we find ourselves in." Kalith spoke curtly. Celestia nodded, gaze a touch fearful and eyes glazed with distant memories. "Guards! Gather the generals!" Celestia ordered, voice strong and regal, sweeping her eyes over the visitors before meeting her sisters confused eyes, "I fear Equestria now hangs in the balance; we must gather our forces."

((aaaaaand late late late part 2)) Slow, even footsteps echoed down the dark, empty corridor. Any initiates not involved in any immediate skirmish were sent away for much needed rest. They were ordered to relax until called upon, and Desdemona found that she, rather unexpectedly, missed the late-night stirrings of life throughout the sanctuary. Gods only knew that there was still much to be done, but she knew that each of Lucerna's members, namely the younger ones, were wearing desperately thin, and a few days rest was well deserved. As the organizations first and only Doomsayer, she was all but held back from taking up arms and joining her brothers and sisters in battle. The Grandmasters had frequently stressed that she was far too important to lose so far into the war. Desdemona knew her duty to her allies, her friends: to stay alive and provide invaluable insight into the future; to steer them as far away as she could from an unfavorable outcome. That didn't mean she felt any less inadequate. Slowly, almost lazily, she thought back on the events of the day. She frowned, thinking back to the two Inner Circle members they had dispatched to Canterlot. She was well aware that it was no coincidence that her vision had aligned with Helios's arrival, bearing the strangle runes both in her mind's eye and on a crumpled piece of parchment. She had immediately known what to do. The future was clear, and the universe demanded they comply with the natural flow of the timelines. Her comrades had no idea what awaited them in Canterlot. But it had to be done. The stars had aligned and her vision had shown her that the time had finally come. The Grandmasters hadn't argued, as it had been proven many times before the Desdemona's visions were never wrong, even if their interpretation could be flawed. There was no way of truly knowing whether or not the sacrifices of the coming days would be "worth it". All anyone could do was wait for destiny to complete itself. Though it hurt all the more that she was bound by metaphysical law; unable to inform them of the dangers ahead. She found herself thinking, not for the first time in her life, how much she hated her abilities. ______________________________________________________ The moment Celestia had heard "Lucerna" and "occult murders" spoken in the same sentence she had been up and running; never mind the fact that she hadn't bothered to don her crown once more, or the fact that she'd quiet literally just leapt from her bed in the middle of the night. The guard had informed her that her sister, as well as their visitors, had gathered in the throne room and were awaiting her presence. She had also been informed that her must trusted personal guard, and a griffon ambassador, of all creatures, were among the visitors. She swept past the guards, a sense of regality and urgency about her. She took a few moments to scan each of the throne room's inhabitants before slowly walking towards the throne and her younger sister. Once at her sister's side, she turned to face her visitors, plastering on a beatific smile, the picture of inner peace. "Welcome, my friends. I've been informed that you have some rather important information regarding the horrendous murders plaguing our wonderful city. What can you tell us?"

The throne room was dark, long shadows stretching from the various tapestries hanging from the walls. The moon, glowing full and proud, shown dimly through the stained glass and pale prisms of color splashed the marble ground. Luna sat upon the throne, head held high, gazing absently at the dimly lit chandelier that swung with the light breeze wafting through the room. The clatter of hooves and heavy armor announced the approach of a guard. "My Lady, I apologize for the interruption...but your sister's personal guard, Mirrorwing, has brought visitors, " the guard explained in a breathless rush, "I am to inform you that it is of the utmost importance that they meet with both you and Celestia. They claim to have information for you...about the murders." Luna stood abruptly, dark eyes narrowed. "Bring them in. Immediately. And wake my sister!" ((...to be continued :/ ))

@, @, @ Kalith stepped forward and bowed respectfully, amber eyes glinting with slight annoyance. "As much as I am sure we all understand the position these times have placed both you and the princesses in, I cannot stress enough the importance of the information we carry." she said, "And wasting time with such formalities is only serving to stall our progress in apprehending the ones behind these murders." She straightened proudly, as if daring the pegasus guard to challenge her statement. "Now, you could either stand there and continue to bluster about how you are 'merely guarding the Princesses', or you could actually take us to them." she stated coldly, "Because the sooner we gain an audience with the Royal Sisters, the sooner we can begin solving this mystery and making Canterlot a safe place for all beings once more."

@, @ Kalith tensed slightly, eyes scanning fleetingly over the several dark corners around them and wondering which one held the spy. She found herself thanking several deities, not for the first time, that Shelevan's psychic senses were so sharp. Shelevan had said that, apparently, whoever was watching them had no evil in their heart. But, in times such as these, one could never be too sure. She closed her eyes and focused until she felt herself sink into a semi-meditative, drawing the energy from her body to the center of her forehead, where her third eye would be. Upon opening it, she immediately began seeking out a room without any other soul present. They would never be completely secure, but anything was better than the lone hallway they currently stood in. ((gahh sorry for my absence yesterday; I had an appointment with my eye doctor. I just now started wearing contacts and they are screwing with me. I really didn't feel like doing anything other than sitting in a dark room and hoping the head ache would go away.))

@ "Yes, I heard it...however I am not quite sure I can believe it.." she answered, voice strained. Her gaze was fixed firmly on the castle, which was situated quite a distance away, lights flickering softly through its windows. Apparently, somewhere within those white, marble halls, was a Phoenix Lord; one who requested their immediate assistance. Well, whoever it was, they certainly had her attention. "The message specifically stated that, whoever this is, they have information for us." she began, "Perhaps...we can trust them. In any case, we may as well go and meet them. We have to report to Celestia anyway..." She then turned from the castle, fixing her gaze down the dark, cluttered alleyway. She snorted, eyes narrowed in frustration. "I don't see us finding anything of use where we are now...we need that information."

@ "...If you're sure." she replied and turned to continue forward, albeit a little uncertainly. She covered herself once more with the hood of her cloak, brow furrowed in concern. As if their situation wasn't troubling enough, from what Shelevan had just told her, it seemed the root of their problem could stem deeper than just occult murders...In any case, the balance between planes was already fragile enough; the war had really jumbled the natural order of things quite a bit. Whoever was sacrificing the citizens of Canterlot was only making things worse. She just couldn't seem to shake the feeling that they were in over their heads at this point. ~~~~~~~~~~~~` The Echo Chamber is empty, save for two mares sitting on either end of a great, marble table. The chandelier's fire has long since gone out, and the only source of light in the spacious room is a small, dimly glowing lantern at the table's center. Both are completely silent, and the air is thick with tension. "They certainly handled that better than expected." says the pegasus, orchid colored eyes narrowed sternly. "They're the most trusted out of all of our disciples; I'd expect nothing less from them." the reply is clipped, and it is clear that the unicorn mare has other things on her mind. The moment Siobhan had seen the runes, she'd known that there wasn't much she or her sister could do. She'd lost count of how many times she'd cursed herself over the past hour. How could either of them not notice the signs? In hindsight it was all so clear! Yet here she sat, staring down at crumpled sheet of parchment filled with hastily scribbled runes. If only they'd been quicker...maybe they could have stopped them before they'd truly begun. But, she supposed, it was no use now. The deed was done and they could only stand by, handing the reigns over to another to let Fate take its course. The runes spelled the the end- the total and complete annihilation- of Equestria. "There's nothing we can do." she whispers it quietly, eyes closed, as if praying for some sort of forgiveness. "Aye.." Princess Celestia had been right. They couldn't hold back destiny forever.

Siobhan: Siobhan had long since decided that her sister's death would be the final straw. She had put her hoof down; no more war, no more fighting. No more death. Yet here she was, standing as a part of the Solar Empire; as a part of the Sun Army. She found herself becoming more and more apathetic towards the world and all its complicated problems. Why should she care? Of course, when she had first arrived, she had thought to join with the kingdom she believed would offer the most peace. She didn't consider herself foolish, and knew that there was a very little, if not nonexistent, chance of a reconciliation between the Princesses any time soon. So she chose the Solar Empire, simply because she did not want to conquer or provoke. At the very least she figured she wouldn't have to worry as much. The Empire was somewhat merciful, and for that, she was thankful. She was no executioner, and she prayed no one else in the Army was either. She refused to take someone's family member away. And yet....There were downsides. She and her sister had always been somewhat of a neutral party. They had always believed that arguments were petty and war was absolutely ridiculous and uncalled for. Siobhan still believed that to be true. So to go and join the Sun Army, having to listen to some of Celestia's "adoring fans" sing her praises, and step in line with every other mindless sheep in the Empire was a hard pill to swallow. But she did so out of some vague and futile belief that things would get better. She found her self wondering, not for the first time that day, whether or not she had made the right decision....

@ Kalith stumbled to a halt before slowly turning her head, eyes wide with surprise. She turned to fully face her companion, slipping the hood off of her head. Shelevan looked groggy and a little confused; her legs still shook slightly. "Yes, it's me," she answered, brows furrowed in concern, "Are you alright? Did you sense something?" She hadn't known very much about Shelevan's meditative state; only that she wouldn't be leaving it unless someone- or something- interrupted. That something had to be fairly powerful to reach her in such a deep trance. Kalith could only assume that what ever had woken her friend, it wasn't good.

@@Dattebayo Time will only tell. Hopefully everyone has learned a lesson. Don't touch 4chan. Leave them alone and ((hopefully) they'll leave you alone. Going back and forth between these people is pointless, so why drag the fandom into it?

From what I heard, the SJW side of Tumblr brought down the wrath of /b after "poking the beehive one too many times" if you know what I mean. Tumblr can handle themselves; this fandom is not an army and does not need to be used as such.

As per Helios’ report, Kalith was following the stench sulfur and graveyard dirt. It was hardly noticeable in her current position in the city; so much so that one would have to be intentionally looking to be able to pick up on it. During the debriefing, it was estimated that the culprits had obviously taken to operating under the cover of night, pinning their victims to the closest flat surface with large, ornate spikes and draining them of blood. However, Lady Siobhan had been oddly tight-lipped on the meanings of each specific rune, as well as their individual purposes. “Your only focus now is to find out who is behind these atrocities,” she had ordered sternly, “Once you have this information, report back to the Celatum. My sister and I will decide what to do from there.” It had nettled her in a way she had never experienced before. While she couldn't deny that pride was one of the reasons she felt she should handle the investigation herself; it was mainly the fact that she wasn't fond of wasting time. Every day spent trekking all the way back to the sanctuary meant more lives lost. It was unnecessary, and she couldn't seem to grasp why Siobhan would hand down such an order, even when they both knew it meant that more innocents would probably die. As far as they knew, the culprits sacrificed at least one victim nightly ((mostly tourists and visitors)), and had been doing so for a solid four months now; plenty of time for the citizens to get good and scared. It seemed that the culprits fed on their fear, enjoying it as much as a starving orphan would enjoy a good meal. The behavior practically screamed "Inorganic”. But, according to Lady Siobhan, that wasn't the case. With an irritated sigh, she turned sharply, pausing only for a moment to be sure her companion followed, before continuing down the next alley. The lower the sun fell, the stronger the stench of sulfur and graveyard dirt got. They were getting closer.

King and Lionheart OOC: http://mlpforums.com/topic/102553-king-and-lionheart-two-spots-left/ RP Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYVdwwECHcLtsCVkxCC45Ug8XgzH8Uyrz Co DMed with The sky had long since darkened, bleached with bloody streaks of crimson and choking clouds of black, sulfurous smoke. It seemed that the entire world had caught fire, as it raged from every corner of the earth, burning all in its path. In the center of the maelstrom, there lay a pit, reaching deep into the void, stretching on without end. Fire spewed from its depths, like a great beast, and those gathered it its edge barely managed to avoid the flames. A young mare stands out against the rest, clad in imperial, golden armor, light lavender eyes flashing in determination. In her wake are the rulers of the current empire. The High King, a powerful wind demon, stands tall and proud in gleaming, dark armor. His mate, the spirit demon and High Queen, carries the crest of their falling empire, staring straight ahead with steely jade eyes. Behind them are the next eight most powerful creatures in the world; their generals and trusted advisers. Together, they gaze out across the pit and into the eyes of the Beast, whose crimson gaze flashes with hunger and retribution. It releases a mighty bellow, power and killing intent rippling outwards across the void; across the entire world. The mare in armor spreads her snowy white wings and shoots into the air, hovering before the Beast. She is surrounded by a corona of multicolored light, and her eyes glow with power. From below, the ten demons prepare themselves for what is to come, each carrying a small vial of glowing, silver liquid. The King raises his head to the sky, locking gazes with the mare that is to be the savior of their crumbling kingdom. "Remember your promises to us, young one. This country will be yours to rule, but also yours to protect. You must make sure that something like this never happens again." he growls. "The Cult must be stopped, no matter the cost," says the Queen, still gazing out at the Beast, "This is your task now, and we will hold you to your promises, no matter where the future shall take us." A pale, sickly-looking creature steps out of the line of Generals, moving to stand beside his old friends. His gaze is clouded, and it is clear that, had things been different, he wouldn't have had much longer left to live anyway. His magic is weak and wavering, almost nonexistent, but the strength and resolve in his stance is as present as ever. "You must also remember to hide those amulets away once we are gone. The Elements of Harmony, though symbols of peace and balance, are still, at heart, weapons capable of mass destruction. Though they can never be wielded by demons such as us, there is the chance that they could still fall into the wrong hooves. Hide them away, and only use them when necessary. In time, I suggest you find a student of your own; a new vessel for the Element of Magic." he croaks. She nods, tears trailing silently from her eyes. No one had ever predicted it would end this way. But as the golden sphere of light forms around her, and the Elements spark and crackle with pure magical energy, she thinks that perhaps there was no avoiding this fate. When she fires, shooting a canon of rainbow light at the Beast, at all his demons spread out across the land, she thinks of her sister. She thinks of her people, her friends, and she thinks of her mentor. For a moment, she can hear nothing but the hum of energy, of Harmony, the distant beating of her heart, and in the silent distance, a voice, whispering. "Thank you, my faithful student." Everything stops, and the world fades into a blinding white. The Dark Ages had finally ended. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >>> Fast-Forward>>> --Over 3,000 years later. ---Equestria ----Celatum- North of Canterlot, 15 miles underground. The messenger, despite the urgency of the information he carried, is lagging behind. Helios prides himself at being unusually fast; so much so that his speed was what earned him the title First Adherent, as well as gain him a spot in the Lucerna's Inner Circle. Though, at this time, he is sure he has a good enough excuse. Flying at max speed down the spiraling, marble staircase, he comes to a jarring halt at the towering oak doors, which are guarded by two brawny, iron-clad stallions. The first of the two gives a low, respectful bow, though his eyes flash with concern, before they both push open the doors. He streaks through the opening without a second thought, not even waiting to see if they close behind him. The spacious antechamber is held up by giant, black marble pillars running vertically up the room. Silver chandeliers hang from the craggy ceiling, flickering with lavender and cyan fire. A long, coal dark carpet leads to a great stone dais, upon which a rectangular table made of the same black marble as the pillars rests. There sits the Inner Circle, with the two Grandmasters of the Lucerna placed at each end. "Lady Siobhan! Lady Darkessie! I have urgent news from Canterlot!" Energy spent, he stumbles as quickly as he can towards the dais, feeling the adrenaline leave him and the sting of his many wounds beginning to set in. A sky colored mare with cloudy stripes and cerulean eyes leaps from her seat and rushes to his aid, helping him stumble the rest of the way up the dais. "Helios! What happened? Who did this?" she demands. "I don't know...I never saw the cowards face." he grinds out, ember eyes flashing angrily, "I walked in on some sort of sacrifice. They had this poor bastard pinned to the alley wall with these spikes. They were siphoning his blood into this weird container and using it to paint the walls." The mares face twists with disgust and she shudders, turning her gaze towards the unicorn at the head of the table. All eyes are on her. "You said they were painting the walls? What were they painting?" her entire demeanor is clam, but there is a storm brewing in her clover-colored eyes. "Runes," Helios answers, retrieving the crumpled piece of parchment from his messenger bag and handing it to her. No one speaks. No one even dares breathe too loudly. The Grandmaster's eyes narrow angrily, magic sparkling at the tip of her horn. The others shift uneasily, as they have never seen one of their leaders so affected by something. On the parchment, Helios had hastily sketched a few of the bloody runes he had seen, barely managing to escape with his own life. He had known the moment he laid eyes on the horrific scene that there would be no way to save the unfortunate victim. The only thing he could do was copy the strange symbols. "I have seen these runes before. Better yet, I know exactly what their purpose is, and it isn't good." she looks up, gazing at each of them in turn before gazing back at the runes, "However, as we are in the middle of a war, I fear we cannot devote our forces to such a cause; we are already short on members. I do not foresee the monsters yielding any time soon." "However," at the other end of the table, a silver and lavender pegasus mare rises to her hooves, going to stand beside her sister and fellow Grandmaster, "We shall send two of you to investigate and put a stop to these slaughters, before their plan comes to fruition." "And what, pray tell, is their plan?" asks a dark navy stallion, eyes frosty with anger. "Listen well, all of you. There is something my sister and I must tell you....." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hours later, two young mares stand in the central plaza of Canterlot. Amber eyes peer out from under the hood of a russet traveling cloak. After a precursory glance at their surrounds, the two walk side-by-side into an alley, disappearing into to evening shadows.

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