private Whisper: The City Of Darkness

[Blacklight 118]

@@Orion Caelum

Cura's curiosity began to wane as he observed the rest of the group until he spotted a strange sight indeed. Is that...Dr. Winter, no it can't be? Why would a widely-renown astronomer and scientist have to do with this? Whatever it may be, I'm sure that Dr. Winter at least has some idea why the king wants us here. I have to speak with him. With his goal in mind, Cura began to politely weave his way through the group of ponies, reaching within a few feet of the Doctor when he was interrupted by an announcement from what Cura assumed to be the head guard on site.

 

"Alright, don't cause any trouble, answer any questions you are asked honestly and tell the questioners everything you think is relevant, and this will be over quickly, and you can all go back to your parties,"

 

This was quickly followed by the guards herding them onto the nearby bus, preventing Cura from catching the doctor's attention as he was forced into the end opposite of his goal. Sitting down, Cura sat in silence the rest of the trip, his mind enraptured by his own thoughts to pay much attention to the change in scenery until the as the bus roughly came to a stop, causing him to bang his head against the seat in front of him. " Ow!" he exclaimed, bringing up a hoof to rub his head as he gave a silent curse to the driver. The curse however died as he glanced outside, realization of where he was striking him fully as the other ponies and him were herded off the bus. I-I didn't think they be taking us here. He mental stuttered as he took in his surroundings, after all, Canterlot castle was now a far cry from what it used to be under the sister's rule, with intimidating barely scratching the surface of the atmosphere that the castle seemed to produced. Nervously shuffling forward with the rest of the group deeper into the castle, Cura tried his best to stare ahead, only taking short glances to the frenzy of activity that seemed to fill the castle until they were finally placed within some sort of waiting room, if the decor and furnishings were anything to go by. Noticing that most of the guards escorting them seemed to have left, Cura quickly took a seat in a nearby chair. Holding his head in his hooves, Cura retreated into his thoughts. Oh, you really have yourself in over your head this time and worst yet, something tells me that this is just the beginning. He was so caught up with his own thoughts that he didn't even notice that he was sitting next to Dr. Winter himself, the pony that minutes ago he was so eager to speak with.

Edited January 5, 2016 by Blacklight

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

@@Blacklight,@@Chip Circuit, @@Ethan Sawyer, @@Orion Caelum, @@Unicorncob.

 

A pure white unicorn with milky blue eyes walked into the waiting room and looked over the assembled ponies. He spoke a few quiet words into the ear of one of the guards, who nodded. As the white unicorn left, the guard walked up to the group.

 

"Could you, you, you, you, you and you as well, corporal, please come with me? The rest of you will be interviewed shortly," the guard said in a polite but perfunctory manner, pointing at Cura, Zayoh, Wilhelm, Lavender, Bramble and Scarlett. He led the way out of the room, in the same direction the white pony had gone, without waiting to see if they were following him through the corridors of the castle.

Edited January 10, 2016 by Once In A Blue Moon

[Chip Circuit 1,842]

Zayoh felt a strange presence approaching from one of the corridors and soon the source of the presence walked into the waiting room. A unicorn with a coat of pure white.

 

The zebra then felt a pulse of energy radiate from the unicorn, which was proven to be on purpose as the unicorn directed a second look at Zayoh. In response Zayoh narrowed his eyes slightly at the unicorn as he begun to make his leave.

 

Zayoh's attention was grabbed by a guard who addressed their group and insisted they follow him. The zebra stood from his seat and begun following the guard, the majority of his attention was fixated on the direction of the presence of the unicorn. "What was that force that was released, was that unicorn reading the minds to make sure hostile thoughts had ceased?" He thought to himself in question.

[Unicorncob 5,679]

Lavender tilted her head as she was summoned by the totally white unicorn.

"You think he rolls around in chalk for fun?" She mutters to anypony listening, "Or is made of milk? Maybe he's Frosty the Snowpony!"

 

She nodded to the mutants to follow her. She thought it wouldn't be a problem, since all they seemed to do was follow her around.

 

As soon as she leaves, the white unicorn's voice sounds from an alcove.

 

 

The mutants don't like being told to wait behind, but they will if asked. The guard probably wouldn't realise if they went with her though - he isn't looking at any of you.

"Don't reveal what you are or what you can do - the king is a great pony with noble intentions, but he can be so blind at times."

 

And with a flash of yellow, he was gone.

 

Lavender glanced up, presumably at her horn.

"What do you think?" She tried asking the voice in her head again, "If, well, you feel like talking."

[Chaton 3,765]

Scarlett sensed an unusually high amount of magic enter the room, but as she turned round all she saw was a pure white pony walking out of the room. Well that wasn't suspicious at all. 

 

Then the guard pony spoke, and out of pure curiosity she went along with it. "Wilhelm, bring your group please. We have an interview to go to."

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

@@Blacklight,@@Chip Circuit, @@Ethan Sawyer, @@Orion Caelum, @@Unicorncob, @@ForthEorl.

 

The group was lead through a series of corridors. The king's red and black colours wee everywhere; guards wore tabards emblazoned with his heraldry, even some of the larger halls had red carpets with black edges. The darker tones clashed with the white limestone walls, although further in the rooms had been 'modernised' with dark iron reinforcement plates and magic-tech lights and the overall effect was quite striking, if rather foreboding. It was in one such room, with a massive table in the centre covered in a map of Equestria, that the group entered and came face-to-face with the king.

 

Wearing the gold and blue armour of the now-disbanded Royal Guard, the king looked rather out of place. He was a white pegasus with a blue mane and a scar running down his throat from his chin to his left shoulder. There were several officers standing around him, as well as the pure-white unicorn. He waved all but one of the officers away and glanced at the white unicorn, who nodded. Without waiting for anyone to speak, the king addressed the group.

 

"My adviser, Albion here," he gestured to the white unicorn, who said nothing, "Tells me that you are touched by the tarot. Do any of you know what that means?" He asked in a rasping but clearly audible voice, "You too, Sharp," he added, speaking to the officer at his side.

[Unicorncob 5,679]

Lavender walked with the group through the castle, unable to stop herself from looking around at the décor. The red and black colours, coupled with the modernised magitech lighting and iron plates, filled her with unease.

 

"This castle has no soul..."

 

When she laid eyes on the king, she noticed the painful-looking scar running down his throat.

Can that pony even spea-- oh, well, there goes that.

 

When he asked the group if they knew what it meant that they were 'touched by the tarot', as he put it, she blinked once and flicked her tail.

"...the tarot should have bought us dinner first?"

[Chip Circuit 1,842]

Zayoh continued following along with the group, he hated seeing the castle is such a condition compared to the tales and rumors he had heard of its once glorious days.

 

As they entered a room with a large table covered with a map of Equestria, he noticed a stoic looking stallion clad in gold and blue armor with an imposing scar on his neck.

 

Zayoh's gaze met the gaze of the white unicorn once again as he was still curious about the magical force he had felt from the unicorn before. His attention was grabbed as the stallion in charge as he posed a question.

 

"Um, well a tarot force, is something that very few know of of course..." Zayoh began nervously as he was afraid to speak. "I have heard they are a magical presence that assist in the protection of most life in the land. I cannot recall hearing that one can be touched by such a hand."

Edited January 16, 2016 by Chip Circuit

[nolongerabout 403]

@@Once In A Blue Moon, @@Unicorncob,

 

Sharp's ears pricked up at the mention of his name. So that was why he had not been dismissed with the other officers. Whatever it meant. He only had a faint idea of what a Tarot was, let alone what the king meant by 'touched'.

 

He watched the ragtag group before him react to the announcement. He didn't have much of an idea as to who they were, beyond they had been picked up heading away from Ponyville. The first to say anything was a mare with a purple mane, and greyish coat. She had a twitch that was rather... unnerving. But, he had to try and resist a smile at her response. At least, in these dark days, ponies had not lost their sense of humour. The zebra, no doubt the most suspicious looking member of the group, then rattled out some whimsical speech.

 

As much as he enjoyed meeting interesting characters such as these, he hoped this wouldn't last too long. He had duties to attend.

Edited January 16, 2016 by ForthEorl

[Chaton 3,765]

Scarlett walked into a large room that contained the king, some other ponies and a great deal of suspense. She was about to respond to the question when a pony nearby made a joke and almost made her choke on her words. It was nice to see some form of humour had survived.

[Blacklight 118]

Giving a long sigh, Cura lifted his head from his hooves, sure that he had misheard the guard's words, at least he thought he did. Never once had any of the guards a been as polite had that one had just been and frankly, it added to his confusion. When did I become so important? His curiosity beginning to peak from the oppressive mood the situation had put him he followed the guard quietly, taking note of the ponies around him as was they walked though the castle halls. These are the same ponies from the bus, what do they have to do with this? Rising a brow, Cura continued trotting calmly, barely betraying the flood of nervous emotions within him until they reached a room occupied primary with a massive map of Equestria. That however only held his gaze for a few short moments until he noticed the room's important occupant, the very king himself.

 

To be completely honest, the king a little less imposing than he expected, though he blamed that on the rumors that he would hear about the king in the university. He looked far from a pushover however, his worn but polished armor as well as the scar tracing around his throat revealing that he was no stranger to battle. What Cura Breeze's attention the most was the King's eyes. From an early age, Cura had always had a knack for reading ponies, often getting a good idea of a pony based on their gaze alone, and what he saw from that one gaze was of a pony that had grown old before his time; a witness to sights that no pony should ever have to see. Though beyond that he saw the gaze of a pony that would sacrifice anything if he thought it was for the greater good. All that however, pasted in a moment as the King's question drew him back to reality. Tarrot, what is a Tarrot? He was about to voice his question when the mare next to him spoke. Her answer, contrasting completely with the current situation, caused him to knicker silently from the seer audacity of it. Quickly recomposing himself, Cura turned to the King and said, " My king, like I'm sure the mare was asking; who or what exactly is a Tarrot?" @@Once In A Blue Moon,

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

@@Blacklight,@@Chip Circuit, @@Ethan Sawyer, @@Orion Caelum, @@Unicorncob, @@ForthEorl.

 

 

"...the tarot should have bought us dinner first?"

 

 

The king didn't react, but a number of ponies in the room suddenly developed a cough.

 

 

Her answer, contrasting completely with the current situation, caused him to knicker silently from the seer audacity of it. Quickly recomposing himself, Cura turned to the King and said, " My king, like I'm sure the mare was asking; who or what exactly is a Tarrot?"

 

 

 

 

"Um, well a tarot force, is something that very few know of of course..." Zayoh began nervously as he was afraid to speak. "I have heard they are a magical presence that assist in the protection of most life in the land. I cannot recall hearing that one can be touched by such a hand."

 

 

"Close enough," the King said, nodding to Zayoh, "The Tarot are powers... not exactly gods, but close enough, that keep order in the world. They choose ponies to serve them, granting them the power to influence the world. Celestia and Luna were two such ponies, and they defeated Discord and ushered in six thousand of years of peace," the King looked up and down the line of ponies in front of him, his gaze lingering on Lavender a moment longer and with an almost imperceptibly harsher expression, "They sacrificed themselves to keep the horrors unleashed by princess Twilight contained in Ponyville, although it seems that our period of grace they bought with their lives has ended,” he turned back to the map, looking down at the little figures assembled on it.

 

Canterlot, at the centre of the map, had a handful of blue pony figures around it, and a few more blue figures were scattered around Equestria, but by far the largest concentration of models was over a dozen red figures massed outside of Ponyville.

 

“We are all chosen by the Tarot to confront this evil,” he gestured to the red figures, “I was chosen to lead Equestria, and I gathered to myself all those I could find that the Tarot have touched to serve as my agents. I had found only two, Scarlett and Sharp, and I had thought all hope lost, but when the apocalypse seemed nigh no fewer than six more should wander in at the same time,” He span around, suddenly animated, “It is a sign,” he roared, “The sun and moon have returned, the agents of the Tarot have arrived, NOW is the time to strike. The monsters that lead this horde live in the bodies of the Princesses Cadence, Luna and Celestia. Without them, it is a leaderless rabble. You will find these abominations, you will destroy them, and when their leader reveals himself to take command I shall strike him down and usher in another six thousand years of peace,” he stopped, panting heavily, clearly drained by his outburst, “My personal airship, the Scion Tempestatis, will take you wherever you need to go. Sharp and Scarlett, I trust you both to see this done, whatever it takes,” the king raised a hoof to dismiss them and then stopped.

 

“Six. You said there were six,” he turned on the white unicorn he had named as Albion, who nodded. Looking straight at Lavender and the two near doppelgangers standing by her, the King's expression darkened and the two mutants stepped forwards defensively, but Albion stepped between the king and the mutants and raised a hoof, shaking his head. The two stared at each other for a moment, and then the king backed down, and Albion stepped back to his side. “Are there any questions?” the King asked acting as though nothing had happened. 

[Unicorncob 5,679]

Lavender couldn't help but let out a proud little grin at making most ponies in the room snicker at her little comment.

 

Hehe, I made a funny! She squeaked internally.

 

Though, the King's long gaze at her melted her smile, and she swallowed. He did not look happy with her.

 

"So we have to fight those mutants we saw before?" She asked, remembering her 'battle' against the Cadence mutant, and suppressing a smile at how fun it was for a while, "That shouldn't be too hard... right?"

 

When the king and the mutants stared each other down, she got a bit nervous. But that went away when he backed down.

"I won't let anypony hurt you," she promised them quietly.

[Chip Circuit 1,842]

@Once In A Blue Moon

 

Zayoh glanced side to side at the unlikely group that was gathered in this room and by the sound of it a group he would be traveling with.

 

The zebra rose a hoof to his chin in thought and then slid it off his chin and into the air. "I have a question if a may? Is it plausible to save the princesses in anyway?." Zayoh asked as he lowered his hoof. "Back in ponyville the demon pocessing the body of Cadence, it appeared as it entered my proximity that a change in its appearance occurred which certainly made it seem very tense."

Edited January 21, 2016 by Chip Circuit

[Blacklight 118]

Giving a look that some confuse with one of shock, Cura could only stare in disbelief at the King's words, Is he serious?! I know that's he's the King and all but does he realize just how unbelievable that sounds? Much to his amazement, most of the ponies around him only seemed to look as if this was already common knowledge. One across the room, a zebra, even asking if it was possible to save the fallen princesses as another asked if they were similar to 'mutants' . Puzzled to say the very least, especially at the mention of 'mutants' by the mare, Cura decided to at least give the King the benefit of the doubt as Cura cleared his throat and asked, his words tinged with a hint of doubt,

 

" Excuse me, but what exactly did Princess Twilight unleash at Ponyville? My own knowledge on the matter is next to nothing? Also, I know that I was touched by this 'Tarrot' and given some sort of power but could you explain further what exactly is this power?"

@@Once In A Blue Moon, 

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

@@Blacklight,@@Chip Circuit, @@Ethan Sawyer, @@Orion Caelum, @@Unicorncob, @@ForthEorl.

 

 

 

"I have a question if a may? Is it plausible to save the princesses in anyway?." Zayoh asked as he lowered his hoof. "Back in ponyville the demon pocessing the body of Cadence, it appeared as it entered my proximity that a change in its appearance occurred which certainly made it seem very tense."

 

The king looked to Albion, who simply shrugged. Spurred to give a more complete answer by the king's frown, Albion gave a small cough and spoke, "Demons can possess living bodies, but in so doing degrade the mind of the possessed. Even if the demon could be expunged, not much of the pony's mind would be left. So yes, it can be done, but I'm not sure it will achieve what you seek."

 

 

 

" Excuse me, but what exactly did Princess Twilight unleash at Ponyville? My own knowledge on the matter is next to nothing? Also, I know that I was touched by this 'Tarrot' and given some sort of power but could you explain further what exactly is this power?"

 

Albion drew a pack of cards, marked '21 Tarot Deck', in response. Floating the cards out of the pack with an aura of yellow magic, Albion showed the cards to the assembled group. They each had a different illustration and title, and after showing that there were no duplicates Albion shuffled the deck. Drawing from it, he laid a card face-down on the table in front of Cura. Flipping it over, the card was revealed to be Temperance. Shuffling the card back into the deck, Albion drew again, and once again Cura was faced with Temperance. This time Albion pushed the drawn card aside and drew another. Temperance. He drew five more, and from each of them the golden-haired changling stared up at Cura. Somehow the cards seemed more animated when they were near Cura - the honey seemed to glisten as it dribbled down from one cup to the other.

 

Shuffling the entire deck again, Albion showed that once again all 21 cards were different, the duplicates having disappeared as mysteriously as they had arrived. Drawing again, this time only bothering to draw one card for each pony and not shuffling it back into the deck afterwards. Zayoh looked upon the Hermit, Scarlett saw Death, Wilhelm beheld the Magician, Lavender drew the Fool, Sharp gazed upon the Hanged Mare whilst Bramble drew the Chariot.

 

When Albion came to Crystal Spark, though, something was different. Drawing the World, at first there was the image of an adventurous mare staring into the vast expanse of a sunset-lit desert, but it began to shift. The sun sank further, turning the sky to a dark maroon with a blood red aura at the bottom. Then the horizon seemed to rend in two, an eldritch horror reaching forth and dragging the screaming mare towards it with twisted and horrific appendages. Just as the mare reached the horizon, one hoof outstretched towards the watching ponies and her mouth formed into a silent scream, Crystal Spark lashed out.

 

Albion was surrounded by a haze of orange magic and sent hurtling across the room. Moments later, all of the lights went out as the temperature of the room plummeted. Everything magic flickered and died, and there was chaos as complete darkness enveloped the room. Instinct, training, or perhaps both, drew Sharp forwards, stepping into the darkness towards where the king had been standing. A sharp pain lanced through his shoulder as something struck it hard, but he rolled with the blow and none of his bones broke.

 

There was the thudding of galloping hooves on the limestone floor, and moments later the lights flickered on again. Two guards that had been standing by one of the doors were lying on the ground; one was completely still with his head at an odd angle, the other was clutching his throat with an expression of pain and terror on his face. Albion lay on his side at the far end of the room, labored breathing showing that he was at least still alive. The world lay on the floor, almost returned to normal; the sun was setting, the tear in the fabric of reality was gone, but the mare was missing.

[Unicorncob 5,679]

Lavender grinned as she saw her card, and leaned in for a closer look. She could see a grey pegasus mare, with an adorably dopey face, about to march off the side of a cliff. The image didn't worry her; pegasi can fly, of course!

A delightful illustration of the two Princesses adjourned the brown border, with 'Fool' written right on the bottom.

 

The name made her scowl a bit. "My mama didn't raise no fool!"

 

She flinched with a small yelp as another image, for a moment, took its place. A manic-looking pink mare, with a rather unsettling grin, floating across a rather nonsensical landscape.

The brown border changed a grim grey, with an image of... what looked like the Spirit of Chaos, Discord, strewn across the top.

 

Where it said 'Fool', it then said 'Chaos'."

 

 

Albion was surrounded by a haze of orange magic and sent hurtling across the room. Moments later, all of the lights went out as the temperature of the room plummeted. Everything magic flickered and died, and there was chaos as complete darkness enveloped the room. Instinct, training, or perhaps both, drew Sharp forwards, stepping into the darkness towards where the king had been standing. A sharp pain lanced through his shoulder as something struck it hard, but he rolled with the blow and none of his bones broke.

 

There was the thudding of galloping hooves on the limestone floor, and moments later the lights flickered on again. Two guards that had been standing by one of the doors were lying on the ground; one was completely still with his head at an odd angle, the other was clutching his throat with an expression of pain and terror on his face. Albion lay on his side at the far end of the room, labored breathing showing that he was at least still alive. The world lay on the floor, almost returned to normal; the sun was setting, the tear in the fabric of reality was gone, but the mare was missing.

 

"Yipe!" She squeaked, as the lights in the room went out and the temperature lowered to a freezing cold, "W-who forgot to pay the bills...?!"

 

When the lights came back on, she put a hoof over her mouth in shock at the sight. "What the...?!"

[Chip Circuit 1,842]

Zayoh watched as the cards were dealt after the strange event with the cards that involved this pony, curious how every card changed in front of them.

 

His head angled to the table as a card was slid before him. "The hermit?" He thought to himself. "I suppose this title of tarot I can permit."

 

@Once In A Blue Moon

 

Suddenly within the room the lights were extinguished as if they had entered the void, a chaotic aura filled the space as several noises erupted around the table. The zebra reached for a small vial he kept tied around his neck incase of emergencies but then took his hoof away as he realized this potion would be futile in such darkness.

 

Instead Zayoh concentrated and begun attempting to calm the ripples and waves of chaotic force. He was making very little progress until he felt another force that begun working at quelling the storm. He looked over and saw crystal, a pony who seemed to avoid his presence was able to help quell the storm.

 

The lights soon returned to the room along with a sense of calm but it came with aftermath. Some of the ponies in the room were injured. Zayoh looked back to Crystal. "Can it be? Another with a spiritual connection similar to me?" He questioned to himself before removing himself from his seat.

 

The zebra walked over to albion and reached into his bag to pull out a health potion, he set it beside him and continued to the stallion's who laid on the floor to see if his potions might be of assistance, but there was nothing he could do if they had already passed on except assist in their spirits finding peace.

[Dust and Memories 557]

When Wilhelm saw the card, he was... surprised, to say the least. It seemed ridiculous, not to mention against all laws of probability, for such a thing to happen. Then, his mind finally connected the dots between how he could suddenly feel magic like a physical presence despite not being a unicorn, and snippets of reading in the Black Archive. 

 

For some reason, the only thing that went through Wilhelm's conscious mind was "Please tell me I won't turn into as much of a showoff as that mare. Or suddenly grow a horn." Upon later reflection, Wilhelm would decide it was a coping mechanism, but he was slightly too busy for awhile. Running for his life, bound on a suicide mission, the usual, lah-dee-dah.

 

Which, of course, was the exact moment that the lights went out.

 

When they came back on, Wilhelm - despite his better instincts, especially given the magic Albion exhibited before - ran to Albion's side and that of the guards', quickly and efficiently checking them over like a battlefield medic. When he reached the final guard - the one with the broken neck - Wilhelm didn't even bother to check his pulse, instead closing the guard's staring eyes with a wing.

[nolongerabout 403]

Sharp's shoulder hurt like hell, but he managed to climb to his hooves. The room was a mess. He looked first to the king, who appeared unharmed. He had no idea what had happened, magic was never his specialty, but it was clear something had gone wrong. After looking at the spot where that... Thing had come from, making sure that there wasn't any threat, he took in the rest of the situation. One of the guards was dead, of that he was sure- No neck could bend like that. A damned shame too, he was a good one. He hobbled his way over to the other guard, who was gasping in the grip of one of the ponies that he supposed he was to accompany.

 

"Stay strong lad, and you'll be fine."

 

@@Orion Caelum,

 

He tapped the pony who had checked the injured guard on the shoulder, and spoke quietly.

 

"What do you think? Will he be alright?"

[Dust and Memories 557]

Sharp's shoulder hurt like hell, but he managed to climb to his hooves. The room was a mess. He looked first to the king, who appeared unharmed. He had no idea what had happened, magic was never his specialty, but it was clear something had gone wrong. After looking at the spot where that... Thing had come from, making sure that there wasn't any threat, he took in the rest of the situation. One of the guards was dead, of that he was sure- No neck could bend like that. A damned shame too, he was a good one. He hobbled his way over to the other guard, who was gasping in the grip of one of the ponies that he supposed he was to accompany.

 

"Stay strong lad, and you'll be fine."

 

@@Orion Caelum,

 

He tapped the pony who had checked the injured guard on the shoulder, and spoke quietly.

 

"What do you think? Will he be alright?"

 

Wilhelm shrugged vaguely. "Perhaps. If he gets medical attention soon... and in the King's inner sanctum, his friends will be coming in like moths to a flame." A glimmer of something danced in his eyes, as if he was caught between the urge to run and to stand and fight. "And considering that Crystal's gone, we'll be their first suspects." 

 

Wilhelm took a closer look at Sharp, and clapped his hooves together twice as if trying to remember something. "You're... Silver Sharp, right? No... Ever Sharp."

Edited January 27, 2016 by Orion Caelum

[nolongerabout 403]

@@Orion Caelum,

 

 

 

"You're... Silver Sharp, right? No... Ever Sharp."

 

Sharp offered his hoof to the pony. They seemed educated. And to get out of Ponyville alive... They must have some skill. A useful chap to have along on this 'quest' of theirs. He had seen the town from afar, and was surprised when he found out that some ponies from out of the town had been taken in.

 

"Yes, Captain Ever Sharp, at your service. And your name would be?"

[Blacklight 118]

Still doubtful about the King's words about demons, Cura patiently observed as the white unicorn drew a deck of rather unusual cards and after showing that there were no duplicates of any one card. Raising a brow in integument, Cura watched as the unicorn began to manipulate the deck, cards spiraling around in an impressive display as the unicorn shuffled the deck. However, Cura's interest rose as a card was placed face down in front of him. Upon its reveal, Cura couldn't resist as a strange feeling began creeping upon him, as if the the golden-haired Changeling on the card was beckoning him to touch the card. His mind strangely becoming calm and at ease, Cura slowly started to raise his hoof when the card was withdrawn into the deck, its effects immediately beginning to dissipate. However the feeling show returned as the card was drawn again, intensifying even when five cards were drawn from the deck. He even could have sworn one of the Changelings waved her hoof for him to come closer before the cards were withdrawn into the deck. Shaking his head as the effects stopped, Cura noticed that his hoof was now resting a few spaces away from where the cards once were. Was that the power of the Tarot? He thought as he quickly withdrew his hoof to his side again.

Taking note of his surroundings once again, he managed just in time to witnessed the horrid transformation of the World card before the white unicorn was suddenly sent hurtling across the room and the room was plunged into darkness. Stuck off-guard, Cura struggled to regain his bearings as the sounds of a scuffle broke out, ending with the fading sound of galloping hooves as the light reemerged. Scanning around the room, he quickly spotted three ponies laying on the floor. One, a guard, was rather obviously dead. Another was clutching his throat with an expression of pure terror upon his face. The last was in a help against one of the walls. Noticing that ponies were rushing to the one near the wall first, Cura galloped towards the terrorized guard. Reaching the guard, Cura leaned over him and calmly spoke, barely noticing Wilhelm's own inspection as he attempted to get a response from the guard, " Hey, how you doing? Can you hear me? I need you move your hooves away from your neck so I can see the damage. Nod your head if you understand." I need to move that guard's hooves otherwise I will not be see the extent of the damage.

@@Orion Caelum,@@Once In A Blue Moon,          

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

@@Blacklight,@@Chip Circuit, @@Ethan Sawyer, @@Orion Caelum, @@Unicorncob, @@ForthEorl.

 

The room erupted into chaos, but the king remained unperturbed -  a bastion of calm amidst the chaos, issuing curt commands punctuated with quick hoof gestures to his guards that sent them galloping off to carry out his will. A black unicorn with a hideously disfigured head blinked from the shadows to the king's side in a flash of magic, her eyes scanning the room and her horn glowing with readied magic.

 

 

 

The zebra walked over to albion and reached into his bag to pull out a health potion, he set it beside him and continued to the stallion's who laid on the floor to see if his potions might be of assistance, but there was nothing he could do if they had already passed on except assist in their spirits finding peace.

 

 

When they came back on, Wilhelm - despite his better instincts, especially given the magic Albion exhibited before - ran to Albion's side and that of the guards', quickly and efficiently checking them over like a battlefield medic. When he reached the final guard - the one with the broken neck - Wilhelm didn't even bother to check his pulse, instead closing the guard's staring eyes with a wing.

 

 

Albion gave a smile of thanks to Zayoh but declined with a wave of his hoof. He seemed battered and bruised, but he pulled himself into a sitting  position with little more than a grimace, and he seemed to be moving freely enough. He beckoned Lavender, Scarlett and Bramble over, although when he saw that Wilhelm and Cura were helping the guard he let them be. 

"I still need to speak with you all, together" he said, "Your nascent powers are growing rapidly to meet the threat, whether you realise it or not, but it may not be fast enough - not without knowing what they are, and how you can work together. How you need to work together."

 

 

Cura galloped towards the terrorized guard.

 

The wounded guard was another matter, however. He couldn't breathe, and it clearly terrified him. With Sharp's reassurance and Cura's prompting, though, he pulled his forehooves from his neck to reveal a dark bruise on his neck. It wasn't spreading though, and the guard hadn't gone into shock - not yet at any rate. 

[Unicorncob 5,679]

The room erupted into chaos, but the king remained unperturbed -  a bastion of calm amidst the chaos, issuing curt commands punctuated with quick hoof gestures to his guards that sent them galloping off to carry out his will. A black unicorn with a hideously disfigured head blinked from the shadows to the king's side in a flash of magic, her eyes scanning the room and her horn glowing with readied magic.

 

Lavender watched, almost helplessly, as the castle began descending into chaos around her. The king looked so calm, despite everything going on around him. It was almost admirable.

 

Her ears perked up as a familiar voice returned, and continued with more chess rhetoric.

 

"What is with all the chess talk?" She complained, adding an exasperated sigh before continuing, "...other team...? ...who're you calling a fool? I thought you were on my side!"

 

 

Albion gave a smile of thanks to Zayoh but declined with a wave of his hoof. He seemed battered and bruised, but he pulled himself into a sitting  position with little more than a grimace, and he seemed to be moving freely enough. He beckoned Lavender, Scarlett and Bramble over, although when he saw that Wilhelm and Cura were helping the guard he let them be. 

"I still need to speak with you all, together" he said, "Your nascent powers are growing rapidly to meet the threat, whether you realise it or not, but it may not be fast enough - not without knowing what they are, and how you can work together. How you need to work together."

 

She blinked as Albion beckoned her over, and she trotted over to find herself standing next to Bramble and that red unicorn who had been with them since they arrived. She never caught her name, but she looked like a Red.

 

Literally, she was red. So her name would be Red.

 

Logic.

 

"I'm not so good in groups," she admitted, giving Bramble a grin mixed with nervousness and awkwardness, "My teachers always said so..."