open The Guardpost

[Apollo 297]

*Schwartz ran into the room.* "Reporting in. We found trace amounts of magic residue in the great hall. We had the court wizard examine it and he came to the deduction that. Well, its artificial. Its not natural magic. Whatever that thing was, it wasnt supposed to have magic."

[Strong Hooves 289]

Cloud had woken up feeling refreshed, he put his armor back on as well as his fore-blades and walked back to where the others were. He smiled at Schwartz, possibly the first friendly Lunar Guard he had met, "Wait... Artificial magic? How is that possible?"

[Aureity 3,055]

"You guys are done?" asked Crystal Flame. "Lovely. I can stop staring at this door then." He turned his gaze from the fixed spot he had been staring at and walked over to the new arrival.

Another Lunar Guard! Let's hope this one's temper isn't as...high.

[Skullbuster 1,906]

night wing flew back in "have we learned any thing new?"

[Power Ten 213]

K-Bar perked up when she heard the device click, then shit off. She frantically ran over and pushed the device on the map. "What? No! no no no no no!" She pounded a hoof on the table. The map had a single red dot on it, marking where the portal started. 'ERROR - EXIT PORTAL NOT FOUND' was printed in bold letters on the bottom edge of the map. K-Bar felt every bit of rage inside her get replaced by hopelessness. "We've failed, there's no way to find the princesses now." She said, her voice wavering a little.

[Skullbuster 1,906]

night wing sighed, "more bad news i gather"

[Apollo 297]

*The Dark alicorn appeared in the room in a great explosion of black smoke. Searchlights appeared below him, illuminating him, his face was covered by a ratty black mane. Out of his mane a long horn protruded. (Geez, that sounds so wrong. xD) Large bat wings extended across the room and his pitch black coat shone in the light.*

"Goo'day lit'le gauhds. I prehsume tha you wish ta know theh location of youah precious lit'le princesses."

*He said in a thick accent.*

 

"Who are you?" *Schwartz shouted.* "What did you do with them?"

 

"All in good tahm lit'le Schwartz. All in good tahm."

[Power Ten 213]

*The Dark alicorn appeared in the room in a great explosion of black smoke. Searchlights appeared below him, illuminating him, his face was covered by a ratty black mane. Out of his mane a long horn protruded. (Geez, that sounds so wrong. xD) Large bat wings extended across the room and his pitch black coat shone in the light.*

"Goo'day lit'le gauhds. I prehsume tha you wish ta know theh location of youah precious lit'le princesses."

*He said in a thick accent.*

 

"Who are you?" *Schwartz shouted.* "What did you do with them?"

 

"All in good tahm lit'le Schwartz. All in good tahm."

 

K-Bar spun to face the new arrival, whipping her knife out of its scabbard as she did so. She crouched slightly, holding the knife loosely. "You've got ten seconds to tell us where the princesses are before I slice your throat open." She stated coldly.

[Apollo 297]

K-Bar spun to face the new arrival, whipping her knife out of its scabbard as she did so. She crouched slightly, holding the knife loosely. "You've got ten seconds to tell us where the princesses are before I slice your throat open." She stated coldly.

 

*The Dark Alicorn simply laughed.*

"Youah adorahble. Ahll in good tihm as ah said."

*The Dark Alicorn looked at all the guards in the room.*

"Youah ahll gathahed heah beacahse yah care abouht yah princesses. So ahll give yahll a hint."

*His mane started to hover into the air and his horn glowed white. His voice changed, the accent gone.*

"Five pieces across the land. Five keys to the hidden sand. Your differences must be overcome. Or the lives of your beloved will be done. Across the world you all must travel. But be careful that you don't unravel. The price for rule must be shed in blood. But keep in mind the holy grudge. A long way you must go. Along the true and shadowed road."

*With this the Dark Alicorn laughed and vanished in another blast of smoke.*

[Skullbuster 1,906]

"hidden sand...differences to overcome...shadowed road" night wing said to him self, pondering what they ment

[Aureity 3,055]

Crystal Flame gave up on understanding whatever the alicorn meant. "Well, anyone have a clue?" he asked as he cleared the smoke around his head.

[Apollo 297]

Crystal Flame gave up on understanding whatever the alicorn meant. "Well, anyone have a clue?" he asked as he cleared the smoke around his head.

 

"Well...... it sounds ridiculous but the part about "Five keys" reminds me of a story my parents used to tell me when I was really little."

*Schwartz said.*

[Skullbuster 1,906]

"well, tell us about it, it might be out only lead"

[Apollo 297]

*Schwartz had to think for a second to remember the story.* "Five keys to an ancient land, deep below hidden in the sand. Two of true and one of false together make the greatest power. The ground will quake and break apart, till light and dark fight together. Those who stray will not succeed, beware the parting of the airborne creed."

[Skullbuster 1,906]

"the desert perhaps, so we need to find 5 keys and bring them to some place in the desert" night wing said

[Aureity 3,055]

Crystal Flame frowned. "Desert, isn't very specific. For all we know, it could be half a world away. Although that alicorn's cryptic verse did say traversing the world," he muttered.

[Power Ten 213]

"We don't have much of a choice, now do we?" K-Bar grumbled as she sheathed her knife. "Schwartz seems to know the most about this. Any ideas?" K-Bar pulled off her mask and hood to let her short mane air out.

[Apollo 297]

"We don't have much of a choice, now do we?" K-Bar grumbled as she sheathed her knife. "Schwartz seems to know the most about this. Any ideas?" K-Bar pulled off her mask and hood to let her short mane air out.

 

"I actually did research on the legend a while back. It seems that each of the countries contains a key. One in Equestria, one in the country of the dogs, one in the griffin's country, one in the dragon country, and one in the zebra country. This rescue attempt could take years."

[Power Ten 213]

"We don't have years. Who knows what's going to happen to the princesses if we can't get to them?" K-Bar shuddered at the thought. "We can start trying to find the Equestrian key. Maybe it will have clues to the locations of the other keys"

[Skullbuster 1,906]

"the riddle suggested team work, were are going to need a team"

[Apollo 297]

"We don't have years. Who knows what's going to happen to the princesses if we can't get to them?" K-Bar shuddered at the thought. "We can start trying to find the Equestrian key. Maybe it will have clues to the locations of the other keys"

 

"Agreed. But I don't think we should go in mass. My research said that only a few ponies at a time would be able to get into the tombs that held each of the keys."

[Aureity 3,055]

"A team seems rather...pointless. There's absolutely no point in guarding the castle with the princesses missing. We could just get all the castle guards to scour the earth for this 'key'. Wouldn't that make much more sense?"

 

NINJAD

 

"Then wouldn't it be smarter to send 5 teams instead of just one? We'd be done five times as quick."

Edited March 5, 2012 by Aureity

[Apollo 297]

"A team seems rather...pointless. There's absolutely no point in guarding the castle with the princesses missing. We could just get all the castle guards to scour the earth for this 'key'. Wouldn't that make much more sense?"

 

NINJAD

 

"Then wouldn't it be smarter to send 5 teams instead of just one? We'd be done five times as quick."

 

"I don't think that would be a great idea. If one of the teams failed, then there would be no way to know when, or how that team ended up. We should send out one team, of the absolute best soldiers to do this. But first. We need to decide who will be the steward to the throne. We don't want a power struggle to break out. That could end very badly."

[Power Ten 213]

"I don't think that would be a great idea. If one of the teams failed, then there would be no way to know when, or how that team ended up. We should send out one team, of the absolute best soldiers to do this. But first. We need to decide who will be the steward to the throne. We don't want a power struggle to break out. That could end very badly."

 

"While you fillies figure the government out, I'll be pulling together a crack team of the best guards in this castle." K-Bar glanced around the room. "Schwartz, you're on the team. You know the most about these so-called ruins."

[Apollo 297]

"While you fillies figure the government out, I'll be pulling together a crack team of the best guards in this castle." K-Bar glanced around the room. "Schwartz, you're on the team. You know the most about these so-called ruins."

 

"Of course. I'd also like to nominate that Cloud Chaser kid. He seems like he would be useful."