Master

**A memory. Gold, pure.**

Without life or sight

I was created from what was unmade

My heart forged without light

I await my lord's command

The Prophet will steel our broken

At last

Pupa finished strongly, ending the Threnody Without Peace. The heretic in the room remained bowed, but Omarmd hardly noticed. He cared very little about it, only in it's punishment. His Daughter quickly picked up The Ever-Lasted Stave from where it laid on an Alter of Cra.  The spear easily could poke the ceiling. The tooth itself was almost pyramid-shaped, with it all smoothly running up to a sharp point. Two small blades jutted out from under the sharp bone. The shaft was made of Puoliuan Sinea. A rare metal gifted to him many moons before. It not only retains the power to show his status as High Champion, but remains strong enough for him to make usage of it. However, The Ever-Lasted Stave was actually quite heavy. It shined lightly and appeared to be almost made of glass.

His most prized and blessed weapon did have one unique factor about it's appearance. Attached just below the two sharp points under the blade, a long flowing banner. Upon it, a thousand spears, swords, daggers raised high in the air. To symbolize his covenant's mass and prowess.

His Daughter bowed as she offered the Completed Staff to him, to which he responded with a minor blessing. He took the spear with a small show of dexterity.  Assembling his choice of weapons at the moment. Omarmd freely changed what he chose to equip, but all of his arms prove themselves dear to the disciple. Although, a select few of them carry Ribbons of Definitive Fate.

The Father simply tapped Pupa's still bowing head with the tip of his spear, a display of his pleasure induced by her actions. He left Pupa to her own whims and sealed the door shut behind him. Finally ready to venture out into the blistering snow, he made his way out the captured castle.

Twilight nearly sprinted upstairs, leaving Rarity to resume her duties. Ignoring the alabaster, pristine hall of White, she gave the key to her cell to Author as she passed. Twilight was more than aware of Rarity's thievery, it's how she obtained all she has. Author was a reliable mare when she needed to be and Twilight would commonly bestow such chores upon the mane-less mare.

She was now on the very first floor. The guards rarely patrol this level, with dozens of homeless openly roaming the rancid-scented halls. Many crippled or having lost an entire limb. They most commonly fight for scraps of whatever the guards leave behind. It reeked a foul sort here with feces littering the ground. The walls were entirely bare, blood from the runts of their ranks casually laid on the ground. True anarchy and disorder easily roamed this level, unchained nor restrained.

She spotted a single, skin-clad stallion standing still as a statue when she neared the level of squalor. He was sweating quite heavily. It was considerably much warmer up here. A sheet of chain-mail was attempting to pack down a mane of pure crimson in vain. His coat was of the lightest shade of orange Twilight ever saw. A very unusual sight these times, such a colorful guard. Only the pampered, privileged at the lowest level could retain a healthy coat in this growing age of desperation.

As Twilight went to pass him, he suddenly straightened out his back and gave a quick salute. Unlike many of the other members in the clan known as the Alt, he carried a small, sharp piece of metal upon his left flank. It was a strange weapon for a pony to use, with it being fitted for the four-legged beings to use. She recognized it from "The Faithful's" arsenal. Blades were normally reserved for those able to use them effectively. The grip, instead of moving down with the blade, actually veered off to the left. A thrusting dirk. His equipment obviously placed him out as a guard.

"Lady Twilight!" The guard's voice blared out, the tight halls increasing the volume  "Cadet Imperial Guard, here to escort you!" His face was young, probably hasn't even given himself up to a mare yet. Fairly strong in the front, but his hind-legs appeared quite flaccid. He was actually quite handsome, but she hid that thought. Twilight performed a small nod. His voice, although didn't sound threatening or sad, didn't carry any kind of joy nor pleasantness.

"Good to see our holy Celestia has gifted such an... able-bodied guard." Drawing out the word in a sarcastic manner, Twilight passed by him and the cadet was quick in his pursuit. She goes off a journey, with only a cadet, a trainee to protect her? She huffed loudly as she continued into the first level, Imperial Guard closely behind her. Expressing great caution to avoid the fly-ridden piles of dung causally resting upon the ground.

"I volunteered, Lady Twilight." Imperial walked up beside her, filling up the hallway with his larger body. "No other guard was willing to follow you, ma'am."

Too focused on complaining about her escort service and dodging the shyte on the ground, Twilight walked smack dab in into the dirty, powerful chest of a denizen of this level. The researcher quickly found out the ruffians were not a forgiving nor a patient type, with the large male glaring down upon her in moments. With several scars running themselves down his entire body and an eye seemingly carved out, he was most definitely an imposing figure. His body took up the entire hall, leaving no room to slip by him with. His coat, like many of the other inhabitants of this place, was an unclean pelt of brown. Although, his remaining eye was a bright, unique mulberry purple.

He growled in laughter and opened his spacious maw. "Wells'," He spoke in a dry, unsophisticated tone "Loks' like wee's got ourselfs' a good bangin' tonight!" Several other sounds of laughter and joy rouse behind him. Twilight quickly apologized, but the aroused male seemed to care very little. His two meaty forelegs went to wrap around her. Twilight cowered lower to the ground and shut her eyes tightly.

"Chapter of Preservation, brother."

The featureless sound of the cadet behind her wafted into the tension. As if the words were steel, the brute stepped aside. Revealing the others behind him also doing the same. Slightly confused and somewhat dazed, Imperial took the lead and offered out his hoof for her. Not thinking, Twilight simply grabbed it and felt herself walking forward. Lost in a minor trance of Imperial Guard's guidance.

"Lady Twilight? You've just stepped into some fecal matter, ma'am."

The unicorn quickly shook her head in surprise, just realizing they've completely passed the angry homeless and now were coming up to the single exit of the prison. Inspecting her right hoof, it was in fact smeared with remains of feeding. She groaned loudly, slightly alerting the sleeping ponies around them and causing the cadet to chuckle. She tried to get the ever-so lightly green matter of her coat, but only exceeded in getting the foul-smelling mush onto her other hoof.

They arrived at the exit. What laid before them appeared as a simple, iron made door, but it was much more than that with the use of the Lunar Deity's magic. Although it could be opened on this side at anytime, it requires very specific preparations to activate and function as intended. Only the Lost Paladins of Celesta's command strictly knew of the method to go about the preparations, excluding the rulers themselves.

It could speed their journey greatly, but the exact destination was...fairly misplaced. In more simpler words; they had the barest clue as to where Spike laid. He captured the Crystal Kingdom mostly, but they can't truly find him in the eternal snowstorm. They've sent many threats of war and treaties of peace to the dragon, gifts even. mostly returned with the herald in pristine condition, including the offering itself completely untouched.

Their heads were in pristine condition. The rest of the body's fate would be entirely unknown. Spike is known to be quite brutal when it comes to reciprocation.

While she continued her trail of thought, the cadet, being the most forward of the two, opened the door for them both. Flooding the air with an army consisting entirely of grains of sand. Twilight's worn duster thankfully protected most of her body from the assault, unfortunately, her face suffered slightly. Their first checkpoint on this trek was Appallaanoi, led by the ever hostile Avixel, formally known as a proud member of the Apple family, caring friend and sister. Like many of the more reputable, Applejack fell to Spike's offers and temptations. Or be felled by his zealous claws instead.

Being a benefiting part of his covenant was extremely desirable, and Applejack's family still held fair farmland and commanded the skill to manage them. But, giving transportation to such large quantities of food required capable motion. So, the proud ponies of Appallaanoi captured the sole functioning train of the Friendship Express, hijacked most of the tracks located on the western side of Equestria, including the settlements around the train's path. Los Pegasus, Vanhoover, -

"Not in interrupt your thoughts, Lady Twilight," The patient guard finally said after a sliver of time passed "but if we are to hope to arrive before nightfall, we must leave with great haste." The flustered unicorn quickly set aside her thoughts and followed Imperial out into the desert wasteland. The first to assault her senses was the door shutting behind them, the second was the nearly freezing air.

After Princess Celestia had lost her magical prowess, she could no longer control the sun. The same for Princess Luna. Both the orbital foundations of life simply rotate around freely, but rarely hitting The Frozen North for whatever reason. The icy tundra seemed to be forever lost in a suspected magically-woven snowstorm. Making any treks into the land extremely precarious for a being not suited to the freezing cold.

Judging by the miles of sand around them, the phantom door landed the two unlikely partners in between the remains of Dodge Junction and the bountiful Appallaanoi. Years before, two gangs of griffons clashed in the destroyed town. Now, only dilapidated homes and shops remain in the once knowledge-rich town of Dodge Junction. Without much thought to the trouble they'll face nor the low-hanging sun, Twilight started traversing the wasteland.

"Wait, M'lady!" Imperial rushed after her, as a foal would his mother.

He couldn't see.

His body hurt everywhere. Dez remembered his dad beating him up. His broken snout sharply reminded him of that beat-down. It no longer was bleeding, thankfully. But that old bastard knocked him out cold. The young scribe was able to open his left eye to find dirty, grimy stone beneath him. With some effort, he lifted himself into a siting position. He recognized his surroundings quickly. He was locked in a cell, a common sight for Dez. The young charmer is known to fool a farmer's daughter every now and then. Might end up bruised a little and locked in a cellar from time to time, but that was the price for fine booty, as one of those Baltimare pirates would put it.

The only light spilling into the containment room was from the only entrance, which was, against his luck, a hatch far above on the ceiling. He was in the Lowest Eye. Or, has Dez's dad would call it "Home of Heretics". The room itself had no luxuries. A small, stone slab was lifted from the ground. His royal sleeping quarters, probably. Extremely questionable brown-stuff was lining the walls. His broken nose couldn't register the stank, for that he thanked the devil watching over him.

The hatch opened, a blinding light attacked his eyes and he was forced to turn his head to avoid further pain. He felt something smash against his head and the hatch closed again. His hands instantly went to nurse his newest injury as he looked down at what dared to hit him.

It was a book, a heavy one from the feeling of it. On its cover, words were etched in that strange language of his dad's. Dez never bothered to remember the lessons of them, but he did learn to read and write from the pony commoners, although that knowledge was limited to Old Equestrian. He looked at the titled with mild interest and Dez read-out loud "Follower, Truthful Follower"

He kicked the collection of pages away and grumbled to himself. Angered and bored, Dez tried to burn the damnable item. He opened his incredibly handsome jaw, which wasn't broken by that crazed menace, and spat his meek golden flames at the book. The flames coated it, but rolled off it and died on the ground. "Fire-proof" he said to himself.

Dez laid down on the dirty floor and groaned.