Sea

"Janiss?" Cross called out. "Are you there? It's me, Cross."

A raspy voice echoed out from behind her. "Aye. Show me the Mark."

Cross walked over to Twilight. "Sorry about this." She pulled down Twilight's pants.

Twilight gulped loudly. She looked behind herself, only to notice a fairly normal-looking stallion with a dull red coat. He wore a black vest, and red-trimmed grey pants. He bowed down. "So, the legends are true. The Prophet's truly here."

Twilight looked awkwardly, before whispering to Cross. "Are you sure this is safe? I mean, I've been trusting of you so far, but..."

"Don't worry about it." Cross whispered back. "They might act a bit weird, but they're alright."

Twilight nodded, only slightly reassured.

The stallion rose to his hooves. "Pardon me, Prophet. I am Janiss, the Face of the Scarlet Dawn. It is truly, truly an honor to meet you." He extended a hoof.

Twilight gingerly shook it. The stallion smiled at her. "Come, this is no venue for such a momentous occasion. Let me take you to the Red Sun Chapel; you can meet the rest of our congregation, too." He nodded at Cross. "You can come, if you wish."

Cross nodded. "I would love to."

A light lit up inside the room. "Follow me," he said as he picked up a candle. He walked towards a large, carefully-carved stone door; inlaid into its surface, the words 'Laudem solem rubrum' above and 'Ave sanguine ortum' below a circular indent. He stuck his hoof into the indent, and turned it.

There was a deep rumbling; then, the door slowly started to come down, revealing a long stairway made of mossy stone steps. Twilight looked around with worry and curiosity, starting to have second thoughts. But, upon the prompting of Cross, she followed Janiss into the depths.

The staircase was long and dark. Tendrils of moss hung down from the ceiling, almost catching the candle's fire, while red banners hung on the walls, with a hollow sun made of gold embroidery. Dark stone bricks formed the walls, while the ceiling was raw stone supported by rotting wooden rafters. The floor was made of small, well-packed stone bricks. They were chipped and worn; their age showed quite explicitly as moss grew in the cracks. There were no lights inlaid into the walls; the only light at all was the light of Janiss' candle.

"Here we are," Janiss said after about five minutes of descending. "The Chapel of the Scarlet Dawn, built underneath the mountains of the isle." He turned to look at Cross. "This is a most holy place, created for only the Prophet and members of the Scarlet Dawn. It is a great privilege to be allowed down here. Do not make me regret inviting you."

They stood in front of a pair of large gilded wooden doors. Janiss waited a few seconds, before pushing the door open.