Sea

Twilight found herself being shoved through a small, dark corridor. She felt a sudden burst of cold air which nearly blew her off her feet. Strange sounds came from somewhere unseen, accompanied by the loud sound of flowing water. She felt her hooves hit cold stone, and heard the sound of the door behind her slamming shut. She gulped and began moving forward.

Her cuts, both from the shop and from the ritual, had long yet faded, but she still felt a dull pain in her foreleg. The onset of slight lightheadedness wasn't much of a good sign, either. She felt her injuries as she slowly walked around, carefully feeling each step. Each time she had to put her hoof down, she winced at the small burst of pain that accompanied it.

She'd been walking for about two minutes before she decided to call out. Her hello bounced off the walls, echoing loudly in what seemed like a massive chamber, but there was no reply. Twilight began to doubt if there was even a Seer; was she just thrown into a dark room so the Scarlet Dawn could be rid of her, only to take her out again whenever it suited their fancy? Suddenly, her every thought was tinged with worry. She felt a wave of exhaustion; she chalked it up to physical exertion, hoping it wasn't anything else.

Suddenly, a loud bass hum reverberated through the room. Twilight's ears shot up, and her eyes opened wide as she looked around. Out of somewhere, a blue glow began to shine. Soon, though, it was overtaken by a much brighter red glow that filled the entire chamber. Twilight squinted as her eyes, mostly-adjusted to the darkness, suddenly took in many times more light than they were expecting. At least, she thought, she could now look around.

The room seemed to be little more than a massive rectangular chamber built deep underground. The walls seemed to be made almost entirely of smooth, unpainted stone. The floor was much the same, but with a red line painted across and bisected by the canal. The canal on this side seemed to be a much darker liquid, almost black in the red light. It was crossed by only a single bridge; strips of cloth dwindled down from it, touching the liquid's surface.

"Solana oculo videre potuit ingredi." The words, accompanied by what almost sounded like an explosion, echoed out across the room. Twilight spotted a figure sitting on a large, unadorned chair on the opposite side of the room. Massive red crystals floated next to him, connected by red strokes of lightning to smaller crystals, built into the floor and walls around them. A single, massive crystal stuck out from the ceiling, providing most of the light in the room. It pulsed evenly, and produced a deep bass hum. "Speak, child," Twilight heard the figure say. "What bothers you?"

"Are you the seer?" Twilight said, drawing on her reserve of confidence.

"That I am, child. Of what importance are you?"

"I am Twilight Sparkle, the Prophet." Twilight felt odd saying that, almost unnatural. A shiver ran down her spine as a chilling laugh filled the air.

"That is a bold claim, child," the Seer said. "Now let us see if it is true."

Twilight watched the figure remove its hood. She could barely make out what was revealed, but one thing she noticed for certain was a piercing red light where one of its eyes should have been. It pointed directly at her, almost as if it was studying her. A small grunt escaped the figure.

"So it is true, then. The Prophet has graced us with her presence. I foresaw this day, but did not know it would come so soon." The figure stood. "I am Seer Renadeus Hols, third of my name and twenty-third Seer of the Scarlet Dawn. It is an honor, Prophet Sparkle." He bowed, his joints popping as he did so. "Come. Let us discourse closer.

Twilight hesitated uncomfortably, but felt an almost subconscious force making her move her legs forward. She crossed the bridge, noting the strange flow of the dark liquid - it almost looked slightly reddish - and stood on the steps to Renadeus' chair.

"Drink, Prophet, of the flow. Let the blood of the people, blessed by Solana, rejuvenate you as it does me. Let the life-water of Eastedge and all the world bring you long life, as it has to I. For the past two hundred and seven years, this flow has empowered me, given me life. Now, it will do the same for you."

Twilight found herself pushed by the same compulsion to the edge of the canal. Panic filled her mind as her head lowered and her mouth opened. She bent down and slowly began licking the flow. Metallic liquid washed over her tongue as she lapped at it, before finally putting her entire snout in and drinking wholly. She raised her head after a few seconds, red liquid dripping from her snout. Her mind had gone from uncertainty to fear to panic within the span of a few seconds, and she shook her snout, spitting out the remainder in revulsion. The figure laughed.

"How do you feel now, Prophet?" Renadeus asked. "Does the taste of blood appeal to you? It takes some time for a number of ponies to grow accustomed to it, but living down here in these chambres you will surely grow to love it... to seek it as I have." He showed a wide, toothy grin; sharp, white teeth tinged with red on the end shone brightly in the red light.

Twilight suddenly felt a burst of energy. The pain in her hoof was all but gone; she felt almost as if she'd just woken up from a very refreshing nap, perfectly fine. Renadeus watched her carefully, a small smile on his face. "We have awaited you for a long time, Prophet," he said. "But first..." He picked a small red crystal off the ground from next to him. "Take this." He tossed it at her.

Twilight's eyes went wide as the crystal flew straight at her. Her horn instantly brightened with a piercing whine; just before the crystal touched her head, a purple shockwave resonated throughout the building, a sphere exploding through the chamber. Twilight fell onto the floor, exhausted. The cold stone pressed against the side of her body, and she struggled to get up.

Renadeus stood up with a series of pops and walked down the stairs. He looked at Twilight as he did so, a sadistic grin slowly forming.

"Welcome home, Prophet."