Sea

Renadeus levitated another crystal out of the ground. He picked it up in his hoof, turning it every way to examine it. He held it up to the light, to see how it would refract. He threw it against the ground to make sure it was sturdy, and was pleased when it bounced right back into his hoof. As a final test, he licked it, tasting every bit of dirt and grime on its surface, and allowing some of the magical energies contained within to seep into his mouth. He nodded to himself with a smile on his face. Another perfect one.

In the corner of the room sat a small iron cage. It was a very simple cage; four walls made of vertical iron bars, spaced wide enough to see through but not wide enough to squeeze through, with a large door kept closed by a sturdy enchanted lock. Twilight Sparkle sat in the middle of the cage, looking at Renadeus with no expression. A thin layer of drool seeped out of her mouth, and her bloodshot red eyes had a slight glow. She tried to stand up; but a crystal laying on top of the cage gave her just enough of a shock to push her back down to the ground. Her red eyes flashed; she jumped against the side of the cage, panting. She looked around quickly, worriedly. There was no escape.

"Child, do you yet see the light of the Red Sun?" Renadeus threw the crystal into the air, zapping it with his horn so it stayed there. It began to shine brightly. "You are the Prophet, the Chosen One of Equestria." He zapped the crystal again. It let out a pulse of crimson energy that reverberated across the walls, shaking the room. "And yet, you are nothing." He threw the crystal at Twilight's cage with such force that it shattered across one of the bars, bending it. Twilight jumped back to try avoid as much of the power as she could, but red lightning still arced from the crystal, singing her hooves and coat. She cried out.

Renadeus just smiled; a sadistic, evil smile. He was enjoying this, that was for certain. Indeed, he hadn't had this much fun since-

Hendrick caught a blade with his own sabre as a cultist swung a large, rusting iron sword at his face. He looked to his left and right, trying to find a way to escape without taking a slice. Just as he was about to force the blade off his own and go for a stab, Somerset ran by with his sabre and, in one smooth motion, plunged it into the cultist's side, drew it out, and swung it around to parry another strike from behind. He nodded at Hendrick before pushing the blade off, and slicing.

Janiss looked at Somerset with an expression of hatred, occasionally stealing glances at Cross. "That damn traitor," he mumbled. "Never should have come here." He parried Somerset's strike as the two faced off. Somerset struck out with an offensive swing, his blade slicing the air next to Janiss' ear. Janiss ducked down, stabbing his blade up. Somerset jumped back as the sword cut through the outer layers of his clothes. Before Janiss could fully resume his posture, Somerset struck.

Janiss tried to dodge as best he could, but the blade nicked his side as he turned away. He yelped as he turned his hooves into Somerset's face and hit him with a mighty buck. Somerset went flying - right into Cross, who staggered but caught him. Before Somerset could do anything, Cross took her pistol and shot at Janiss.

The bullet missed Janiss himself, but ran straight into the side of Janiss' sword. The sword shook violently, jumping out of Janiss' hoof, as the bullet flew clean through it. But Janiss wouldn't be defeated so easily. A look of hatred morphing into disgust, he drew a small red dagger. "Solana, give me strength!" he shouted as he charged at Somerset.

The captain easily parried the cultist's strike, catching it with the flat of his sword and nearly pushing the dagger out of Janiss' grip. But Janiss twisted the dagger around and, with practiced finesse, tossed into his other hoof, where he quickly grabbed it and stabbed it into Somerset wherever he could.

Somerset felt his grip on the sword go weak as the dagger went right into his foreleg. He cried out in pain, clutching the weapon, but Janiss would have none of it. The cultist walked over to Somerset, kicking him mercilessly. At least, until Cross came in.

Without a word, Cross ran in, tackled Janiss, and put her flintlock to his head. Without even saying a word, she closed her eyes and pulled the trigger. Janiss disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. Cross quickly turned away, purposefully keeping the corpse of Janiss out of her view, before running over to Somerset. He'd already pulled out the dagger, and had taken off his outer coat and ripped off a piece to use as a covering. Cross ran up to his face with a worried expression.

"Why on the Goddess' green earth did you do that?" she asked him with half-worry, half-anger. "You almost got yourself killed!"

Somerset chuckled. "It's just a flesh wound," he said as he applied pressure. "Ahh." he said through his teeth as the pain hit him. "Yeah, I think I'll stay here with some of the other soldiers and guard the prisoners. You go on with Hendrick, find the Seer."

Cross nodded. She started to run, and with one last worried look at Somerset, ran off to find Hendrick. She found him escorting a pair of ponies carrying a large barrel of black powder towards the door to the Seer's chamber. The two soldiers sweated as they gently placed the box of explosive down at the door. Somerset just nodded at them, before looking to Cross.

"Oh! When'd you get here? Where's Somerset?"

"Resting," Cross said. "He got stabbed in the foreleg by..." she gulped. "Somepony I used to know."

Hendrick raised an eyebrow at that, but sighed and turned to the two demolitionists.

"Light it."

One of the ponies pulled out a match. He struck it against the side of the barrel, lighting it, before throwing it onto the top and diving for cover. About fifteen seconds later, a massive explosion covered the area in white smoke, heat, and wind. When the smoke cleared, the way into the Seer's chamber stood wide-open.