Immediately after accepting Sandro's offer, you all find yourselves in a dark place. You feel an intense chill through your being, and you immediately know that you are within the realm of Sandro; his "penthouse" if you will. You can't really see much of anything, but you are aware of the presence of others nearby, most notably, Sandro himself. Finally breaking the silence, he speaks: "This is my realm, The End of All Things." He waves his appendage and a dark purple sphere appears before you. Slowly, the darkness in the sphere fades away to reveal a young mare whith a white mane and cyan coat. Her cutie mark appears to be a dark purple heart, cracked down the middle. She appears to be diligently working on making something. You can't quite make out what it is, but you can see that there are bones scattered about, from every concieveable creature that you know of. Sandro speaks once more. "This is my favored acolyte, Severed Heart. She is preparing a way that you may enter the world of the living." He sighs as he adds, "Pitifully, for the task I have prepared, you will need to be corporeal..." Severed Heart steps away from her work and admires her progress. Before her are several crude skeleton laid about. The anatomy of every skeleton appears equine, but the bone structure doesn't always seem to match, as if she simply threw a pikle of bones together to make a vague pony shape. After a moment, she kneels on the ground and her voice fills the realm as she prays: "Great Sandro, I have completed your task. What next will you have me do?" Sandro himself seems pleased with her results as he speaks directly to the orb. "Well done. Now, chant the incantation you learned." He turned to face you once more. "This will be very painful. Try not to scream too loudly..." ----- You can't hear the words that Severed Heart is using over the sound of your soul being torn to shreds and reformed. Just as you feel that the pain is too much, you black out. ----- Soon enough, a bright light fills your vision. As weverything comes into focus, you see in front of you a young cyan mare with a white mane and tail. Her blue eyes peer into yours. Then, she turns her head this way and that, examining you. After a few moments, she says, "I...I can't believe it... It...worked!" She gleefully hops in the air, a wide grin across her face. "Praise Sandro!" She looks at you all expectantly, still grinning." Tell me, what are your names?"
Nightshade quickly got to her hooves and glared at Severed Heart. "Dying hurt a whole heck of a lot less than that! And what do you mean, you can't believe it worked?! Was there a chance that it wouldn't?!" She suddenly laughed. Despite the unpleasant method of her revival, she was still quite happy to be alive. "My name is Nightshade, by the way. Nice to meet you."
"Mines Fireheart. Ex-Royal Guard, Ex mother of an 8 year old girl and Ex Wife. Also next time try making it so you numb the soul wrenching pain. Also I'm guessing what happened was something to do with the skeletons. Wait we're not animated skeletons are we." Fireheart spoke softly and motherly a bit of confusion in her voice with her last question
Silence looked around, the colors vivid, the (breathable) air, and tried to get used to... Live, again. She cleared her throat. To her surprise, she felt her throat pulse. She could feel it. She tried to talk again. but she could only hear the sound of the air passing through her throat, coming from her lungs. She forgot how to use her vocal cords. A sad smile on her face, she looked at the mare who just talked to her. She lifted her right forehoof to her throat, to the level of her vocal cords, then moved it to the left, in a 'cuting' motion. She mouthed to the mare, ''I'm mute again... and my name is Silence. A pleasure to be at your sides again, miss... Severed Heart.'' She looked at her sides. She just heard other voices.
Jackpot got onto her feet slowly before introducing herself. Her head was still spinning; she had not felt this way for an extremely long time. She was experiencing something that she had not felt in a very long time. Her heart was beating; she could smell the fresh air around her, she felt her muscles tense. To her surprise, she was alive. She had been given a second chance. She found other ponies around her and saluted in a military styled fashion. “Archangel Jackpot Luck. First Archangel for sovereign Princess Celestia of Equestria, Ex mother to a beautiful daughter and was married to my job. Until...well. Anyway, nice to meet all of you.”
Sadie felt her belly, looking for the bump of her baby and sighed with sorrow as she remembered.. "Oh.." she whispered.
Severed Heart recoiled when Nightshade began her tirade, but looked on with a mixture of fear and awe. After the night pegasus' rant, the Acolyte blinked several times as a smile crept across her face. However, before she could respond, the others began intruducing themselves. She once more looked on with sheer awe. Her smile widened after everyone was finished. It seemed that she was experiencing some sort of joy that you all could only imagine. It's too bad that it seems to be at your expense... After a few moments, Severed finally replied, "I can't believe this...it's...amazing!" She cleared her throat, and properly introduced herself. "I am Severed Heart, Dread Acolyte and Favored Servant of The End of All Things." She looked all of you over, then continued, "Miss...Nightshade, was it? To answer your question...I was being quite...blasphemous, wasn't I? I deeply apologize..." She bowed, then continued. "Of course I knew it would work. The instruction were bestowed upon me by Sandro himself. What amazed me was that no acolyte had ever summoned The Claws of Sandro by themselves." She blushed and sheepishly glanced at the ground. "The Claws are Sandro's personal army. No one has ever summoned them. Ever." Then, she turned to face Fireheart and chuckled. "No, Miss Fireheart. You are not animated skeletons. You are something so much...better. You still have the forms you had in life, but you've all been blessed by Sandro." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "If only some of us were as lucky..." She didn't sound bitter, just...sad. She smiled upon glancing at Silence. "Now, I've actually heard of you! The 'White Pony'...Bringing Light and Peace wherever she went... Despite our objectives being diametrically opposed to one another, you most certainly have my respect. And don't worry about your vocal chords. You'll learn to reuse them in time." She then bowed to the Archangel. "I know of your kind. You're going to be well suited to being a Claw of Sandro." She grinned. Then, she glanced at Sadie. "I...I'm sorry." It was clear that she didn't know why she was apologizing, as she likely didn't have too much interpersonal experience with others. Others who were living, anyway... After getting a good look at everyone, she took a step back. "I don't know how much th Dread Lord has explained to you, but I was instructed to tell you the following:" "You are all bound to Sandro. This means that he can see everything that you do. He can know your every thought, and at will, he can remove you from this plane of existence. In other words, don't think you can kill me and and go about living your former lives. Despite the honor that might be..." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, this place, the Dread Temple is your seat of power. Should you fall in battle, I will summon you back here. I have plenty of materials to do so." She flashed a smile, then continued. "That being said, it will be extermely hard to kill you; your bodies will never age or decay, you cannot drown or suffocate, and while you can still feel pain, it will merely slow you down. You cannot be killed in any way except by immolation, decapitation, or being crushed." "As I mentioned before, you are now Claws of Sandro, but unlike the traditianal Claws, you are completely autonomous. You have the ability to think, feel, and make decisions based on a greater variety of factors than simply, 'crush, kill, destroy.' I can't speculate why My Lord seeks to improve his already efficient creations, but so far...I dare say I'm impressed." "Umm...any questions before I give out your first mission?"
Jackpot smiled the moment Sandro was mentioned and her newest forms. Her previous life never had the...life, that Sandro had just given her. She could begin again and serve under a "proper" master. Despite being the very first Archangel, or "Meta-Unicorn's" as they were formerly known, she had never felt herself happier then she currently was. She finally had a purpose. "I don't really feel comfortable about Lord Sandro being able to know my every thought and my vision. But such as his will, he shall have it. Now, what exactly is our first mission?"
Nightshade had many questions she wanted to ask. She wanted to ask what year it was. She wanted to ask if the Lunar Republic had won the war. She wanted to ask why she and and the other ponies been chosen. Putting aside her curiosity, she asked what, to her, was the ONLY important question. "Where can I get a weapon?"
Silence looked down. She knew that she wouldn't come back to life to preach and help ponies again, but to bring destruction. So, she asked the only question on her mind, after the others talked. ''Are we living, dead ponies, or undeads?''
"When we return to the world of the living will we be recognized. As it's probably going to be hard explaining to my husband that I'm alive. Especially after I was conformed dead." she smiled and then thought in her mind so only Sandro could here her "You may not be Celestia but as a royal guard I am loyal to all Alicorns. You have my word that I will follow all instructions given without hesitation. So says the Guard code."
Severed Heart pondered on Nightshade's question for a few moments. "Hmm..." she replied, "The traditional Claws come with their own weapons..." She glanced around for a few moments before laying her eyes on a small pile of bones. "Aha!" She thrust her hoof in that direction. "Touch that pile over there and concentrate on the weapon you want. It should become a part of you. I think." She rubbed her hoof on the back of her head. "My experience with Claws of Sandro is limited. You see, no one living ever sees them and...uh, lives." She then nodded to Silence. "You are most certainly undead. But you aren't mindless zombies or animated servants. Use that to your advantage." Then, to Fireheart, she replied, "No. The form you have now is only known to yourself and your companions. If anyone who knows you should look upon you, you will appear...different. They might think that they know you from somewhere, but they will convince themselves that they do not. Such is the Blessing of Sandro." She bowed her head in reverence. "Ah! The mission!" She left the room that everyone was in, and made her way down a narrow corridor, beckoning the others to follow. You would notice that there are several rooms and hallways in this temple, but you don't see any other acolytes. Severed finally opens a wooden door that leads to an antechamber with a round, hoof-sized gem sitting on a small pedastal. The gem is dark purple. She directs your attention to the gem as the color inside swirls around. "This is a Death Orb. It used to be my only link to Sandro. It is yours now. It will tell you the location of your first target." "The target, I know, is a miserly sort. I believe his name is Goldhoof. He is one of a few souls who have challenged Sandro to a game for his soul...and won. As you can imagine, my Master doesn't like to lose. He knows that Goldhoof cheated in their game, and he has told me to send you to collect on the miser's debt." Her eyes narrowed and her tone became dark. "Simply put: Kill him."
Nightshade grinned and placed her hoof on the bones. Within seconds, a black cloud erupted from the pile, and formed into a spear. Though not as beautiful as the weapon she had carried while she was alive, she had had to admit that the bone white shaft and glossy black blade of her new weapon were quite attractive. "Kill him? Simple enough. When do we leave?"
Jackpot placed her hoof onto the bones and concentrated as a weapon appeared before her within a moment. She had an enormous smug grin on her face as the weapon of her desire was a Katana. The grip on the sword was a beautiful black and gold while the steel on the weapon shined like a diamond, and looked like it could cut straight through one. "This should fit the bill nicely."
Sadie gently placed a hoof on the bones, and the smoke swirled around her hoof. After a few moments, she lifted her hoof to inspect the two silvery daggers that seemed to radiate moonlight. "They're beautiful.." whispered Sadie.
Silence looked at the bones, but decided to try her magic on a wall first. As she supsected, the balance of her life energy changed to death energy, the ribbon of magic was a dark shade of indigo. It left a mark on the wall, but she couldn't really picture what it was. She turned to the small group, trying to seize all of them and determine their role in a fight. Most of them would be fighters, and she'd mostly be the only supporter. The ex-royal guard looked like she could be a good leader, somehow, but her eyes falled on Severed Heart. Silence walked to her, nudged her shoulder and mouthed, ''Are you going to follow us, or stay here and ''hold the fort''?'' (owo Sorry there, Typos.)
(firehearts a she not a he Saul) Fireheart placed her hand on a bone it thinned and elongated changing into an almost exact replica of the ones carried only by the chief of the canterlot guards and his deputies. The hilt was Golden and ornate with a dark wood Handle. The one difference however was the blade was darker than normal almost blending in with the void if it wasn't for the slight reflectiveness of the metal. She then touched another bone which turned into the swords gold and dark hardened leather sheath along with a belt that stretched from it. Fireheart picked up and sheathed the sword before wrapping the belt round her waist and testing the unsheathing with her magic. "Perfect, not to tight to pull out and not to loose."
