Since Time Immaterial [ Private]

The cave was dark, the shadow of an enormous beast looming in the guttering torchlight of a dozen ponies. In each of their hooves was an axe, glowing with a dark energy. A low chant of "Awake Thanatos," filled the room as they surrounded the beast, raising their axes in unison. They brought the glowing blades down on chains that bound the beast to the ground as their chant grew in pitch. The chains shattered, and a great rumble filled the room as a pair of golden eyes, pupils like a snake, opened.

---

"Time. Death. These are words that to immortals, are immaterial. To the common pony however, they are words to feared, hated, loved and desired. Death however, was not always just a concept. No, he was a being of immense power who ruled the world with an iron claw. Thanatos, dragon of death, and ruler of the planet long before the Princesses or Discord. He is as old as time itself, and ruled with his alicorn bride, Shiva.

Resting atop his Iron Throne did he rule, watching the lesser races squirm in the mud beneath his claws. He was the ponies' first god, brutal as he was devious. But not all ponies loved him, but some fought, only to be crushed before their rebellion could even begin. Time was something the ponies did not have... nor was hope.

The king of the ponies was a greedy stallion, who followed Thanatos for the meagrest scrap of power. His daughter however, whose name is lost in the sands of time, did not. She fled his castle, taking with her his most powerful weapon; The shard of dawn, a blade that glowed as bright as the morning sun. She travelled the world, meeting her fellows, a stallion who had betrayed his kinsmen, branded the traitor, and another, who had coat as black as dusk, horns bent and cracked, and a sword that shone like the midnight sky.

Together they fought Thanatos, sealing him away in stone for eternity..." Pariah Farcry sighed and started to erase the blackboard. He glanced up the lecture hall and shook his head. "And that is all I got paid to teach you. I am only a substitute after all. If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer them to the best of my ability."

---

Players:
-Zen
-Psuedologia Fantastica
-Lightning Shield
-Ician

(Last minute rule: Minimum three lines response please.)

Ician nodded along as Pariah concluded his lecture. Before the last traces of chalk on the whiteboard were erased, he stood up and asked a question. One that was nagging him constantly, and that his paranoid mind wouldn't let him drop. "I see. And you're sure these seals are as permanent as the claim seems to imply?"

Pariah paused, sighing again, as he checked his backpack. He stood up and shook his head. "Tact Ician. Grand strategist of the Royal Guard." He tapped his chin, before smiling. "This is an old tale. Very old, in fact, old enough to be called a myth. Do I think the prison is unbreakable? No, of course not. The only prison that holds is death... And arguably not even that. But do I think it is true? No. It is simply not possible." He smiled, "Now, if you have anymore questions, I'm sure that you can some ask me in private."

Krix sat up quietly, his armor clinking and clanking as he moved towards the front of the classroom. "Good lecture little pony," the large diamond dog said as he towered over the the other two. He looked towards the chalkboard where the notes just previously had been the accumulation of the knowledge about this ancient legend. "Question, ancient relics, know, location?" Krix asked with some difficulty because his limited vocabulary and lack of use of the pony language.

A small stallion with large, reflective glasses wrote a few final notes in a notebook, and shut it with a snap. He stood up, slinging a backpack over his shoulder, and trotted over to stand next to the diamond dog. "I had the same question, actually. Assuming it's all true, where could the swords and such have ended up?"

Pariah blinked at the apparent enthusiasm. "Well, there have been long-standing rumours that the first weapon was hidden in the frozen north, beyond the crystal empire. Then again, there are some that it is inside the crystal empire." He shrugged and slid his backpack on. "Potentially, they could be anywhere. However, my wife waits for me in day court, but I would be more than happy to talk with you on the way there. It's a short journey, but I'll be willing to answer anymore questions you have."

---

The ponies bowed before the great beast they had awakened. "O mighty Thanatos, we have brought you back into this world, so that your reign may continue."

Thanatos smiled, his fangs glinting in the weak torchlight. "And where would you want to be placed, mortals?" He leaned down, his golden eyes filled with a morbid humour.

They quivered, their leader bowing a little deeper. "W- We would like to serve under you Mighty Dragon."

Thanatos chuckled, his laughter sounding like the screams of tormented souls. "Incompetent mortal younglings. The only pony that serves under me is one that I choose." His head snapped forward, and blood splashed the walls. Leaving the remains, he spun, chewing a bone thougtfully as he approached the other creature that occupied his ancient prison. With a light tap, the chain broke and a young Alicorn mare dropped to the ground. "Shiva my sweet, are you unhurt?"

The mare, Shiva, stood up uncertainly. "I am weakened my love... What is it you wish for me to do?" She kissed him gently as he stroked her mane.

"Once you have regained your strength, I wish for you to locate the capital of the upstart ponies, and bring me the head of their leaders. I do so enjoy heads..."

Krix nodded and moved towards the door. Pushing it open, the large dog grabbed up his bladed shield from where it was leaning against the outside of the door. Fastening the thick sheet of metal and stone to his arm and pulling up the hood of his cloak, Krix awaited the other ponies so he may accompany them to the court. "How pony learn legend?" Krix asked next, his inexperience with the language still showing.

Jon watched quietly as Krix put on his shield. He gave a small shake of the head, muttering something about how warriors were always with the preparation. It was a court, not an arena, why the weapons? Shaking off that train of thought, he then turned his gaze on Pariah. "And my question. If Thanatos were to escape, how might we find out?"

Pariah held the door open, glancing at the classroom to see if anyone else was coming. "Where did I learn the legend? Old, old books. Very dusty." He smiled and shook his head. "I prefer languages actually... How well do you speak Diamond Dog?" He glanced at Krix.

Turning to Jon he grinned and licked his lips. "How would we find out that Thanatos was awake? I believe we would reasonably aware. Primarily because I believe we would all be dead."

"Good, in Krix, lang-ooh-age, speak not, good, pony," the large dog replied as he well as he could. It would seem that not only was his vocabulary sorely lacking, but his dog like muzzle just wasn't that well equipped for pronouncing the Equestrian words. "Krix, read, good, may-be read, legend books?" he then asked as they walked onward.

Blade packed away his things into his saddle bag as the others started to ask their questions. He did have a question himself, but since it was only a story he decided against it at first. When the questions kept coming he wanted to ask his question though the others had already left the room. The stallion put his saddle bag onto his back before he moved outside of the room, quickly spotting the others.

He moved quickly to catch up to the others, still wondering why they were still interested in such a tale. "Sir, what about Shiva? What happened to her? Did they imprison her as well because letting her go free seems like a bad move in my mind."

Pariah nodded, and produced what sounded like a series of short, sharp barking sounds. (As I can only assume that is how Diamond Dogs speak.) You may certainly borrow the book. Pariah smiled and turned to the stallion that had just joined them. "Hmmmm... Shiva you say? Well, I believe in the legend, originally, they planned to kill her. However, the Princess rejected the idea out of hoof, because well, she saw it as morally incorrect." Pariah snorted as he walked into the open streets of Canterlot, heading for the castle. "Personally, I would have killed her as soon as I got the chance."

Krix returned with his own series of barks, and yips, "That would be much appreciated little pony, but there is no rush. I have no where to be at the moment, and this book seems like it'd spark a new adventure for this dog." Krix hefted his shield again, so it was sitting a little more comfortably on his arm as they walked. The new arrival however made the dogs ears perk up, and his question got Krix's brain thinking. "Why? Was ancient, horns, and wings, pony, dang-er-ous?" he asked back in the common pony speak.

Ician didn't have any saddlebags on him, just his cloak. A little snake slithered its way out from under his cloak and into the light as he silently stood up and followed the others. He had no questions to ask, just a niggling feeling of paranoia and dread in the back of his mind, so he walked with the others in quiet contemplation.

Jon was listening idly to the back-and-forth questions between the dog and the stallion. He realized he didn't speak dog, and briefly considered learning it. It could be useful. Maybe he could ask Pariah for lessons? Hm. It was a bit of an uncommon tongue, especially compared to Common, but he already spoke a couple dead languages. He then quickly realized that he had stopped walking to think, and sped up his pace to catch up to the others.

"Is she dangerous?" Pariah glanced back to make sure everyone was keeping up before responding. "She is deadly. Her children haunted out ancestors for generations before they were finally killed. The old saying, 'Hell hath no fury like a mare scorned?' No mare could even come close to her fury for the perceived slight we have her. If she was awake..." He shuddered at the thought.

"Krix, no questions," Kirx continued as he walked alongside the other ponies. His armor was still clinking under his cloak and his ears swiveled this way and that taking in the sounds of everything that surrounded them. These ponies never ceased to surprise the dog with how carefree they were as they went about their day. In a scarce few ways, it was almost a good thing that he'd been banished since it'd led to all this discovery and learning.

Krix's nose suddenly angled towards a specific shop as it picked up a welcome scent. "Krix, find ponies, later," he said before turning off towards the donuts shop for a cup of coffee and maybe some of the famed pastries.

Blade winced and looked down at the ground, surprised that alicorn had started up the saying. He stayed silent for a moment and wondered something for a small while. Ater, not finding an answer for his question himself he decided to ask another question, maybe his last depending on how his teacher answered it. "So, how will the test for this myth be?" He asked not sure what it would be used for.

"The test?" Pariah paused, looking at the castle ahead of him. He chuckled, shaking his head and continuing onwards, waving to the guards. They waved back and let the group through. Pariah paused, and whispered in the guard's ear about letting Krix through. Turning back to Blade, he smiled. "Well, as I'm only a substitute for your actual teacher, I can't really comment on how much will be on the test, but I believe their names, the time period, and perhaps what they are infamous for should be enough. Oh, and the weapons used to defeat them."

Ician froze as he took his first step into the castle. Oh, right. Day Court. I almost forgot.

He nodded to the others. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I'll be right back." He trotted up to one of the nearby guards, exchanged a few words with him, and then quickly departed to the proximal vicinity of the Canterlot Palace, where he knew the Guard barracks to be. I left my armour in there the other night. It should still be there.

Pariah paused, then looked at the small group that was following him. He blinked again. "I... Just realised that I'm taking a group of students... One of whom appears to be some form of guard... To the day court..." He trailed off, contemplating what he had just said. Shaking his head, he chuckled. "Ah well, let's go." He spun back, continuing onwards.

---

"Are you healed my sweet?" Thanatos' deep voice filled the small chamber.

Shiva nodded and kissed him, pulling away reluctantly. "I am love~ Do I have to go?"

He nodded, smiling, his fangs showing. "Please my dear."

Shiva nodded and her horn flared, vanishing in a crinkle of ice shards.

Meanwhile in Doughnut Joe's, Krix was struggling to place his order and only after several minutes of choppy words, a little bit of arguing, and some almost offensive finger pointing, Krix was able to finally see about finding a table to sit down at. After some more commotion, the large dog finally found a table that he could 'fit' at and sat down to enjoy his pastries and coffee.

Jon was suddenly reminded where they were going. He didn't much care for politics, or anything even remotely similar. His knowledge of the system was all well and good, but there were so many individual names and faces to forget. He could never keep track of all of it. Donuts suddenly seemed like a much more viable option. He got Pariah's attention. "Hey, I'm going to go grab some donuts as well. I'll show up later. Save me a chair, or something." With that, he left the small group, heading towards the donut shop. When Jon arrived, he considered switching, decided he was feeling more Jon than June, and bought several donuts. He located Krix unsurprisingly quickly. "Mind if I join you? I like donuts more than day court."

Pariah blinked as his small group became just him and Blade. Pausing, he cocked his head. "Don't suppose you want donuts as well?" He asked, eyebrow raised. He gestured to the general direction of Day Court. "I don't really need to go there, so we could just head to the donut place instead. I'll wait here for Ician I suppose."

Krix paused mid way into a bite to look down at the smaller pony. He then scooted over and said, "Pony, sit," at first and after a few moments of thought added a, "may," to the end of his butchered sentence before going back to his own meal. The large dog wasn't exactly good at not drawing attention, but he seemed to ignore it in stride, not paying any of the stares even a moment of his time.