“What do you mean you can’t do anything about it you’re the damn chancellor, Blueblood if you can’t fix it then who will!?” Archangel burst out angrily. Archangel and Final had been in the chancellor’s office for about an hour now, given the news of the impending three way war Blueblood reacted calmly telling them that there was nothing her could possible do to help the situation. Archangel had been yelling and arguing the entire time since and she was ready to go for plenty more.
Blueblood waved dismissively “Nothing is going to help, the republic was doomed the second Celestia and the jedi left us for their selfish reasons.” Blueblood replied to a heated Archangel. She was seething ready to just strike Blueblood down where he stood. Final tapped her with a hoof sensing her friend’s troubles trying to calm her down. Final knew of the short tempered Maredalorians and she didn’t want this to get violent.
Archangel took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth “She must have told you at least a hint of where in the galaxy they went.”
Blueblood sat back this mare was entertaining to him. She was pretty in her own warlike was and he enjoyed messing with her. “Hmmm maybe she did. I might have forgotten over the years.” Blueblood said thoughtfully.
Archangel was at her bursting point even though she had the best temper of any of the Maredalorians. Blueblood smiled to himself as he stared at the seething mare in front of him. Archangel turned on him and he thought the beautiful mare was going to leave. Then, she bucked at the underside of Blueblood’s desk sending it into his face with surprising force. Archangel had wheeled around and already had a hoof on Blueblood’s chest as he tried to get up.
“Did she tell you where the hell they were going or not!?” Archangel yelled into Blueblood’s fear. What had just been a smile across Blueblood’s face was now a look of extreme horror. He knew as everyone else did that when you crossed a Maredalorian it was basically the last thing you did other then scream in pain.
“Yes, yes I seem to recall now master twilight had said something about that. She said to go to Kashyyyk and unlock the shadow.” Blueblood said quickly fearing for his life. Archangel turned and walked out of the room, Final following closely behind her
“What should we do?” Final asked struggling to keep up with the much taller mare’s fast stride. “I think we should go and get some real help for the republic.” Archangel answered.
They arrived on Kashyyyk with little interruption. They weren’t even interrupted by a docking official. They asked around the ship landed near them about the secrets of the shadow. “Well my guess is that would be in the shadowlands down below the trees. I wouldn’t go there If I were you though dangerous place that is, I tell you, dangerous place.” One had answered. They worked their way towards the small wooden lift use as an elevator to the shadowlands. They rode the wooden lift down to the surface of the planet. Both Final and Archangel soon realized why they called them the shadow lands, the area was pitch black and even if you did have a light source with you then the mass of tree blocked your vision from traveling more than a few yards of in any direction
The second their hoofs left the creaking wooden platform it started its journey upwards again back to the relative safety of the tree canapés. The darkness around them enveloped them suffocating them. The area made Final feel claustrophobic as if there was no escape from the grasp of the darkness around them. Final wished for a little light to at least grant them some vision beyond the first few feet ahead of them, but she knew the only reprieve of light would be at noon and that was still hours away.
“Well lets got a move on and find this shadow can’t be too hard right?” said Archangel the venom and sarcasm all too obvious in her voice. They took the direction that had somewhat of a path leading away from the clearing. They traveled nearly 50 meters when a dull fuzzy sound made its presence in Final’s ear. At first Final disregarded it for one of the many sounds erupting around her from various animals and insects. As they progressed the sound deepened and made its self more pronounced in her head. Archangel suggested a rest since even in her muscular state the forest was taking its toll on her. Final gladly accepted and saw an opportunity to announce the sound that had been bothering her for the past half hour.
“Do you hear that Archangel?” Asked Final panting with exhaustion
“No I don’t anything over than that damn buzzing and chirping.” Said Archangel gesturing towards the forest around them. “What is it?”
“It’s a fuzzy noise in my head; it feels like its calling me telling me to come.” Final answered worried for her sanity.
“Can you follow it to its source, were not making any progress this way and we may as well get a heading on where to go.?” Archangel asked with intense calmness in her voice.
Reassured by her friends steady reply Final answered, “Yeah it’s basically painting a line to it so it can’t be that hard to find.” With that the two mares set off Final leading the way. As they neared the source the fuzzy noise intensified in Final’s brain turning into a steady dark voice. Come, yes , venture forth into your tomb. It chanted on and on until it set Final’s teeth on edge. As the voice intensified the darkness around them thickened into a heavy mist blocking sight even further. Final did not falter as the perils around d her intensified she ventured forth without stopping not seconded guessing anything because she knew the troubles it would bring.
After traveling for quite a distance the voice and darkness grew to fever pitch. Final could she no farther than her own hoof and the voices tore at her sanity like a starved rancor. Final muscled tensed with pain as the voice screamed in her head like a creature screaming over its kill. Archangel drew her sword in a second instinctively putting herself in front of Final ready to fight.
“What’s the matter are you hurt?” Archangel asked scanning for danger.
“Just my head this damn thing is screaming my head off.” Final answered rubbing her head with a hoof.
They advanced with caution wary of any creatures. The surrounding forest had fallen silent as if everything had just suddenly died. They came into a clearing were the dark mist was thin and sight was possible all around the clearing. A shadow emerged on the far side of the clearing into the slight area of sight. It roared loudly and the surrounding mist evaporated. On the other side of the clearing a huge mantacore. Final readied to draw her weapon. Death!, despair!, pain!, suffering!, Kill! Kill! I feast! The beast screamed in her head.
“Get out!” Final screamed at the mantacore. The beast simply laughed in return and readied itself to lunge at the two mares.
“Eclipse!” Final shouted as the mantacore began launching itself. The mantacore instantly stopped its attack and bowed painfully
“I am sorry master, I didn’t realize you knew of the words of power and had access to this tomb, not a soul has crossed this threshold in many years.” Spoke the mantacore in a respectful voice. The mantacore stepped around revealing a stab of dark blue stone that held a staircase leading down into the planet. The two mares started down the staircase, curious to learn its secrets. They descended into a large open room made from the same dark blue stone. As they entered a stone slab blocked of the exit to the stairs. Three statues dominated the room, two of them being alicorns and the third being a unicorn. Three ghosts jumped from the statues guarding a triangular black stone in the center of the room. The unicorn’s ghost stepped forward and spoke.
“If this tomb has been accessed then the time has come. You must follow the coordinates in this holocron and not be seen entering the cave. You will be tested upon entering so be ready.” She said. The triangle stone opened splitting down its sides it revealed a simple cub shaped holocron made to house coordinates and coordinates only. Final opened the holocron and read its contents. It simply showed the location of a cave on Tatooine.
“Well it seems were going to Tatooine next.” Final said turning to Archangel
“Let’s get going then no point in waiting.” Archangel said walking out of the tomb.