Vanil

//me tired. This was supposed to be for a halloween giveaway event that never came to be. Kinda lost the mojo so descriptions will be minute at best.// From the typical plastic skeleton on lawn chairs to uncomfortably detailed coffins and headless mannequins bound to pillories; glimpses of the macabre, decorations of varying qualities dotted the lawns of just about every house you passed. The jovial sound of foals passing by, discussing their haul of candy when not darting between houses in playful costumes, and some sad filly bumping into you with a basket of candy corn and toffee apples.  It's all just your average Nightmare Night until you feel a sudden, forceful tug on your side and, in the blink of an eye, you find yourself here... The isolation in the cell should have given you sufficient time to reflect on what you've  seen, and the situation you find yourself in. This place was old, perhaps even ancient. Canterlot? No. Sturdy as any other, though the walls met in slightly uneven angles, with a noticeably smoother texture. As if polished stone, yet upon close inspection it also seems...organic. The guards who brought you here; they were mostly ponies, that much you could tell. Their armor however, come off as slightly more bulky than your average equestrian guard, and bore motifs you might not recognize immediately: sharp, emerald stripe-esque filigree and sparse obsidian inlays echo the visage of changelings.  And speak of the devil... The smooth slab of stone for a cell door slid open, and a guard gestures you to follow him and three more guards. No words will be exchanged as you're escorted to the throne room. Through long identical hallways, somehow nicely lit by crudely carved crystal lanterns, it'd be a while before you spot your first window. Unfortunately, you only manage to catch a glance or two of what appears to be a neighboring mountain and the valley below, before making yet another turn towards a peculiarly wide staircase leading to a large obsidian door. You're close, you know it.  Just before the door were more guards standing at attention, and one approached you. This one's armor is somewhat distinct, with the filigree being more of a golden yellow than the emerald you're probably already tired of seeing. "You will now face Her Majesty. Know your place. Do not speak unless spoken to, and speak the truth", the guard commanded, and turned his back to touch the obsidian door. It gave a single pulse revealing intricate patterns, and a deep thrum as it parted open. No mistaking it now; you're in a mountain hive.  Though eclectic with pony-style flourishes, the architecture still held the bones of a changeling hive. The intricate carvings of spiral and hexagonal motifs, runes and shapes reminiscent of insect wings, and a sense of depth that made the room feel...alive. Banners of deep gold and forest green hung along the walls, more equine decor it'd seem. Sunlight filtered from skylights cut from the rock above. Polished dark marble-esque floor shone beneath your hooves. If that was visually overwhelming for you, then you probably haven't noticed the many court officials standing along the sides, and up in balconies. Observing, judging. Most of them appear to have subtle glints, visible from under their hoods, refracting the light around perhaps? At the far end, on a throne carved from obsidian or some black stone equivalent, and inlaid with silver vines, sat the queen. Not an alicorn, but no less regal, courtesy of her attire: long dress bearing similar golden stripes sparsely across it, a gem-encrusted ring on her horn with a circlet underneath, and thin ribbons along her braided auburn mane. Her eyes were sharp and, as every other in the room, it followed every step the stranger took. You'd be stopped in the center of the room and it, aside from the echo of your clinking shackles, fell silent. Still sitting down, and with a stern tone, the queen spoke first "A stranger, appearing out of thin air, in the middle of the courtyard, startling every guard on duty, and unarmed at that?". It took a short pause for her to collect her thoughts and speak again, sounding slightly more bemused. "Where do you hail from, and why have you come here? Speak!" #rp