//------------------------------// // Searching for Answers and Getting Questions/ Houses and Demons? // Story: The Priest of Nalarath // by Pigrangler //------------------------------// Ponyville: Twilights house (3:15am) Gregory's POV Poor Spike... He hadn't seen me commit the judging. That's probably for the best that he, or anyone else for that manner, didn't see what happened.. I'm not sure what would happen if they did see...but I do know that I don't want to risk it. Spike only so happened to look into my room and see me talking to a spot on the floor crying, He didn't hear anything but he assumed I was mourning over a lost friend. I had to lie to the poor kid and say it was an old friend of mine. Though it wasn't entirely a lie... I had been taken away from everyone in Nalarath and sent here. Just because I didn't like the place and I hated most of the people, that didn't mean there weren't a few that I could tolerate to the level of acquaintance. People who didn't ask for favor or thoughts on their issues. They just wanted to talk. More specifically about my house and if they could seek refuge for a while. I remember Sarah and Malifor asking to spend the night in my little abode. At first I had objected to the idea because they were dating and I didn't want them under my roof doing THAT! But they had convinced me when they promised to sleep in separate beds that I had provided for just such an occasion. What can I say? I'll help anyone in any way I can. As long as I'm not gone from home for too long and the task is simple enough. It was awkward to include them in my semi-hermit lifestyle. Most people that came would only stay long enough to get advice or ask for help on a project that was elsewhere. They wouldn't stay to ask about me or my house. In fact, they seemed to try their hardest to not look at the house. But Sarah and Malifor seemed to drink in my humble abode with hungry eyes. They appeared to be enchanted by the lack of color. My house was quite impressive when it came to keeping out color. Dark shades, dark candles, barely any color at all. After observing my house for a time they addressed me with a concern of theirs. The reason they wanted to stay was because of a new building needing to be painted. While they were outside working on the building, they seemed to have taken in the random assortment of colors and grown dizzy. I can only imagine why. They sought me out, knowing that my house held seldom color if any. After letting them stay that night they decided to come over more often when they had too much color to deal with. Eventually they started to come by just to chat. It was...good to talk to people for once. But it didn't last. Remember towards the start of this crazy story I said that there were a few who had decided to leave Nalarath? Well Sarah and Malifor were the first ones to make this decision. They had told me that they were going out beyond the world to find a place that made more sense. The colors of Nalarath were giving Malifor headaches and Sarah nightmares. She would often dream of a colorful clown with knives coming at her. I'll admit I was a little sad that they had decided to leave. They were the only people in town who didn't bug me and instead of trying to say they understood my plight, felt it. They proved that to me when they entered my house. No one else in Nalarath would dare set foot in here. But when they begged for refuge, I opened my doors, expecting them to leave when they saw the inside, but instead they walked right in. So anyway I'm getting off track and I keep talking about my house. I'm sorry its just that I haven't been there in a while and It was the best part of Nalarath in my opinion. It was certainly the thing I miss most besides Sarah and Malifor. I think that...if given more time. We all could have been more then friends. They had offered me to come with them but I had to decline. As much as I would have loved to go with them and abandon Nalarath, my conscious wouldn't let me. I thought that perhaps with time things would change. 18 years later and something did change. My thoughts on that night. I wish I had taken their offer and gone with them. The town had became even more colorful then before with so many new faces. So much to take in...It was true that other residents had left to. But more people seemed to come in place. When two left four came. And when four left twenty came. It was hard to keep track of them all... And now here I sit holding a sleeping baby dragon in my arms, thinking about my old colorful world, while being in a much more colorful one with a strange purpose. I would go back to sleep but my thoughts are too scattered. I also don't want to wake up Spike. I had just gotten him to fall asleep after we both held each other and cried it out. Not the manliest thing ever but fuck you I'm dealing with a lot right now. I'm sure if you were in my position you'd be crying too. Judging souls is proving to me tougher then Death said it would be... And that was just the first one. Will I ever get used to it? Do I want to? Will there be ponies with similar stories? How do I find Star's mom? And how do I deal with that green pony running around killing? I need some help. I think I'll ask the girls later in the morning. But...it can wait. For now they need sleep. And so do I. I risk putting Spike gently on the edge of the bed. He yawns and goes right back to sleep. I crawl onto the other side and put my blindfold on. Maybe Twilight will know what to do about this pony... ????? (4:17am) ?????? POV Ugh it's no use...I cant sleep. I knew I should have waited until morning to kill that unicorn. Meh. Even if I did leave him alive I'm sure I still wouldn't get sleep. I've been planning on a unicorn for a while. I know enough to be careful near them. They are very observant. Not to mention they have the ability to pick somepony up and throw them around. Even so...I should have waited until morning so I'd have more play time with him. Oh well...guess I'll just have to find another unicorn. Ugh I'm so tired... I think I'll skip setting up shop tomorrow. I don't think ponies would mind too much if I took a day off. Especially on a Sunday. Usually the fruit stands are the only ones there on Sundays. Speaking of food, I wonder if a midnight snack will help? I am kind of hungry... And with that thought I rise from my wonderfully comfy yet non sleep inducing bed, to head towards a treat. As I exit my room I head right down the hallway past a few paintings. After I reach a painting of a certain castle, I lift the bottom left corner up to reveal a tile that is colored different from the others. I push in the tile and put the painting back in place. The floor beneath my begins to slowly come down and a new tile is replaced over head. I hear a large clang and feel myself moving downwards. After a few seconds some annoying sound starts to play from seemingly nowhere. Ugh elevator music...Why did I ever install that? Because I said it was a good idea. Oh yeah. Why do you like elevator music? Because I feed off of pain, torture, anger and other things elevator music causes.. And as long as I'm in your body so do you. By the way we reached our floor. You should hurry up, I'm starving. Sure enough the wall in front of me moves away revealing a dark lit hallway that seems to stretch on for miles. On either side are dark doors with numbers on them. Ah I should have known what this was about.... I wasn't hungry. He was hungry. And to feed him, I need to do some questionable things. At first I didn't want to do any of these things. But things change as times go by. I can remember the first time we met... It was a sunny day in Ponyville 40 years ago and I had just moved in from Canterlot to set up shop. It was my first stop on the way to becoming a traveling merchant. I had heard about Ponyville and the populace and decided it would be a nice place to set up. Much nicer then Canterlot hopefully. The idiots there didn't appreciate my fine wares and antiques that I had collected during my travels. I thought they would like some quality antiques as compared to the tacky wares adorning their homes. But no. They had the audacity to question there authenticity. I had to go through a lot to get the stupid things! I may have been young but I knew what I was talking about when I said they were valuable. I had seem what they do for themselves when a unicorn would touch them. But I couldn't prove it because I didn't have unicorn magic and every time I would ask them to try for themselves they would just scoff and walk away. Oh well screw them. Ponyville it is. I decided to scrounge up what little I had in bits and bought myself a ticket to the hopefully business filled town. I remember stepping off the train and taking a look at the scenery. The buildings were definitely different then those in Canterlot. Especially the houses. The whole place looked so...cheap compared to Canterlot. The ponies were nice though. Always waving or giving a quick hello. You were lucky in Canterlot if someone gave you a stern look for attention. After a while of walking around I came to a house with a for sale sign being mashed into the ground. I had asked the pony ,Dew Forest I believe his name was, what the price on the house was. He gave me this worried look and said that I didn't want the house. I then noticed he had a hat and suitcase. I told him that I most certainly did want the house and that It would be false advertisement to hang up such a sign without the intent to sell. After a while of ranting I demanded he give me a price. He just sighed and explained that the he would get in trouble with the mayor if he didn't put up the sign. Then he tried to convince me why I wouldn't want the house anyway. Apparently Dew was an artist of sorts. He had gone to Canterlot with the intent to show his paintings to get the approval of the nobles and maybe even Princess Celestia. When he revealed the paintings though, he said that they changed. He had painted a picture of Celestia standing in a field on a sunny day, while staring off into the distance. But at the unveiling, instead of the innocent and lovely picture, it showed Celestia without much color to her fur or mane. The field she was in had no grass to speak of and was a dark black. Celestia was crying blood with a sad look on her face. But worst of all, the ponies. There were several of dead ponies surrounding Celestia. A look of pain on those that did have faces. Ponies burnt, limbs missing, faces caved in from beatings.The sun in the background had a hollow and dark, empty look to it. And to finish it off, written in red at the bottom was a message that said.'DOWN WITH THE BITCH OF A FALSE KINGDOM!' After that shocking scene had been shown to the nobles attending, they had called the guards to capture him. He was lucky in escaping and getting back into Ponyville. After a while the guards had given up the search for him. During that time he had stayed in his home and painted nice images to try to clear his mind. But no matter how beautiful and happy the painting was when complete, he would always wake up the next day to find it a dark and horrible version of what it was. He had painted a filly smiling with a lollipop. It changed into a filly with no eyes, and a knife sticking out of her cheek. He painted a stallion and mare enjoying a picnic on a bright day. It had changed into a night time feast with the fruits and bakeries being replaced by parts of ponies. The two ponies had gleaming red eyes, sharp red teeth, and were both chewing on a ponies intestines. He decided to paint something simple. A tree. It was the last thing he ever painted and ever would paint. Because the next day the painting had a pony with his tongue cut out and his organs spilling out form his stomach. Under the picture were the words 'Dew Forest'. After he was done explaining he was on the verge of tears and practically screaming at me to reconsider. He said it had to be the house that was changing the paintings. There was no way somepony would be sick enough to make those images. But I wouldn't have it. I never was a stallion to believe in such non sense as ghosts. After pointing this out to him, he finally gave in and sold me the house for 10 bits. Shortly afterword he rushed off towards the train station while I removed the for sale sign. Sweet. I just got a house for 10 bits and I didn't even have to do that much bargaining! Just because my talent involved bartering, it didn't mean that I had exactly mastered it yet. Taking myself away from my thoughts, I entered my new home. WOAH! THIS PLACE IS A LOT BIGGER ON THE INSIDE! The living room that greeted me was much to big and well decorated to suit this tiny house. Wait...I thought he was moving? Why wouldn't he want to take his furniture? OH WELL! MINE NOW! There were several paintings cluttering the walls. The floor was covered in a nice red and gold rug with intricate designs focusing the eye towards the center. There were nice comfy chairs and couches spewed about and facing different directions. One chair was even facing the wall. It might look weird to somepony else but I liked it. To the right there was a door that led to a wonderful marble kitchen with gold laced drawers and cabinets. FUCK GHOSTS AND HAUNTED PAINTINGS! THIS PLACE IS AWESOME! The kitchen didn't lead anywhere else so I decided to head back to the living room and head left from there. I was greeted with a hallway with several paintings on either side with a few fancy candles on the walls in-between a few paintings. That same red and gold carpet massaged my hooves as I walked down the corridor to find a bedroom. Inside the bedroom was a beautiful king size bed with a million fluffed out pillows! A fancy dresser with a mirror attached sat across from the bed. And to the right of that a bathroom! The bathroom was the same design and color as the kitchen and had a huge bathtub that Celestia would have trouble filling. Man that pony was stupid! Why did he want to leave here again? I left the bedroom to explore the house more. I discovered a pantry stocked to the brim with food, a closet with several fancy clothing, a small library with a stone fireplace, and a door that wouldn't seem to open no matter what I did. It didn't matter really. The rest of the house was so awesome! I began to unpack what little household items I had taken. I got everything set away in about 10 minutes. Just a few pictures of my family. My mom ????? my sister ??????, and my dad ???????. Just to give it that homey touch. I hated to leave but there was still plenty of daylight and I needed to get set up for shop. The pantry would only hold that much food for so long and I wasn't about to mess up the house with all of my antiques. They looked like crap compared to this place. So with one last glance I headed off towards the town center. Sales were good today as I had come back toting a wagon with less materials and a bag full of over 200 bits. Not to shabby for a days work. Most of the ponies were amazed at the tales I told of how I obtained said items. There were a few skeptics at first. But their opinions changed swiftly when a young unicorn had grasped one of my artifacts. It began to whir and hum while spinning and producing several different colors. She had offered 50 bits and I gladly accepted. After that several other unicorns and even a few earth ponies and even a pegasus had come to make a purchase. Though most of my items worked only for unicorns, there were several items I had that non-unicorns could use. Lamps, treasure boxes, fancy jewelry. That sort of thing. I would have loved to stay longer but the day was coming to an end. Also, I had a wonderful house that I looked forward to returning to. After I deposited my materials in a little shack next to the house, "Was that always there?" I entered my new domain and headed towards the hallway leading to the bedroom. I gently climbed into my new bed while closing my eyes. Finally, my life was in order and good things were happening to me. No more nights at random inns begging for loans because no one would by my things. As I closed my eyes I sighed in content and allowed myself to fall asleep. The next morning I was greeted with my body itching. I couldn't help from scratching and scratching while I tossed and turned in my bed. I finally decided to get up and see what the problem was. Nothing on my body. I don't feel itchy anymore now that I'm out of bed. I turn around to find...that's not the bed I went to sleep in. I wasn't sure it was even a bed. It had different pieces and colors of...something stitched together. That explains the itching... Taking a closer look I notice that things stitched together are...fur. Pony fur. I had slept in a bed made out of pony parts. I screamed and turned to leave when I noticed the mirror on the dresser. Now...I don't know much about mirrors. Just enough to know that they show a reflection of what's in front of them. Well...this one was showing me a dark room with that nice bed. And even worse...I was in that bed. Sleeping so peacefully. I was so confused. I didn't know what the hell was going on. Then suddenly the image in the mirror changed into the image of some creature. It stood on two legs and was made entirely out of black and red shadows. Its face was only barely detailed and what little there was scared me beyond belief. Its eyes were wide and bloodshot always looking in a different direction. The small bump in the center of his face (assuming its the muzzle) was askew to the left and slightly torn. And its mouth. Oh Celestia Its mouth.... What seemed like thousands of tiny razor sharp teeth. Besides the face, another factor that made me cringe at the sight of this disgusting creature was Its height. It easily stood over three ponies tall with long gangly legs. It just kept looking at me from the mirror until I heard it speak. "HUNGER" Ever since that day I've been torturing and killing ponies to satisfy this creature inside me. In return, it doesn't kill me. After a while I had to become more creative with how I killed. Apparently he had a picky appetite when it came to feeding off of torture. It was and still is risky to be doing this sort of thing. There hadn't been many crimes in Pony Ville before I came. There weren't even murders before I came. I feared that the ponies would get suspicious and catch us. That did not seem to concern him and eventually, I stopped caring to. The ponies just considered the victims to be foal napped. Little did they know that while they couldn't find the bodies, that didn't mean they were just missing. They were all down here in the lower levels that this demon infesting me built. He said he wanted to remember each and every one of them. 117 dead ponies later, I'm searching through to find a midnight snack for the both of us. I wasn't hungry before but....I could use a bite now. Pony flesh wasn't that bad the first time I tried it. And after some time, it sort of grew on me and I became addicted. The demon fed on the torture while I fed on the flesh. As I passed a door labeled 116 I heard soft crying. I entered the door to see an earth mare hanging from here fore hooves that were attached to shackles on the walls. Her bottom half was...sitting on a table next to her. I had almost forgotten about her. How long has she been down here? Since yesterday? How is she not dead? Eh whatever she'll do. As I approach her, her crying becomes more frequent and she starts to hyperventilate. She's spazzing out right in front of me crying out for help. Instead of becoming sad at the sight, It just pisses me off. These idiots never learn... "Will you....SHUT UP!" I grab a nearby pair of scissors and go to cut out her tongue. I push my hoof inside her mouth and pull out said item. I slowly bring the scissors closer and closer, enjoying the fear she's giving me right now. Before she can utter another word I close the scissors around her tongue and begin to move with the flow. She's trying to scream while thrashing but I have a good hold of her head so I still get her tongue out. I give it a good sniff before trying a lick. Not to bad... I then look over to the table and see her bottom half. I take a butcher cleaver sitting on the same table and cut off a leg. I think this should do. HUNGRY! Sigh...I turn back to the mess of a mare. Her eyes full of tears pouring down her face mixing with the blood flowing from her open wound. Getting an idea I grab a nearby drill. I slowly approached the mare savoring her fear. Too bad I couldn't make it last forever. I'm just thankful that she lasted this long and didn't bleed out. She looks up at me and her eyes grow wide at the object in my hand. I hold her head with my hoof before she can look away and I start the drill. I bring it closer and closer to her eye. She tries to shut it but I punch her and hold her eye open with my hoof. This would be so much easier if I was a unicorn. Eventually the drill goes in right through the cornea and the result is satisfying. Blood and other liquids are flying from her soon to be destroyed eye. Her screams are loud and ear shattering but oh so satisfying. I go further and further until I feel a pressure. I push through and am rewarded with a cracking sound. I just pushed the whole drill through her eye and out of her skull. Her screaming stopped after that. She just uttered some weird gurgling before finally becoming limp. FULL. Finally... Its getting harder and harder to satisfy you. SHUT UP AND EAT YOUR MEAL! THEN RETURN US TO BED! I GROW TIRED! As you wish...