Rise From the Grave
Tensions were high the next morning as we packed up and ate a sparse breakfast, talking sparsely and quietly. The ominous prospect of what was to come loomed heavily in everybody's mind, some of us being excited, some of us being fearful, and others just wanting to get home so that they could fix their hair.
We made our way forward at a slow and leisurely pace, conserving our energy for when we reached the castle. Along the way, we filled up our time by discussing what we were expecting to find when we got there. According to Rainbow Dash, she had seen a tall, black structure extending beyond the treetops in the distance yesterday, and it was the general consensus that what she saw must be castle. We discussed what we would find inside of it, from dangerous traps and guardians to wondrous treasures and magical artefacts.
Well, they discussed it. I kept myself to the side, not paying any attention to their conversation. Dead leaves and broken branches littered the path and crunched underfoot, but I didn't notice even them. My mind was far elsewhere.
“It is only by the ring's power, by my power, that you are still alive.”
I exhaled slowly in a long, quiet sigh. That's what Sombra had said in my dream last night. I could remember the entire thing as clearly as though it had actually happened just moments ago, and his words had been ringing through my head all morning and afternoon, endlessly worming their ways into my every thought.
“The moment that ring is taken off, you're body will be torn apart as the magical energies of the world of the world rush through you with nothing to inhibit it.”
I grimaced as I clenched my right hand tightly, very conscious of the gold band around my finger. What kind of dream was that anyway? I thought to myself sourly. Since when does anybody remember their dreams with absolute clarity? No matter what I told myself however, a single thought popped into my mind that made my blood run cold with a shiver.
That wasn't an ordinary dream.
I shuddered and forced myself to relax before somebody inevitably noticed how tense I was. I hadn't told any of the ponies about the dream as I knew that it would only cause undue strife and anxiety. I simply steeled myself against my mounting nervousness and focused on moving forward.
“What in the world is that?” Applejack said suddenly, startling me out of my gloom. I looked over to see her taking her hat off of her head and gazing upwards with an awed expression. Naturally, I looked in the direction that she was.
A tall, dark shape could be seen through the small spaces between the trees and vines of the swamp, just barely making itself visible over a backdrop of grey sky. It looked like a solitary tower, several times taller than then the biggest tree around us, a piercing spire capping the top.
“That looks like what I saw yesterday!” Rainbow announced, her wings buzzing anxiously at her sides, making it difficult for her to hover in place. She glanced around the rest of us and motioned us forwards emphatically. “C'mon slowpokes, move those legs of yours!”
“The Obsidian Castle has been sitting in the same spot for over a thousand years, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity said with an arched eyebrow as the antsy pegasus looked at her imploringly. “Surely it can wait another few minutes.” She turned her attention towards Twilight who was gazing up at the partially obscured tower curiously. “I assume that is The Obsidian Castle?”
“I think so...” The unicorn replied, then turned to face her dragon assistant who was riding on her back comfortably. “Spike? Can you grab the map from my bag?”
The dragon saluted primly and snapped open his steed's saddlebags, rifling through them until he found a rolled up map. Thanking him, Twilight took the map with her magic and unrolled it in front of her.
A few moments went by with her making thoughtful noises and the rest of us waiting around awkwardly. Finally, she rolled the map back up and gave it back to Spike.
“Well, from what I can tell according to Princess Celestia's previous instructions...this seems to be the place. Not to mention I can actually feel the crystal in my bag moving towards it.” she tilted her head and scrunched her eyes. “I admit, I thought it would be bigger though.”
Pinkie Pie bounced past the perplexed unicorn. “Look on the bright side Twilight, at least you'll be able to find the library much quicker! Or what's left of it, at least.”
“Hmm...” The unicorn hummed, watching her jubilant friend bounce through the shrubs and thickets. Finally, she shrugged. “Well, there's no point in staying here and twiddling our hooves about it. Let's get going everyone.”
There was a chorus of agreements, emphatic and excited, from the other ponies and dragon as we continued onward. I only looked up at the tower in the distance, a lone, bleak reminder of the evil being who created it.
Suddenly, a strange feeling came over me, like a warming fire was being lit in my bones, energizing my body from the inside out. My body tensed, almost painfully so, and for a moment, everything seemed to be more focused than usual. Sharper, and tinged with a little bit of red.
“Get ready Sombra.” I whispered to myself before I realized it, gritting my teeth. “Here I come.”
Fifteen minutes later, our ragtag group of eclectic heroes found ourselves before a most perplexing sight. After a little bit more slogging, a bit more eager than before with the sudden prospect of finally reaching our destination. What we found, however, was not what we expected.
“Where's the door?” Pinkie Pie asked as we stood at the base of the tall tower, gazing at the black structure with some amount of awe and a fair amount of confusion.
“That's what Rainbow Dash is hoping to find Pinkie.” Rarity said, hey eyes turned skywards as she watched her prismatic maned friend comb the outside of the tower. Pinkie Pie blinked in confusion at her.
“But why would anypony build a door” she craned her head back to look at the top of the spire, her eyes following the blue pegasus circling it above. “all the way up there?”
“Maybe it's for pegasi only?” Fluttershy suggested. Realization dawned on Pinkie's face and she grinned at her friend.
“Hey, that's right!” In a flash, she was beside Fluttershy, draping a pink leg over her shoulders. “Gosh Fluttershy, you sure are smart!”
The pegasus mumbled something in return, but I was glad to see that she was smiling, albeit slightly. Leaving the two to themselves, looked to the others to see what they made of it. Applejack and Rarity were casting the tall structure curious looks as they took a few drinks from their canteens and rested on the sparse grass, exchanging a few words every now and then. I saw them shooting me infrequent glances, but I didn't think much of it as Twilight Sparkle caught my eye.
She was looking, no, she was glaring at the small black stone that we had been relying on up until now to guide us. Currently, it was sitting on the ground, uncharacteristically still, and Twilight was looking at it in a way that I imagined somebody would in a western showdown, not even daring to blink lest their opponent moves.
“I wouldn't talk to her if I were you.” A voice said from my side. I looked down to see Spike standing with his claws on his hips and a discerning look on his face, only coming up to my thigh. “With that look on her face, she might just bite your head off the moment you get too close.”
I frowned and nodded. I was planning on approaching her to see what was she found so...enrapturing, but now I thought better of it. Besides, watching her observe the black stone so closely was giving me a headache.
“Hey Dash!” Applejack yelled from where she relaxed aside Rarity. “If ya haven't found the dang entrance by now, then stop wastin' your time and get back down here!”
“Indeed darling, you've been up there for 15 minutes!” Rarity chipped in.
A burst of wind and dust announced Rainbow Dash's quick return. “Nothing!” She cried in disgust. “Not even a single window!” She scowled at the tower. “What kinda castle is this? Was Sombra some kinda cheapskate or something?”
“This isn't right.” Twilight cut in, finally taking her eyes away from the black stone that was stubbornly refusing to move. “The few records that remain from 1000 years ago clearly say that the Obsidian Castle is much larger than this.” She gave a disgruntled huff and looked up at the spire. “Whatever this is, this isn't it.”
I was about to say something, put a peculiar feeling came over me, trapping my words in my throat. Like the day before, at the pond that had turned black and poisonous right before my eyes, it felt like something in the back of my mind was trying to get my attention, poking at me with a stick that I couldn't see.
“Who stands at my door...?” A voice whispered. “Who seeks the Crystal King...?”
I snapped my head back to stare at the tower, but nothing had changed. It was just as tall and still as before, and the voice that I had just heard had disappeared completely. From the way that nobody else reacted to it, it seemed that I was the only one who heard it.
“Well, there's no point in staying here.” Spike's young voice interrupted. Twilight sighed in response.
“You're right Spike.” she said dejectedly. “Although the stone that Shining Armour gave us doesn't seem to be working anymore, so I don't know how we're going to find the real Obsidian Castle.”
“Aw, don't worry about it Twi'.” Applejack said, moving to stand beside the purple unicorn. “This little hurdle ain't gonna be stopping us. We'll just keep on hoofin' it till we find the real one, doohicky or no. Ain't that right Kael?”
I wasn't paying attention to her however. It was strange, but I somehow knew that this simple tower was not actually as simple as it seemed. To the naked eye, it just seemed like an old structure, maybe used as a landmark or an outpost, but something was telling me otherwise.
“Who knocks at the doors of Obsidian...?”
“Kael? You alright big fella?”
Before I knew what I was doing, I took a step towards the tower, and then another, and then another. A hush fell over the other ponies and dragon as they watched me, wondering what in the world I was doing. In truth, as I came to stand right next outside wall made of decrepit black stone, I wondered the same.
I was surprised to find my hand raising in front of me, as though a ghost were moving my arm. Instantly, my eyes were drawn to the golden ring on my finger, the etched outline of an alicorn glowing softly with a dim red light that got steadily brighter to closer it got to the wall.
“Kael?” That was Fluttershy's voice, I could tell. She sounded nervous. “What are you-”
As soon as my hand made contact with the black stone, there was a blinding flash of red light from the ring on my finger, searing my retinas as I was thrown backwards with a loud bang as though a bomb had just gone off in front me. There were loud exclamations of surprise I sailed several metres through the air, land in a crumpled heap in the dried mud and musty dirt.
“Kael!” a multitude of voices exclaimed loudly in shock as my head spun every which way, making me feel sick to my stomach. Before I knew it, my vision was filled with all sorts of colours as the ponies converged on me, chattering on in concerned voices. A pair of strong hooves lifted me into a sitting position, and my vision swum with worried faces.
“The master has arrived...at last...” said the nameless voice in my head.
“Oh my goodness, are you alright?” Fluttershy fussed, shoving her face right up to mine and frantically looking in my eyes.
“I think so...” I mumbled, trying to force the world to stop spinning below me.
“Quick!” Pinkie Pie said, pushing the pegasus out of the way and looking at me wide eyed. She held up a leg in front of my face. “How many hooves am I holding up?” she asked seriously.
“Fifteen.” I answered sarcastically, closing my eyes and kneading my forehead. The inside of my eyelids was a moving and pulsing of bright colours and shapes.
There was a silence. “Yup, he's broken.” Pinkie declared sadly before she too was pushed away.
“Kael, look at me.” a strong, commanding voice said, one that I couldn't immediately place yet somehow compelled me to obey it . When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see Fluttershy looking at me once again with an uncharacteristically serious expression.
“Are you alright?” she asked me, bordering on demanding me for an answer. Even the others were looking at her in surprise.
“Yes.” I replied earnestly. Things were starting to seem clearer now, and I could better make out the world around me. “I'm fine.”
Fluttershy smiled, but before she could say anything else, a loud voice distracted me.
“What under the light of Celestia's sun just happened?!” Twilight cried loudly, making me wince. “What did you do Kael? What was that flash of light? Where did it come from? Did it do anything?” Her flow of questions would have continued had I not put up a hand to stop them prematurely.
“I don't know what happened, but I think it had something to do with the ring.” I said quickly before I could be cut off. This took her aback, and she looked back at the tower, and then back at me, her head at a curious tilt.
Someone huffed from behind me. “That dumb thing's been nothing but trouble since day one.” Rainbow Dash grumbled irritably. I was about to agree with her wholeheartedly, but I was cut off by a tremor that I felt passing through the ground below us, causing the few trees around us to quiver where they were rooted. There was silence as the rumble faded away to stillness.
“What was that?” Pinkie Pie asked, a surprising hint of concern in her voice. The others looked at one another and shrugged.
“It felt like an earthquake,” Twilight commented, her brow furrowed. “albeit a surprisingly short...” she trailed off as she looked towards me, her eyes widening. “Kael...the ring...” she said, mystified. I looked down at my hand that was propping me up to see that the ring was burning with a fierce red light. The others' eyes were drawn to it as well.
“Aaah, I think I know what might have happened...” Rarity announced gazing at the ring critically and turning to glance at the towering black spire. “It seems as though the tower itself reacted to the ring. It must simply be enchanted to react to the its power, or rather, Sombra's power.”
We all stared at her in bafflement, and her cheeks coloured. “What? I work with enchanted gems and minerals, I know these types of things.” she said, looking away and adjusting her mane. She then squeaked in surprise as another small tremor burst through the ground, sending her slightly off balance.
“Well if that's the case, then that means this this really is The Obsidian Castle.” Applejack commented, eyeing the muddy ground warily as though a hole were about to open up underneath her. “I gotta say, I was expecting more.”
“No...” Twilight muttered, a look of heavy concentration on her face. I could almost hear the gears in her head whirring and turning together as she struggled to work something out. She chewed her lip as she looked back and forth between the tower, myself, and the still glowing ring. Another tremor passed, this one stronger than before.
Suddenly, she gasped in alarm. “We need to go!” she declared loudly, frantically ushering everyone to their hooves. “Now!”
“Woah Twi, what's the matter?” Rainbow Dash said, frowning at the unicorn.
“Rarity's right!” Twilight hissed anxiously. “This is the Obsidian Castle! And it is enchanted to Sombra's magic!”
“Well then why ever should we leave now darling? Wasn't our goal to find Sombra's lost castle?” Rarity asked, clearly perplexed, and she wasn't the only. I too failed to see how this was a problem, though Twilight's urgency in the matter was more than a little worrying.
“That's just it though! I just realized why it was lost in the first place!” She paused for a moment and took a deep breath, casting a nervous glance to the spire before looking back at us, speaking quickly. “It might have been because of Sombra's loss one thousand years ago, or it might just be the passage of time taking its toll, but the Obsidian Castle never actually disappeared. Rather, it sunk, possibly to lie in wait for Sombra's return. It could be a failsafe spell of his in the event of his demise, he was known for being a brilliant tactician, but what that means is that the real Obsidian Castle is right below us!”
“So what you're saying is...” I interrupted, chewing on my words. “that tower is actually the top of the castle, and not the castle itself?” The magic mumbo jumbo was mostly lost on me, but I thought that I understood the gist of it, although I didn't understand why that was a problem that required us to put as much distance between it and us as physically possible.
Twilight looked like she wanted to tear her mane off, probably because of all the blank stares she was getting, but when another tremor nearly sent her flying out of her skin, she looked at us with wide, pleading eyes.
“Yes, and because it reacted to Sombra's magic just now, that means that it's going to be surfacing for the first time in a millennium with us standing on top of it.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the piercingly loud sound of stone grinding on stone filled the air, and we all turned to see the structure that we once thought to be a solitary tower slowly start to rise out of the ground, stretching higher and higher into the sky. All around us, mounds of earth rose and broke as other point tips of the castle poked their heads from below, joining their brother in its journey to the sky. The ground was positively undulating beneath us, sending us all tumbling like a canoe on rough waters.
“RUN!” somebody yelled, and the next thing that I knew, I had scooped Fluttershy up in my arms, threw her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and took off like a bat out of hell.
The chaos around me melded into one, indiscernible din of voices and panic. The frantic cries of the others as they went off in separate directions, the screaming of the earth as a millennium old castle burst from its midst, and the feeling of the world being turned upside down beneath my feat all took second place in my mind. All that registered was putting as much distance between me and this spot as physically possible.
There was another explosion of earth in front of me, showering me with shrapnel of broken rock and dirt, and another black spire started to thrust its way from the earth. With a hasty side step, I narrowly manged to avoid impaling myself while moving.
I felt Fluttershy squirm in my grasp, and I held on to her tighter. Had I had time to stop and think, I would have remarked on how strange it was that my first instinct was not to run away, but to pick her up and then run, or to even think that I needed to pick her up in the first place. Surely, she could have fared by herself, especially if she had simply taken to the sky and avoided all of this mess, but something in me had forced me to act before thinking.
I reached the treeline and burst through the shrubbery in a shower of leaves and twigs. Immediately, my feet sunk into the roiling mud of the swamp, bringing my mad dash to a shambling halt. I grimaced in frustration, nearly screaming angrily. More and more spires were stabbing out from below, and a quick look behind me told me that the tower we had been looking at was now double its original height, and still going.
The short and stumpy trees swayed menacingly around me, and I was dimly aware of flurries of activity around me as animals ran for their lives. Fortunately for them, they were much more used to having to move quickly in swamp mud than I was. I spared a brief moment to worry about the others and how they were faring, but I quickly pushed it out my mind. They were on their own for now.
Gritting my teeth, I slogged forwards helplessly, the mud nearly up to my knees as aI desperately prayed that another menacing looking spike wouldn't appear from directly underneath me whilst keeping on eye on my surroundings. Branches the size of my thigh were dropping all around us, and I was wary of one falling down and knocking me out cold.
My progress was agonizingly slow. Even through the mud, I could feel the earth rumbling below, the earthquake to end all earthquakes sending everything swaying and bobbing helplessly. I let out a frustrated scream, one that was quickly lost amidst the sounds of all the havoc. At this rate, with the mud nearly up to my knees, Fluttershy and I were going to find ourselves impaled or crushed by a falling tree.
Suddenly, something shifted below my feet, and I was briefly overcome by horror at the thought that I was about to be skewered. Horror turned into confusion however when it suddenly became much easier to move as my feet suddenly started to find much more purchase in the mud.
Confusion quickly turned to realization as the world shifted before my eyes. A flat, tiled surface that could only be the roof of the once subterranean castle appeared from below me, made of rough stone and as dark as the night sky. Rooted trees that had stayed in one place for hundreds of years were sent toppling like the toys of a monstrous child, sending leaves, branches, and frightened animals every which way
“Shit shit shit shit shit...” I fumed under my breath. I could move much faster and easier now, the stone giving me much more traction then the swamp mud ever could, but that little grace was overshadowed by the fact that I was now significantly more likely to become a human sized stain on the stonework.
My legs pounded below me at a speed and ferocity that only the desperate can muster. Over my shoulder, I could here Fluttershy whimpering and gasping at the carnage around us as I leapt over and avoided roots, branches, and the occasional spire. There was nothing that I could do regarding the wooden shrapnel that filled the air besides power through and hope for the best, resulting in a multitude of scratches and lacerations.
“Kael?” I heard Fluttershy whimper. “What's happening?” It seemed that she had her eyes shut to the carnage around us.
“Don't worry about it.” I replied with gritted teeth. I lowered my head and ran faster, my legs screaming in the exertion. I needed to get off of this roof before it got too high off of the ground. Already I was nearing the height of the treetops that had managed to stay rooted around us.
Thankfully, the section of roof that I was scrambling across amidst bedlam and chaos came to an end. Unfortunately, that end was a several foot drop that I didn't notice until I was stepping off of it.
“Shit!” I yelped, just managing to kick off with my other leg and keep my orientation as I was sent flying. My eyes widened when I noticed that surface below me wasn't flat as it was before, but at a steep angle downwards,. I would have admired the way that the sunlight glinted off of the dark stone, which somehow still managed to look polished and regal after so many years underground, but I had less than a second to react before impact.
I hit the roof and immediately collapsed as my feet gave way from underneath me for the rest of my body to come crashing down painfully, sending me sprawling and tumbling in a clatter of dirt and stone chips. Fluttershy shrieked as she was torn from my grasp and joined me as we slid, disoriented and confused.
I scrabbled at the tile with my hands and feet, trying to gain purchase to stop my rapid descent, but it was in vain. From beside me, where Fluttershy seemed to be trying to do the same, I heard a shout.
“Look out!”
I twisted my neck around and my eyes widened in horror. There, on the bottom of the slope that we were falling down, was a gargoyle in the shape of what looked to be a hunched over pony with leathery bat wings folded onto its back, one of many that had emerged and now lined the end of the roof, and we were heading right for it.
This is going to hurt. Was all that I managed to think before my rapid descent game to a jarring halt.
I slammed into the gargoyle, snapping off one of the wings and sending it careening off of the roof. Thankfully I had my feet underneath my at the time or I might have broken a leg or a rib, but I felt the shock of the impact travel through my entire body, and it was a marvel that nothing snapped in half. The gargoyle shifted a little bit, but to my great relief, manged to stay still
Reacting completely on instinct, I reached out blindly towards the sound of the screaming pegasus as she went over the edge. I grabbed onto something, her hoof by the feel of it, and held tight.
We remained there, dangling precariously as we both processed what happened. I could hear soft moan and whimpers underneath me, and I very carefully peeked around the statue that I was just barely managing to keep a grip on to see how my friend was. Thankfully, she was light enough to hold on to with just one hand fairly easily.
Fluttershy dangled below me with her eyes shut tight, whimpering in fear as the castle continued to rumble around us. Looking down, I realized that there was another section of roof below us that was low enough that I probably would have broken something had I not grabbed on when I did.
“Fluttershy? You okay?” I asked, causing her eyes to snap open with a gasp.
“Kael!” she shouted in surprise before her eyes settled on me. “Oh...” to my horror, her eyes started to well up with tears.
“H-hey, don't worry.” I stammered awkwardly. “It'll be alri-”
“I'm so glad you're okay.” she said, a wide, teary smile on her face.
I was take aback for a moment. She had just come inches away from splattering on the stone below us, and her foremost thought was for my safety? Remarkable. The only thing I could do was smile weakly in response.
“Yeah.” I said. “I'm good.” I felt like an abused punching bag thanks to the many brand new cuts and bruises that I was now sporting, but just the fact that we were both alive somehow made that pain somewhat more bearable. “I'm good...”
As good as somebody could be dangling off the edge of a roof and holding on to an old statue for dear life, but good nonetheless.
“Fluttershy, listen,” I said, raising my voice over the rumble of the castle. “Are you able to fly?”
Realization dawned on her face as her wings twitched open. Did she seriously just now remember that she had wings? My brief hope of making this situation much easier for the both of us was crushed however as she winced and quickly withdrew one of her wings.
“I think I sprained it.” she moaned helplessly, tears starting to well up again.
“Okay, okay, that's no problem.” I said quickly, trying not to let any panic show in my voice. “There has to be another way out of this. Here, let me pull you up...”
With a grunt, I started to slowly lift the pegasus up with my one arm, bringing her closer and closer to the edge of the roof. While it wasn't incredibly difficult to simply hold on to her to keep her from falling, actually hauling her up one handed was a bit trickier, and I didn't dare try and use my other arms in case I lost my balance due to the rumbling and need to grab the gargoyle for support.
It was slow going, but I finally managed to lift her to the point where she was a foot away from the roof. I put one last spurt of effort; my arm was really starting to ache at this point, and started to haul her up the rest of the way.
CRACK
The telltale sound of stone breaking right next to my ear nearly gave me a heart attack. I froze, my blood hammering through my ears, and very slowly turned to look at the gargoyle.
What I saw almost made me weep. On the base of the structure, underneath hooves with what looked like bladed gauntlets on them, was a large fissure that ran through the stone, winding up and around all the way to its back on the side that I was currently holding on to.
I gritted my teeth as my arm shook from holding Fluttershy aloft for too long. Repositioning myself so that I didn't need to hold on to it as much, I gingerly tried to bring her up again, but stopped as I felt something shift in the statue accompanied by small cracking and shifting sounds. More smaller fissures started to snake around the rock as dust and chips fell away from it.
Slowly, and rather painfully, I started to lower the pegasus who was looking at me with wide eyes that I couldn't meet back down. I barely noticed the movement of the castle as rose from the ground anymore, barely registering that it seemed to be slower than it was before.
“I don't think that's going to work.” I said with as much calm in my voice as I could muster. It was painfully obvious, however, that I was holding back a flood panic. “We'll need to think of something else.”
“What are we going to do?” she asked me quietly. I sighed and leaned over the edge of the roof slightly, peering once more at the stone below. It was more than far away enough for both of us to seriously hurt ourselves if we fell from this height, but it seemed we didn't have any choice.
I opened my mouth to tell her that the only thing left to do is jump instead of falling alongside the soon to be dislodged gargoyle, but something else caught my eye. A few metres to the left of us, marked only by a hole in the wall which was probably why I didn't notice it before, was a window.
The cracking sounds of stone didn't let me hesitate. “Hold on Fluttershy.” I said as I started to swing the dangling pony side to side, slowly getting closer and closer to the window with each swing. I was reasonably sure that it was large enough for her to fit through...
Her pupils shrunk when she realized what I was about to do. “Wait, hold on a second...” she whimpered, looking at the opening in the wall fearfully. “It's too far, you won't make it.”
“Yes I will.” I growled, grimacing at the pain my arm was in. I was going to feel sore for days after this.
“I won't fit!” she said, louder and more high pitched this time. “There might be something on the other side! You won't be able to come in after me!”
“Oh, I'll be fine.” I halfheartedly replied. She was almost close enough, which was good because the creaking noise coming from the gargoyle told me that I didn't have very much time until it too went careening over the edge, taking both of us with it. With a pained exhale, I put as much force as I had into one more swing and let go of her hoof.
Fluttershy shrieked as she as she tumbled through the air and disappeared safely, or so I hoped, into the dark hole.
I let out a tremendous sigh of relief, but it was very short lived. Finally having reached its breaking point, the snarling pony statue broke free from its base and started to tip over.
Shit! I thought as I scrambled for a grip on the slick roof tiles only to have my hands and feet slip off anything I tried to hold on to. The smoothness of the stones and the steepness of the slope gave me as much of a chance as the gargoyle did.
After a split second of trying to find purchase, I let myself go to the fact that I was going to fall. Twisting around so that I was on my stomach, my hands scrabbled for the lip of the roof, holding on so tightly that I wouldn't have been surprised if I had cracked the stone under my white knuckled grip.
Looking down, the drop looked to be a lot farther than it did before, and the window a lot smaller, maybe too much so for me to fit through. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment as I dangled over what would have been a bone breaking fall. The castle, it seemed, had emerged completely and had stopped its incessant shaking, but I could still hear the rumbling due to the blood pumping in my head.
Cracking my eyes open, wanting to distance myself from the reality of my situation as much as possible, I started to slide one hand to the side, and then another. This was a mistake. I could keenly feel every cut, bruise, and scrape on my body, my clothes painfully rubbing on my numerous little wounds, feeling like sandpaper on my bare flesh. A big mistake. With the adrenaline rush gone, every muscle ached enough to bring tears to my lidded eyes, and it was only a matter of time until they gave up on me.
I fucked up.
“Kael!” A voice cried from nowhere, frantic and terrified sounding. “Are you alright?”
A wheezing gasp burst out of me, bloodshot eyes flying open to face the brunt of the sunlight, tears flowing freely. With a moan, I forced my arms to move, sidling me along the lip of the roof until I was right above the window, my tips of my feet barely able to stand on the edge.
“Keep going! You're almost in!” The voice cried desperately. “Please keep going!”
It was with a monumental force of will that I eased my grip and lowered myself to the window, clinging desperately to the wall. It was only because of the many years that I had spent in my child and teenage years in martial arts classes, granting me a stronger balance than most, that I was able to keep myself from careening off the edge. If only I could retained the physical strength as well.
The best sense of balance in the world can only do so much, however, and the tipping point was only seconds away. I didn't have a moment to hesitate.
Gripping the slight edge that jutted out from the top of the window, I kicked my legs out from underneath me and prayed for the best. Wind whistled by my ears for a moment as I swung forwards, meeting empty space and air for half a second before I landed in a crumpled, aching heap on cold hard stone.
“Oh no!” I dimly heard Fluttershy gasp through the haze of my pained and fatigued mind. She rushed forward and grabbed my shoulders, propping me up against the wall as she looked worriedly into my eyes.
“Kael? Can you hear me?” My eyes swam with the blurry image of her face, just barely able to make out her features. The desperation and worry was obvious, and I couldn't help but feel a stab of regret.
“I'm fine, I'm fine...” I croaked, patting the hoof that held me, probably the only thing that was preventing me from sliding back onto the floor. “Let me just...take a moment...”
“O-okay.” she whispered, looking relieved. She spared a brief, nervous glance down the shadowy before moving to my side and sitting close to me, one of her wings over my shoulder. “You just rest, for now.”
I closed my gritty, bloodshot eyes, resolving to just lay there for a few minutes of well deserved peace and quiet. My breathing was ragged and painful, every breath feeling like it was tearing at my throat with sandpaper, and just the thought of moving my arms and legs was painful. I stayed there for a long time, feeling like one big bruise and cursing my bad luck.
After a while, however, the silence was interrupted
When the sun has bowed its regal head
And the pale moon risen in its stead
Then off you shall go to bed
My little dear of mine.
Fluttershy's voice rang softly and clearly, echoing slightly off the walls and high ceiling of the corridor, making almost seem as though she was singing a duet with herself. My eyebrows rose a fraction and my lips twitched into a small, amused smile.
“Oh, sorry...” she muttered bashfully, abruptly stopping her singing.
“No, no, that was nice.” I muttered, not able to muster the energy to speak any louder than a muted whisper. “What was that?”
“It's a lullaby...that my mother used to sing to me.” she replied shakily. “Would you like me to keep going?”
My smile returned. “Please...”
She daintily cleared her throat before rising her voice ever so slightly,
Now that the light has gone away
To mark the end of one more day
Wide awake we cannot stay
My little dear of mine.
Her voice, while still staying at the same, quiet volume, started to become stronger. I suspected that she was singing this lullaby, this song from her past that signified comfort and safety, for her sake just as well as mine.
Look upon the bright moon face
And wrap yourself in night's embrace
Let all your worries be erased
My little dear of mine
For I am here, you need not fear
Make not a cry, shed not a tear
And if you need me, I'll be near
My little dear of mine
So we sat there, her keeping me warm with her wing and me in a ragged, dirty pile of cuts, bruises, and aching muscles. With my eyes closed, I drifted in and out of consciousness, my body naturally demanding me to sleep despite the fact that it was still only mid afternoon. I could feel my pulse go back to a normal, relaxed pace as I relaxed to the soothing song, very strongly reminding me of the songs that my own mother would sing to me when I was very young and was afraid of everything but my own shadow.
May you sleep in peace tonight
And dream of only happy sights
I'll see you in the morning light
My little dear of mine
I'll see you in the morning light
My little dear of mine
I sighed equal parts wearily and comfortably. Already I could feel the aches and pains start to ebb away from me, and the urge to succumb to weariness and fall asleep grew stronger with each passing second. I had to fight to keep myself conscious.
“THEY ONLY LIE.”
My eyes flew open and I jerked upright, causing Fluttershy to give an alarmed start. I recognized that voice very clearly, as I had come face to face with it just the other night in my dreams, and it rang in my head, echoing like a struck bell.
“YOU ARE THEIR PAWN.”
“Are you alright? Is something wrong?” Fluttershy asked me, moving closer to my side and peering closer at me. “You look pale...”
I resisted the urge to swat her away, just managing to smother a heated remark before it came out, although from where it came from, I didn't know. I only sighed and nodded wearily.
“I'm fine...” I muttered tiredly. “But we should probably get going and try to find the others.”
The pegasus' eyes widened in realization. Clearly, the thought hadn't even occurred to her, but her brow furrowed in consternation. “We should stay here and rest.” she protested. “You're injured and tired.”
“I'm fine!” I snapped back irritably, the blood rushing in my ears. Fluttershy was taken aback for a moment before she looked down at the floor, hiding behind her long mane.
“Sorry...” she whispered.
I squeezed my eyes shut, suddenly feeling ridiculous. She was only trying to help, why did I have to be so rude?
“No, it's alright.” I said gently, bringing a hand up and laying it on her neck. “Sorry...I guess I'm just...stressed. But we do need to keep on going.” She examined me for a long moment before giving me a tiny nod.
“Alright then...” I muttered, slowly staggering to my feet. Fluttershy stood close by me, watching me closely as though she were afraid I might fall. My cuts and scrapes smarted slightly as they moved, but I ignored them as best as I could. At least nothing was broken.
Looking down the hall both ways, all I cold see was an oppressive gloom of murky darkness that revealed nothing. Looking down at my winged companion, I steeled myself and started to walk with her right beside me.
“SHE LEADS YOU TO DAMNATION.” The voice rang one more, and then went silent.