Diary of a Mad King

by Strange Harmony

Mayday!

Author's Note:

I would like to apologize to the few readers who favorited this story some months ago. I don't really have an excuse as to why it took me so long to update it; however, I would like to acknowledged that chapters 1-3 have been rewritten and I highly recommend returning to give them another read. If not because you forgot what had happened then for the big improvements I feel like I've made. While no updates have been made in over 6 months I have progressed considerably as a writer -at least I feel so- and hope the story is much more enticing then before. As always, I apologize for any small mistakes that were overlooked during revision. On a last note, something which I will not go into detail about has made writing a lot more doable, and no one should fear insane hiatus periods from this point on, I Pinkie promise.
-Virtuoso

The unrelenting maelstrom of icy wind barraged the empire, making the tents of the camp dance like the fire on a flickering candle. The scenic morning weather had been replaced by a ferocious blizzard, a reminder of mother natures strength. An atmosphere almost as grave as the weather had settled throughout camp. Uncertainty and worry plagued the team's consciousness.

*****

The strong smell of medicine filled Relic's nostrils. The cold, grey, distressing atmosphere of the medical tent that had been established the day before did nothing to calm Relic's nerves. Sitting on a small wooden stool, with the only source of light being a flickering candle set on a cabinet next to Amber's bed, Relic kept his gaze fixed on his marefriend, whom lay, sleeping, on a dusty mattress. His thoughts failed to stay coherent, his eyelids fluttered, his limbs were stiff; the result of not moving for hours. How had things descended into a state of alarm so quickly? what had happened to the picturesque room he had seen but two days ago? What was that...thing that attacked them inside Sombra's castle and why wasn't it attacking them now?

The scenes of the encounter flashed through his mind. From the black liquid that emerged from the room to the deathtrap the great hall had turned into. Suddenly, one thought crossed his mind, it quickly possessed his list of priorities. Standing, he made his way to the exit, but before stepping out into the progressively worsening weather took a final glimpse of Amber. Her chest slowly rising and sinking in a wavelike motion from her relaxed breathing, and a calm, almost happy, expression on her face. He had to get her out of here, the only to way to do that however, was to face Granite and tell him to abort the expedition, something Relic knew the stallion wouldn't take much liking to. Composing his thoughts and posture, he stepped outside, almost immediately, he was barraged with what felt like millions of small needles, What is up with this storm? just this morning the weather was fine.Making his way to Granite's tent, he braced himself for a heated discussion. As he walked there, a quick survey of the area made a deep frown settle on his face. Nothing seemed right, the weather was taking a turn for the worse, Amber had almost been killed, those shadows were near, and they were evil; worse yet, the team might be stuck out here unless the storm raging subsided. Slowing to stop, this realization made its way into his head, unless this storm goes away, or at least calms down, trying to get back to the Crystal Empire would be nothing short of suicide... It wasn't even her current condition that worried him, Lime had reassured him she would be fine given some rest and proper attention, but those shadows were still trapped in the castle and who's to say they couldn't find a way out. Quickly galloping to Granite's tent, worry and dread clouding his thoughts. "Granite!!" he exclaimed as he flung the tent flaps open.

The robust stallion was sitting behind a wooden mini table in the floor of his tent, which was slightly bigger than all of the others. "Ah, Relic, just the pony I wanted to see. How's Amber? I trust Lime has taken good care of her, now if you could explain to me what thos-"

"We have to get out of here, now."

This sudden statement made Granite look up from the stack of papers he was reading, surprise quickly turn to curiosity. "Why? do you know what those shadows you claimed attacked you and Amber were? are we in immediate danger?"

"Yes, I mean no, I mean I'm not sure what they were, they just kind of...*Sigh* get it together. I'm not sure what those things were, and I don't know if they can even go outside the castle doors. What I do know, is that they are fast, and they are dangerous, and something tells me they don't want us here. We need to leave now, call the Crystal Empire for help."

"Wow-wow-wow, easy now. Sit down, there there...Would you like some tea? No? alright. So let me get this straight. You want us to disband this expedition, the same one that took years to set up, and return with a couple of ancient swords? That seems like a waste wouldn't you say?"

Relic constantly squirmed in the cushion Granite had given him; finally, deciding he couldn't bear sitting, he shot up. "That's exactly what I'm suggesting. Don't you see? there is something evil here and it almost killed Amber and me."

"Speaking of that evil thing, what do you think it was? You haven't mentioned anything about it, like where it came from, I mean, you didn't see it the first day you went to the castle right? Maybe it's some sort of ancient creature confined to these parts of Equestria, why I bet if we could confine it somehow and were able to study it we would not only be making Archaeological discoveries, but scientific ones too!" Granite turned away from Relic, getting lost in one fictive outcome after the other. "I wonder if Lime knows any confinement spells, or would a physical trap work best? I haven't taken its size into account however."

Not believing what he was hearing, Relic's worries and anxiety began to turn into something else. Amber could have died by pushing him out of the way of that thing, he could be mourning her death right now, and here was Granite, wondering if they could trap that monstrosity, the same thing that could have robbed Relic of something irreplaceable. Quivering, his blank facial expression contorted into a sneer, his muscles tensed and he slowly raised his entire right foreleg up...and like a hammer,smashed it down onto the table that separated him from Granite. "SHUT UP!"

"Maybe we could even-" Relic's sudden outburst had gotten Granite's attention, but not in a positive way. He enjoyed joking with the members he lead, but Granite had still been a previous Royal guard, and disrespect to a higher officer demanded punishment. "What...did you say? Relic, I won't respond kindly to this sort of upro-"

"Shut up!" bellowed Relic again, he would not cower back this time, his life was on the line, all of theirs were, whether Granite realized it or not. "You sound like a fool with all your fantasies, we can't trap that thing, it would easily kill all of us. You didn't see it, you didn't feel it chasing you, being around you, not knowing what to do but try to dodge the next strike. I could have died today, more importantly Amber could have, and almost did die. I don't care about the things we haven't discovered yet, I don't care if we never see this place again! Granite, that...thing wasn't natural, it was evil, I could feel it in its presence. It was hunting us and you want to try and capture it?! Snap out of it! As team leader your first priority should be the safety of all members. Not festive dreams of fame and discovery, you almost looked happy while you were thinking out loud there!"

"You wouldn't understand! You're not the one that has to prepare every trip. Do you think obtaining permission to come here was easy? The princesses were very skeptic about letting us come for some reason!"

Oh, I bet they were, thought Relic.

"I thought you had realized this by now but we are the first archaeological team to come here, EVER! we can't just let that go to waist. We won't explore the castle further, I can guarantee you that, but we needmore. Besides, Lime said Amber would be fine, and I don't think you realize in how big of a hole you are digging yourself into right now. You do not disrespect your captain like this!"

Their loud clamor was now resonating all over the camp, all the other team members emerged from their tents and made their way to the source of the commotion. "To Tartarus with your discoveries, you want more?!" Fishing his saddlebag with his muzzle, he brought out the King's diary and spat it on the table. "HERE! That's a diary written by King Sombra himself. Take full credit for its discovery if you want, just stop being a stubborn mule and realize we are in danger as long as we stay here! Don't you see?! Amber, MY AMBER, is lying down a couple of tents away, recuperating from a wound inflicted on her by something we know nothing about, and you want us to stay here and dig around waiting until the next casualty happens. Granite, I'm sorry, but we can't stay here, what if I had died huh? What if Amber had died!" tears were now running down the side of his face, "I...just want her to be safe..." Sitting back down, he looked at the carpet covered floor, his tears making small smears on the wool.

Granite stared at the book facing him, not sure of what to say. He shifted his attention to the papers he had been reading, and then at the weeping stallion in front of him. He knew Relic wasn't weak, and seeing him like this really spoke of the helplessness he must be feeling inside. He wanted to stay here, despite the dangers, but he also wasn't heartless. Walking to the entrance, Granite's thoughts shifted to Amber, Relic is right, the very thought hurt his pride, I confess I have lived, but everyone else here is too young to risk their lives, I suppose we should leave. "Relic...let's get out of here..."

Relief washed over Relic's tensed body, looking up at Granite, he smiled thankfully. "Thank you..."

"Follow me..." Stepping outside, they noticed the crowd that had formed outside the tent. Everyone was there, even Golden Globe, who looked at Relic with a solid expression. Looking around, Granite spotted Lime. "Stone, write and send a message to the archaeological branch in the Crystal Empire, request for an extraction team and report back to me once they reply. If they ask for a reason...tell them hostilities in the area have injured a "

Relic thought a look of relief had appeared on Lime's face, though in the current weather it was hard to be sure, "Yes sir!" saluted Lime and ran to his tent.

"The rest of you," continued Granite, "go get some rest, it will take a good 13 hours for rescue to arrive. If it does at all." That last whispered bit worried Relic, the storm was intensifying. Happy to escape the unrelenting cold, the others did as obeyed, Relic was about to return to Amber when Granite said, "Hold it Relic," he went back into his tent and rapidly emerged with the diary of Sombra, the sheer sight of it now filled Relic with dread. "Take this, I don't want it, something about it doesn't feel right. Besides, you were the one who found it."

"Hmm, thanks," replied Relic and reluctantly accepted the tome back, putting back into his saddlebag. "I think I'll go check on Amber now."

"Yeah...you do that." Sluggishly, Granite went back into his tent, Relic knew aborting this expedition was killing him and he felt bad, but staying was not an option, at least not after what had happened. Relic decided to leave him with his thoughts for now. Suddenly weary, he just wanted to be by Amber's side.

"Curse this storm," he said to himself as he walked back to the medical tent. The black stone outlines of the houses surrounding their camp were now barely visible, such was the thickness of snow now sailing through the air. Growing more worried for every second the storm didn't appear to weaken, Relic pondered of a way to distract his anxiety. Some degree of relief washed over his body when he stepped into the medical tent, just being close to Amber made him feel better. Sitting back down on the stool placed by her bed, he made sure everything was as it should be. Lifting the covers, the medical tape seemed to be fine, Lime had promised to return whenever they needed changing. She didn't appear to be cold so he placed back the three thick covers before that changed, and now sat there...not knowing what to do. Suddenly, his thoughts shifted to the shadows. He could almost feel them trying to impale him, he could almost see their smoky texture. He had never read or even heard about such things, but he knew where to most likely find information on them...the diary of Sombra. Taking a deep breath, he fished it out of his saddlebag once more, at first reading had been almost exiting, but now it only brought torment.

*****

Entry #2

Eight days...or has it been nine? Over one week without a peaceful nights rest, over one week without my dreams providing a lucid retreat from this cursed reality. The weeks following your death were filled with sweet dreams of our brief time together, every night it was as if you were still lying next to me, still showering me with the bliss of your presence, but now...even that is gone.

For the last couple of days I have contemplated possible remedies for the state of our kingdom. I sit, and write, and when I finish writing I go back to see that I have only written nonsense, incoherent thoughts. Products of my fatigued brain! Damn it all! What I wouldn't give for a decent nights rest. At first I thought these nightmares to be unfortunate happenings, but now I see that someone, or rather something is behind them. I'm afraid to close my eyes because every time I do, I see the culprits, every time I close my eyes in hopes of resting I am disturbed by those blasted shadows! It's them, I know it is! My subordinates claim it's just a product of my imagination, abstract embodiment's of my inner most fears and regrets...FOOLS! I should get rid of them all! spare them from this state. What else have they to live for after all? Most of their families have been ravished by the war, in fact, I should free this entire kingdom. Our subjects deserve better than what we have now, it is rightfully my duty as king to free them all. Yes, I can see it now, I'm sure I can conjure a spell subtle enough to extinguish their flames without pain, I'm sure they would embrace death! We are all practically already at its door. At the rate food is growing in our lovely land half of the remaining population should starve by the end of the solstice. Let death be quick in contrast to the slow decay we are experiencing right now.

...What am I thinking? How could I have written that? Umbra! Is my reality so dead that I only see salvation in death? Is there truly ought to do but wait for death to take its toll?

The shadows, they hunt me, they see me, they toy with me. That's what I see, that's what I know. Where will this fate take me next?! What can I do? This kingdom continues to crumble and there is nothing I can do about it! No, shut up! You pathetic excuse for a king. I...I don't know what to do Umbra, what would you do if you were still here? What if it had been me to go down in the battlefield? What if it was you still standing here? No, I wouldn't want you to experience this torture, I wouldn't want you to bear the responsibility of sustaining thousands of flicking fires.

My eyes grow heavy...I think it would be wise to get some rest. Ha! that's a fine jest, more nightmares is all I would find. Still...I might as well attempt it. Or perhaps I should just sit here...and try to remember the days before all this happened...there isn't much to do anymore, just wait, for tomorrow and whatever new misfortune it may bring, and the next day...and the next...and the next...and the next

*****

Closing the diary, new found worries gripped Relic. Aside from the usual anguish that plagued the king's entries, new questions had been raised. Sombra had mentioned nightmares caused by the shadows, looking at Amber, he wondered if maybe she was having one right now. No, her alluring features appeared too calm, almost happy. What are you dreaming right now Amber?...Relic pondered.

Staring at the flickering candle, Relic began to day dream. As he bobbed from side to side he remembered the orchestra him and Amber had attended a day before the expedition was to begin. He remembered the excitement he had felt when he had first found out they were to explore here. He, for some reason, even remembered his mothers cooking, which made Granite's oatmeal look like white tar compared to her version. Closing his eyes, as if to remember the recollections more vividly, he began to fall into a dark void but caught himself with a start. Alright...I need some shut eye, he told himself. having been over a day since he had slept properly, now seemed like an appropriate time to take a nap, or at least try. The idea, however, brought with it some worries, could they all be under the mercy of the shadows? Kissing Amber in the forehead, he exited the tent and ventured into the storm which appeared to have subsided, if only a bit. Before entering his tent, he looked around the camp, or at least what he could see of it. As one would imagine, no one ventured out of their tent, which gave the site and eerie silence. Walking in, he found a place on the floor and shut his eyes.