//------------------------------// // Intro: Undead Asylum Part 1 // Story: The Age of Fire and Shadows // by NewWillinium //------------------------------// In the Age of Ancients, the world was unformed and shrouded by fog. A land of gray crags, Archtrees, and everlasting Dragons. But then there was Fire and with fire came disparity, Heat and Cold, Life and Death, and of course, light and dark. Then from the dark, They came, and found the Souls of Lords within the flame. Celestia, first of the Alicorns, The Witch of Friendship and her Elements of Harmony, Sombra, the King of Shadow, and his loyal knights. And the Princess Luna, so easily forgotten. With the Strength of lords, they challenged the Dragons. Sombra's mighty dark blasts peeled away their stone scales. Celestia, first of the Alicorns, weaved great firestorms. The Witch of Friendship unleashed a miasma of calm and harmony. And Discord the scaleless betrayed his own, and the Dragons were no more. Thus, the Age of Fire began. But soon the flames will fade and only Dark will remain. Even now there are only embers, and Equine sees not light, but only endless nights. And amongst the living are seen, carriers of the accursed Darksign. Yes indeed. The Darksign brands the Undead. And in this land, the Undead are corralled and lead to the north, where they are locked away, to await the end of the world. This is your fate. Only in the ancient legends it is stated, that one day an undead shall be chosen to leave the Undead Asylum, in pilgrimage, to the land of ancient lords, Canterlot. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the years before his imprisonment in the Undead Asylum Quicksilver wandered the midnight skies of Equestria alone, oft offering his skills as a mercenary to any who had the bits to hire him. One day however his employer betrayed him over to the Asylum forever robbing him the freedom of the skies. Gazing upwards to the cruel hole in the ceiling of his cell Quicksilver basked in the sun's rays pouring through. Closing his eyes he spoke, the first time in what had been years, " . . .H. . .How long. . .has it been now?" His dry voice rasped off the walls of his solitary cell. Silence reigned as his question went unanswered until a meaty impact jolted him from his melancholy. Amber eyes snapping open, Quick Silver jolted forward seeing a motionless undead lying before him, quickly turning his gaze upwards to see an armored stallion pointing to the corpse before him before leaving. Minutes passed before Quick Silver got up to check the unmoving undead, his limbs stiff from disuse, joints popping as he stretched. His hooves searched the desiccated undead corpse finding a key as a great crash rang throughout the asylum. Quick Silver jumped key gripped firmly in his hoof, halting as he listened but from the confines of his cell heard nothing more. Moving to the cell door Quick Silver dared not hope but to his great amazement the cell door slowly creaked open and with it came the sounds of the asylum, heavy footsteps reverberating through the hallway outside of the cell. Cautiously he moved into the hallway past a hollowed out undead who's dark sign, that ugly mark, was fully present on their flank, Quick Silver shook his head in pity. Hearing louder and louder steps Quick Silver turned to the right and jumped back, wings pressed against the wall as he spied through the bars of the hallway a massive corpulent monster pacing the chambers adjacent to the hallway. Noticing that the creature seemed to ignore him Quick Silver peeled himself from the wall and moved on past the hollowed undead and up the stairwell. He came to a small chamber, a cistern, and noticed that the Undead kneeling in the pool of water was staring at him. "Easy now fella." The hollowed mare glanced at him for a brief time longer before it returned it's gaze to the pool it resided in, Quicksilver moving past the pool to a nearby ladder and quickly scampered up it opening up to a open courtyard. Quick Silver found himself pulled to what appeared to be a blade embedded in a pile of ash in the center of the courtyard instinctively raising a hoof to cares the blade, gasping as the pile of cinders ignited. Quicksilver felt as if a part of him had become connected to the bonfire and he basked in the heat of the flames, feeling almost rejuvenated. Quick Silver gazed into the fire before forcing himself away from it and up the stairs of the cathedral before him. He pushed open its massive metal doors and entered the Asylum's Chapel. Urns filled the spaces between the pillars of the chapel, but Quick Silver had eyes only for the doors at the other end. His hooves clipped clopped down the length of the floor before Quick Silver noticed a quickly descending shadow over him. He dodged to the let but was thrown from his hooves as the monster from before crashed to the floor where the stallion had stood just moments before. Quick Silver rose to his feet and faced the, what he assumed to be a demon, it's great corpulent bony form towering over the equine, it's massive club raised high in its green claws ready to smite down the undead that dared to leave its Asylum. Quick Silver jumped to the side as the massive club slammed to the floor, quickly circling the demon as it's club missed it's mark twice more. Facing the demon's back Quick Silver scratched at it with his wing's claws, the blows bouncing off its bony hide. Wincing in pain Quick Silver missed the demon quickly turning and slamming the club into him sending the wounded pony through the air and through a open door. He rolled down the stairs and bounced off the stone floor into the cistern's pool. Pain blossomed as he lay crumpled against the stone wall of the pool, the Stallion trembling as he slowly rose to his hooves. He stood leaning against the cistern wall as the torches lit the room, Quick Silver's eyes cracked open and as his eyes cleared gasped at what he saw. In the reflection of the water he saw a tall slim stallion, his grey coat matted with dirt and dried blood, his swept back mane twisted into knots of silver and cobalt. The Stallion wore a coat of browns and greens, his leathery wings mutilated and bare. His amber eyes stared at his reflection as blood dripped into the water. "This. . .this is me." Quick Silver wept as he saw himself for the first time in decades. "It's been so long. I had forgotten. I forgot myself." Something in him reawakened as he stared at his image in the water, the Darksign shrinking on his flanking ever so slightly, and so he chuckled weakly, " I had forgotten just how handsome this mug was." Quick Silver had found himself.