//------------------------------// // Death comes // Story: Queen of the Dead // by Viper Pit //------------------------------// Have you ever woken up one day and immediately knew that something had gone wrong because of some sound, smell or any other senses. Maybe it was because you drank too much the night before or stayed up all night as you contemplate every single life choices you made in the past. That was the feeling had before I had. So naturally, when I did open my eyes, I could only think. Where am I? I thought to myself as observe around this Candyland-esque place. Everywhere I look, I could see cotton candy clouds that rain chocolate milk, checkered patterned hills with slippery and bubbly soap roads, and different assortments of candy plants. But the most bizarre thing that I can't take my eyes off would have to be the animals that appeared too unnatural with extremely outstretched body appendages and I think some of those parts were replaced with inorganic items like light bulbs for eyes and pogo sticks for hind legs. It was all quite chaotic to comprehend that I didn't know what to think of it. Am I supposed to be here? I don't feel like I belong here, everything feels wrong. It's weird waking up to what basically amounts to one hell of a crazy drug trip. I get up off the ground and I start walking. The more I walk the weirder things get like, for example, I see a weird thing composed of all sorts of creatures facing off against some winged horses with horns... I think they were called unicorns... that were wielding some glistening prismatic stones. I pay no heed to any of that as I feel like apart of me is missing and that I must. No. That I need to find that missing piece. The problem comes when I don't know what I'm looking for. But, I will know it when I see it. I don't know how much time has passed when mostly because the sun and moon were going up and down randomly making keeping track of time extremely difficult. "Well, that is very inconvenient," I say to myself as I keep to my current path. Over time as I continue to search the area, I noticed that I don't feel hungry, fatigue or thirsty as time slowly goes on in this chaotic area. I was both thankful and disturbed by this fact but paid no attention to it yet for it might just be my imagination or something to do with this place. Soon I came across a small town. The town seemed to be in early development, only a few small shacks and huts as far as I could see. I walked forward to investigate the town. As soon as I stepped past the house I felt strong magical energy and looked up. There, above me was a cotton candy cloud, which soon poured out thick droplets of chocolate rain. I growled and moved out of the way, yet the cloud followed. I tried once more, but it seemed the cloud was stuck to me. "Stupid cloud get off." I try and force it off by peeling it, eating it, scraping it, nothing seemed to get the stupid cloud off of me until a rainbow came and seemingly made all the chaos go away. That accursed cloud included. "Well, that was convenient." With the chaos cleared I noticed that my senses have improved if the only temporary. Be that as it may, something is still clinging to my arm. Looking at the offender I see a small black horse-human mix with a horn on his forehead......crying. "Why are you holding on to me as your life depends on it?" I ask what I assume is a colt. I do not know why as I feel I should ask but I also know that horses don't have hands or horns.Maybe all that chaos has made me more excepting of these things. "I'm lost and I don't know where I am." the colt looks up at me. I see into his eyes, and what I see impresses me. Why do they impress me you may ask. It is simple really I sense a power similar to my own behind them. "Can I come with you?" "Didn't your parents ever tell you not to talk to strangers?" I asked as I lower the colt onto the green grass. After taking a moment to wipe his eyes with his leg. The colt looked at me, a tear in his eye, ”P-parents? I-I do-don't have any...” He then gave me puppy eyes,” P-Please! I-I’ll be good! J-just get me away from the s-scary mm-monster!" "I see." I decided to take a moment to ponder this conundrum. I can't leave him alone he would die and it's not even close to his time yet....Where did that thought come from? "Where did you live colt?" I ask. "I live in the Crystal Empire." "I will take you back there but first I am looking for something of mine. Something important." I informed him as I commence walking again. I can hear him do cheers of joy only to realize I'm leaving and he quickly catches up. "So what are you looking for misses?" "Loreley is my name colt." I can see more tiny horses like the colt come out of the houses and start looking around the newly changed land. "I do not know what I seek I just know when I find it." "My name is Sombra," Sombra said proudly. There must be a lot of pride in his name if he acts so valiant about it. I just nodded in response and continue on my journey with the colt in tow. I feel like the missing part of me is somewhere in the town. "Sombra, what is the name of this town?" I ask as I follow this feeling. "I believe its called Trottingham, Loreley. Why?" "I feel it in my bones that what's mine is here in this town," I replied without any hesitation or doubt. The colt giggled for some reason but I ignore it. The closer we get to this missing piece the more I notice the Locals are conflicted they seem to be scared of me and don't want to approach but they also seem very interested in this colt for some reason. As far as I can tell Sombra is the only one who walks on two legs or even has hands in this land. So he appears to be more like me than the rest of them. Interesting I think to myself. Nothing much of interest happens for a while at least until Sombra ask me a question. "Hey, Loreley?" "Yes, Sombra?" "I've been meaning to ask but why are bits of your skin missing?" That caused me to stop dead in my tracks as I turn to look at him. "What do you mean?" I inquired. He takes a moment as if to pick out the right words. "I mean I can see bone on like your chin and arms." "Stay right here. I'll be right back." I instruct and bolted out to search for a mirror or any reflective surface to inspect my facial features. I then go to the nearest house and knock on the door. No answer but I know someone is in there so I kicked down the door. "Sorry about the door everyone but I just need your mirror for a bit," I said to the residence. They appeared to be a couple of tiny grey ponies only without horns on their heads, hand's on there hooves, or wings on their backs. One of them does look round and kinda fat. The none fat one shakily gets up and I assume goes to get a mirror I kinda demanded. "Please don't hurt me I'm with child." Ah, so the pony creature must be bearing a child... wait no, I foal or baby pony. Either way, oh that's not good. I don't sense anything coming from the belly. Walking over to I inspect her. She tried to get up to her feet but unable, must be due to the stress of the situation and her condition. "Please don't kill me." She pleaded towards me as if it will be her final moment. I don't see why she would say such a thing but I ignored her and put my hand on her belly. "It is dead." I bluntly stated without a stutter or pause. As soon as I mentioned that fact, I heard what I presume to be the husband coming back with the mirror by the side. "Th-Th-That can't be true. I just felt it kick in my belly last night." The mare replied while she smoothly rubbed her pregnant belly. At this point, the husband got my attention, so I cared less about her feelings. "Here's your mirror. Now get away from my wife, you monster." I give him a quick glare of irritation before looking at the mirror. What I saw scared me out of my skin... literally. From top to bottom, I could see that I possess long silver hair that looks to go down to the center of my back, red crimson blood eyes that appeared like they apathetic, could pierce right to the soul and had hunger for something immoral, pale white skin that had some small open patches that visibly revealed the bones of my jaw and upper arms. I also appeared to be wearing a black elegant dress with grey highlights with the sleeves being attached just above my elbows. "I certainly look like an undead nightmare but monster might be quite a stretch," I muttered as I put the mirror down and turned my attention back to the pregnant tiny horse thing. Note to self ask what they call themselves later. The mare suddenly speaks up. "You killed my baby." She shrieked as she tries to attack her husband, only to get knocked down effortlessly with one punch by the stallion. "Look what you made me do, you monster." He then starts to run at me but I reach out for a moment, thinking I should do this. The mare seemed heartbroken, and the stallion seemed a little cruel and quick to anger for he physically assaulted his own spouse without a single thought. A trade, I decided inside my mind. I have no idea what I meant about that but through instinct, I reached out my right hand, gently touched the enraged Stallion's chest and stole his life force, he dropped like a swatted fly to his spouses' horror. His soul resembled of that of a black glowing orb and I can feel the hate radiating off of it. I take a moment to... I think the word is purified... yeah, "purify" the soul and returning it to a nice light blue before I reached for her and she cowered in fear. I touched her stomach and put the life force back into the child, allowing the unborn creature to regain its life again. "W-what did you do?" The mare asked as I remove my hand from her belly. "A life for a life." I simply informed her in a monotone voice before I got up and go to leave and I see Sombra at the door his mouth agape. "Sombra, we must go." on my way out I hear the future mother say thank you. Sombra quickly moves out of the doorway and we head out once again. "How did you do that?" "I don't know but it felt natural and that scares me," I replied, honestly. It was so easy that I may as well of be taking out the trash. "But...but what was it?" Sombra asked in amazement "That...that was amazing." "Yes, I'm sure it was."I replied a noise from Sombra made me sigh "As for what it was it was simply a trade, an old life lost so a new life may begin." "Can you teach me that?" He asks with a smile a little too big for what he is asking. "Maybe later but first I need to find what is mine," I say quickly changing the subject as we leave the area. After a minute of silence, I decided to speak up. "Sombra what can you tell me about this place?" "Well we are in Equestria and I'm a unicorn but there are also pegasus and earth ponies." "But you look nothing like the ponies I know." I casually reply. "What do you mean?" "Well for one the ponies I know don't have horns, wings, magic or walk around on two legs." I can hear him gasp at my statement. "Then you must come from a mud pony village then." I raise an eyebrow at his statement but make no comment on it. "You can say that when in truth I have no memory before my arrival." I state flatly. "but I do Remember seeing some Ponies as you call them with horns and wings." I hear him gasp again. I wonder if he gets light headed from gasping so much? "Oh, you must be talking about the alicorns." Sombra gets in front of me and starts walking backward. "They are the rulers of Equestria that control the sun and moon and are rumored to immortal." Something within me snapped when I hear that DISGUSTING word and the grass all around me began to go from green to brown to lifeless grey as my anger rises at an astronomical speed. I took a deep breath before I exclaimed with all of my strength and anger... "THEY WILL PAY FOR THEIR CRIMES AGAINST NATURE!"