Chapter 19: Game, Can We Have Words Outside? Later?
"Ugh...why can't I feel my limbs?" Last I remember was me shouting the single worst one-liner on the face of the planet, then losing consciousness when my left side took a hit by...was it hair? Man, why can't I remember? And where was my stuff?
It doesn't matter, because you lost. That much, you can remember.
Okay, so I was a bit careless...
Because, like Shiira said, you got cocky.
I didn't get cocky. I...I got hopeful.
Newsflash, Daniel, hopeful and cocky are one and the same on the field of battle.
"Ah, so it's finally awake."
That voice...light filled my vision as I saw the king in front of me. And behind bars. I looked around to realize it was the opposite: I was, in fact, the one behind bars. Only one question was in my mind at this point. "Where am I?"
"Take a guess. You seem to be brighter than all of the other poor excuses of bone men that call themselves skeletons," the king snidely remarked. I looked around once more. A ragged sheet covering a pile of hay on the left, an empty plate on the right, bars with a single door in front of me separating me from King Highwind, and stone wall on the other three sides.
"Am I in...Detroit?" I asked. There was a chorus of laughter from Griffon and his Honor Guard (from which Shiira was conspicuously absent from). As it died down, the king wiped a tear from his eye.
"You are a funny one, Mr. Fortesque," he chuckled, "but no, you're not in Detroit." I heard a small mutter of "Wherever in Tartarus THAT is," from one of the Honor Guard. The king cleared his throat and continued, "No, you are in my dungeons on suspicion of assassination of the king, moi, and being a Stalfos, an abomination created by necromancers."
"All of that in a single day, or is there a build-up?" Hey, if you're gonna be accused of something, there'd better be evidence.
"Since the day you got here, actually," an Honor Guard, one rotted Earth Pony zombie answered. "King Highwind knew you were here the moment you entered the city because of spies."
Somehow, that didn't fly with me. "Spies? Really? How'd a spy figure out where I was immediately?"
"Oh, beca-" the pony was smacked in the back of the head by a spear, in the hands of a gryphon. Couldn't tell undead type, though. But he apparently didn't want me to learn anything, and his buddy didn't quite understand the concept of 'shut up!'
"The only thing you need to know," the armored gryphon growled, "is that you weren't immediately caught and detained because that idiot spy lost sight of you when Melody dragged you through the streets."
As if on cue, there was a scuffle in the hallway. "Let me GO, you brutes! I've done nothing wrong!" Was that her? Yeah, it was. She was being escorted by two diamond dog ghosts, each clutching on of her front forelegs. My cell door opened as they tossed her right into me. Jackasses don't know how to treat a lady. ...no offense to any donkeys out there.
"Anyway, Daniel, you're probably wondering about all of your...other friends here in the city," King Griffon rambled. "Dracula, unfortunately, can't be found at the moment. He was always a devious trickster, so I shouldn't be surprised. Wisp is gone, too, which is actually very surprising, considering his background. Morva is being interrogated right now, but he's useless: knows next to nothing about what's going on."
I tapped my foot in thought of what I should say next. Finally, this came to mind. "So, what's going to happen to the two of us?"
There was a small cackle as a skeletal unicorn made herself known. "For you, we'll destroy your mind. From there, you'll be under my command, seeking out and destroying those who would oppose the King. And when we're finished with you, your bones will make a nice treat for Cerberus when we find Tartarus."
"As for the girl," the king added, "she will be punished for harboring a criminal. Though you may not know it, Stalfos, there are exorcists here in Necro City. She will be executed first, then we'll begin the process of turning you."
What?!? Of all of the bullshit reasons you can give me, that has got to be THE worst yet! Somehow, Highwind could tell he was angering me. "Don't blame me. You should've kept your non-existant nose out of places it didn't belong. You should've stayed topside. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a priest to find, and Shanoa," he pointed to the skeleton, "has glyphs to forge in order to bring you down." With that, the King and his Honor Guard left.
As soon as the door shut, I collapsed to my knees. It was over. I lost. And worse, there was nothing I could do about it. I had no idea where my shield and sword were, and I wasn't well-versed in unarmed combat. I heard Melody sniffle behind me. As I turned around, I saw how hard it had hit her. Her whole body, which was usually a ghostly white, mind you, was now a very pale blue, her eyes closed as spectral tears fell from them. The poor girl was just trying to be nice to a stranger, and look what was going to happen to her. So, I did the only thing I could think to do at that time.
I got back on my feet and I walked over to Melody. She didn't open her eyes. I kneeled to her side. "Hey," I whispered.
"Go away," she bitterly replied.
"I can't. Kinda stuck in here with you," I tried to joke.
"You know what I mean." She sniffled. Hnng! Remember your task!
"Yeah, but it looks like you need someone by your side right now." I reached over and started to pet her head.
She rubbed against my bony hand for a while before she turned away. "St-stop it! It's your fault we're here!"
"My fault? My fault?" I asked. "If I may ask, how is it MY fault?"
"Because...because..." Now she had just let herself go. "Because if you hadn't arrived, I wouldn't have met you! I wouldn't have thought you could overthrow the king! I wouldn't have housed you, given you disguises, shown you around! And..." There was a hiccup to interrupt her rant. "...and...if you hadn't arrived...I wouldn't have remembered...anything about the past..."
I sat down, away from Melody so she'd have her space. So she saw in me...a chance? No. She saw hope. And God forbid that hope ever have a co-pilot. I crossed my legs, indian style, and started to contemplate the situation. There had to be a way to fix this. But what could I do? My weapons were gone, Melody had already accepted her fate, and the other three were nowhere around to help. C'mon, they couldn't have thrown a skeleton and a ghost in the same cell and hoped they would BOTH be kept there...did they?
"Hmm? Melody, did you hear that?" I asked.
The young mare sniffed before replying. "N-no. Why?"
"Listen..." There were voices. While both were commanding, they were obviously at odds with each other. I couldn't quite make out the conversation, but it seemed like there was someone wanting to visit a prisoner. Then.........silence.
I sighed. "Sorry, false alarm," I muttered.
Melody glared at me. "Stop trying to get my hopes up, Daniel. We're finished."
I looked at the door where the conversation was taking place. C'mon, Lady Luck! Throw me a bone! I mean, have two people argue outside of the door and have nothing happen?!? I mean, what the fu- BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The door flew off of its hinges, past my cell, followed by the remains of what looked like a diamond dog and an Earth Pony. Both zombified, by the smell of the burning carcasses. I turned towards the door to find my savior: a unicorn with a dark grey coat and a white mane. His blood-red eyes locked onto me as a smug smile grew across his face. He raised a hoof as if he was giving a signal, and lo and behold, a familiar pegasus with a glowing mace on his back and a yellow hat on his head flew in, with a set of keys in his mouth.
"Melody Forte and Daniel Fortesque?" Wisp asked as he unlocked our door.
Melody stood up, a bit uneasily, and nodded her head. "That would be us," I quipped, opening the door. "What do you need?"
"We've reviewed your records," Dracula stated, taking the hat off of Wisp's head and tossing it to me, "and you've been granted parole."
I grabbed my hat in mid-air and placed it where it belonged. If I could give a bigger smile, I would have. Instead, I looked at Melody and gestured to the door with a bow. "Ladies first."