Embrace the Darkness, Carpe Noctem

by musicman722

The Tragedy of Ruby Hollow (23)

I coughed as the dust cleared up and the rocks shifted across the ground. “Dammit *cough* Storm Cloud! Are you trying to collapse the cave?!” I shouted, which only ended in a coughing fit. I could hear her coughing as well, so at least I’m not the only one.

“At least *cough* I broke through!” she retorted, her throat hacking at the sudden intake of dust.

I blinked my eyes open to assess the damage, only to be amazed at what I saw. What rock wasn't blown away by the blast was half melted and burning hot. Storm Cloud spared no expense on that single attack. Past the red-hot rubble, I saw, to my surprise, a small family of dogs huddled in the corner and shaking in fear. I stood up and brushed myself off before slowly making my way over to them.

“Hello. My name is Flamel.” I said in an assuring tone, “The others and I had discovered this abandoned cave and were searching for any possible survivors. Are you alright?” One of the older dogs stood up to me. He was about as big as me though a bit burlier, and from what I could tell, and smell, he had been through some tough times recently.

“We are fine.” he said gruffly, “Name Druel. My family here. We have been hungry for many moons. Den running out of food for us and others. Not many dogs left alive.”

“Don't worry,” I assured him, “We'll get you and your family some food and treatment. Come, follow us.” I beckoned them and they cautiously came across the cooling rubble. Druel smiled and me and murmured his thanks before walking up the tunnel. I took the moment to tap my GemComm, “Flamel here, we found survivors. I repeat, we found survivors. We're taking them back up to the ship now. Over.” Others acknowledged my orders, except Gunhaver. I raised an eyebrow at that. 'Huh, I thought he would be the most relieved at the news,' I thought, 'Guess I was wrong.'

We trekked back up the caves and tunnels towards the entrance. Wanting to pass the time, I struck up a conversation with Druel. “So what happened here?”

Druel grimaced, “Long story.”

“We have plenty of time.” I said. Druel considered this and sighed, preparing himself for his tale

“We used to be strong pack with bountiful mines.” He said wistfully, “Ponies and dogs worked to dig out gems, not as slaves but paid in hearth and home. All was well, until the dragon attacked.”

“I can tell from the scorch marks.” I said, but Druel shook his head.

“No, different dragon. This one flew in and ate Alpha. Then dragon demanded food or gems for their lives. One of Betas took post of new Alpha. To please dragon, he gave a small hoard to him. Dragon left with gems and we prayed he wouldn’t come back but he did. Many times.” Druel shuddered, “We lost much of den hoard and Alpha became desperate. He consulted elders and they spoke of powerful object deep in mountain.” Druel suddenly seemed gaunter and weary, “New Alpha made everyone work to find it. Our hearth and home were gone and we were left with scraps for food. New Alpha sent out ships to gather as many slaves as he could find to sate the dragon’s hunger and work to find the object. We became miserable and our people started to die from starvation and exhaustion.”

“I’m sorry. No one should have to live through that kind of suffering.” I said. I had seen enough in my lifetime to know that even the highest point of prosperity could come crashing down in an instant.

Druel smiled weakly and continued, “We came close to finding it but then, while giving dragon tribute one day, griffin pirate came and killed dragon. We wanted to have hope, but some of us knew that another dragon would come. Then, that Griffin,” Druel spat on the ground, “He takes away the ponies, claiming us dogs were all to blame for their suffering and that he was saving them. We suffered alongside them down in the mines! Why were the dogs to blame?!” Druel growled his discontent.

“Some are quick to judge and blame entire nations for the acts of one person.” I said, “For actions speak louder than words.”

Druel looked at me with a curious eye, “You would make great Elder for a pack.”

I smiled wryly, “I'm only a scholar, nothing more, nothing less. Please, continue your tale.”

“Right. Where was I?” Druel scratched his head in thought, “Ah, yes, as I was saying, the damned griffin stole the ponies and gems, destroyed our remaining airships, and killed the dragon. Then the bastard had the nerve to offer us help! And yet, he did not give us the secret to kill dragons unless we served him. He said he was going to conquer all of Gem Fido.” He spat again.

“He is no better than the dragon that enslaved us. The Alpha said that now was the best time to work. If there was no dragon, then we could find the object faster. The faster we found it, the faster we would return to prosperity and gain our revenge on that griffin,” he spat again, “So we dug, and dug, and dug, down below the mountain's base. Down to where the caverns sprouted out strange plants and animals. We kept digging until we found it. A massive cavern with a small stone table in the center. On that table, was the object we sought. No one knew what it was or what it could do. What we did know is that those who tried to touch it...changed.” his voice became more frightened near the end.

“Change?” I asked, now very intrigued, “How so?”

Druel shivered slightly, “One who touched it fell down. When we checked him, he was alive, but he looked dead.” Druel's hackles started to rise, “As if they were just a living corpse.”

“I see.” It sounded like a defense mechanism to keep unwanted people from touching it. Those who laid a paw on it would have, as it seemed, their soul drained or their mind broken. It was hard to tell without looking at the bodies.

“The Elders and the Alpha studied it and declared that a only being of power could open it. Dogs could not do it, so we caught a few unicorns, but the same thing happened. We tried pegasi and Earth ponies but they 'died' as well. Not even a griffin or a minotaur or one of the spare zebras we kept could do it. Failure after failure, the Alpha became even more desperate, until he gave the order to capture a small dragon. We captured and brought the dragon down with some difficulty. The Elders made the dragon touch the thing and everything went to Tatarus.” he winced but continued.

“The dragon went berserk and flew back up the caves, killing everyone in his path. Once he was out he torched all those outside for good measure before crashing and dying like the rest. Many died, including the Elders and the Alpha. I was one of the few Betas to live. After we buried the dead, we sealed the entrance to the cave where the thing laid. Then we all just went home and stayed there. We had no Alpha, no miners, no Elders, nothing. We all stayed home, only to come out for gathering food for our kin. When the stores ran out, some left to move to other dens, but most stayed out of weakness. This was the only home we had. We could not simply get up and leave. Where else could we go? Who would take us in? Eventually we stared to die from starvation or cannibalism.” Druel sighed wistfully and hung his head, “we used to be a pack in the tens of thousands, now reduced to mere hundreds, last time I checked.”

I put a paw on his shoulder, “Fear not, for now you shall be fed and taken care of.” We turned the corner and found ourselves in the main cave where we had all split up. A thought prodded the back of my mind. I tried to ignore it until later, but this thought did have a good point. “Druel, which of these tunnels lead to the object you mentioned?”

Druel was staring at the exit cave when I asked. “Hmm? Oh, that one. Why?” he pointed at the tunnel mouth, set at a slight downward angle in the wall. I couldn't remember who went down that path during the initial pandemonium of the search.

“I'm going to see this 'object' of yours.” I said, “Don't worry, I won't touch it.” I added when I saw the look of worry on their face. We lead them outside, where they squinted against the bright sunlight. We waved down some of the griffins and pegasi who carried the dogs up to the ship to eat. I turned to my partner,who was about to wave down a griffin for herself, “Looks like food will have to wait.”

She whipped around in shock, “What! Why?” she whined. I gave her a stern look.

“We need to go and warn anyone who went down that cave about that 'object'.”

“Well, that's easy,” she said, lifting up her foreleg with a Gemcomm strapped around it. She tapped it, “This is Storm Cloud to all units, who went down the-” she covered the gem and looked up at me sheepishly, “Which tunnel was it?”

“Third from the left.” I said. She whispered thanks and uncovered her gem.

“-third tunnel from the left at the main entrance? Over.” She held Gemcomm closer to her ear as if hoping to get the news faster.

Most of the responses weren't sure and some didn't even know but, one came through clear, “I think I saw Dirk go that way, along with Gunhaver. Don't know who else though. Over.” That was Dirk's sister, Machete Arm.

“Thanks,” Storm tapped the gem again, “Gunhaver, we found out what happened from a former Beta that we found. Over.” We waited for a reply but none came. Storm tried again and again but no success.

“We need to find them.” I said, “If they come across it, I fear what may happen to them.” Also it would be a bit embarrassing to have the captain of the ship die on the first mission, when we were so close to home.

Storm bit her lip and switched her gaze between the tunnel and the ship, the mess hall, if I'm correct. She sighed, “Fine, but after this, we eat and I'm not returning to the caves until my stomach is full.” She turned and took off at a gallop down the cave. I followed quickly after, my stride keeping pace in this terrain.

“The hell?” I said. We had just stepped into this massive cavern to find a strange sight. The cavern itself was roughly circular and in the dead center of it was a stone pedestal that looked like someone cut the top off a stalagmite. But it wasn't the room, nor the pedestal, that gave us pause. It was the thing on the pedestal.

From this distance, it looked like a cube of some sort, but I couldn't make out the finer details. I silently signaled the others to fan out as I cautiously approached the pedestal. The object was, in fact, a cube, but a strange one. It was about as large as my head, and its colors shifted from carbon black to gunmetal grey every half second. The surface had strange engraved runes covering every inch, leaving only millimeters or clear space. Small bits of the cube jutted out at random points like awkward Lego studs. The most eye wrenching part was that it constantly shifted, often in seemingly paradoxical ways like an Escher painting. The entire thing was a tiny car crash, it hurt to look at it but I couldn't tear myself away.

What did tear me away was the sound of purring ringing in my ears again. This time it sounded a lot closer, almost too close for comfort. I whipped my head around, looking for the source but I couldn't pin point it. 'What the hell is that noise?' I wondered, 'It's too high pitched to be a cat.'

Maybe it's your stomach? The Voice said, appearing in my mind's eye with a smirk on his face.

'Wow,' I deadpanned, 'That was so funny I forgot to laugh.'

Really? Then I'll teach you. First, you have to have a sense of humor. Once you find that, I'll help you with the next step to your recovery.

I threw him a mental middle finger, 'Fuck off.'

I would but I don't have the parts for it. He said with a shit eating grin. It took all my patience not to yell right there. I distracted myself by staring at the cube again. It was so strange, to see the surface move like shifting rods, almost like something was inside of it. But that would be silly.

“So what is that thing?” Dirk asked coming up to me, the others were closing in as well.

“I have no earthly clue.” I responded, not taking my eyes off the cube. I heard Fallout hmm and then a brief grunt.

“Damn, I still can't do magic.” he said.

“Why not?” I said, “Do you think it's because of this?” I pointed at the cube.

“Well, maybe. There have been records of artifacts known to cancel unicorn magic. But that's not the point. I was trying to do a scan to see if there was any dangerous magical energies in the air or around that thing. We may have just walked into a Magiactive room with out any protection on.”

I shrugged. “So we lose a few years off our lives or become mutated and get superpowers. Could be worse.” I could feel Fallout's glare on me.

“We should go. I have a bad feeling about this place.” Canis said nervously.

I glanced at him, “What do you mean?”

Meta answered, “This place feels...wrong. We should not be here.” I frowned. How was it wrong to be here? I know some people are superstitious but I couldn't feel what he felt. In fact, I felt the opposite. This place felt right. Like I was meant to be here. This was where I belonged, not on my ship, but down here in the sweet, enticing darkness of the cavern deep below the surface. The cube was like a beacon in the dark, calling out to me, telling me to come closer. What freaked me out was that I wanted to give in. To go towards that light and stay there like a moth to a flame. I shook my head to try to dispel such thoughts but they still lingered in the corners of my mind.

“Fine, you four head back up to the main cave if you want. I'm going to try to see what this thing does.” I said. The others nodded and loped back over to the tunnel. Meta and Canis gave me one last look before disappearing into the dark. I turned to the ever shifting cube again. “Now, reveal your secrets.” I whispered to it before grabbing it off the pedestal.

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. The Voice chuckled out as he appeared next to me, floating in the air and looking over my shoulder.

I instantly felt a surge of power course through me. It felt like it was empowering me and draining me at the same time. The cube shifted rapidly in my hands as if it couldn't decide what it should look like. I rubbed my hand over the surface and it seemed to calm down. The power surge lessened as well. Now the surface shifted and changed, creating a series of lines and markings on the cube. The lines created a three by three grid on each side, each square with a different mark in it. It kinda looked like-

“A Rubik's Cube?” I said aloud. The colors hadn't changed but if it weren't for the symbols I would never have guessed. “Hmm, I wonder...” Clutching the side of the cube, I twisted it and it turned like a regular cube would. I kept turning each side, one by one. I silently thanked my brother for the Rubik's cube he bought me when I turned fourteen. It was a great way to pass the time between classes at school and I got the hang of it after a while. 'Right side up one, middle block left two, Flip, Left block up two, bottom block right one,...' I thought as my fingers worked their magic.

Storm Cloud and I took the left path, following the signs of a dead end after we learned from the first time. Along the way we kept trying to reach Gunhaver through the Gemcomm but to no avail. However, we were hearing more reports of survivors being found. At least that was good to hear.

“He’s still not answering.” Storm Cloud said behind me. I led the way down since I could see the marks in the walls better.

“This does not bode well.” I muttered. Down the middle path this time.

“What do you think the object is?” Storm Cloud asked.

“Honestly,” I said, “I don’t know. But from what I could gather, it’s not something that should ever see the light of day.” I made a rather forceful turn on this curve.

“Well, whatever it is, I hope- wait.” she stopped. I looked back to see that she cocked her head, listening down the tunnel. “Do you hear that?” I turned my ear to the tunnel as well. With my hearing, I picked up the sound of someone approaching. More survivors? No, it was the sound of two sets of hooves. It may have been those that went this way earlier. Their voices trailed up the tunnel.

“D’you think we’re lost?” one said.

“No, we just need to follow the markings.” a gruff voice said. That sounded like it belonged to a Dog. Storm Cloud and I waited until the footsteps came closer. When they were right on top of us, the owners of the voices appeared from behind a turn.

“Canis? Meta? What are you doing?” I said. The mentioned two and two ponies who appeared right after them jumped at the sound of my voice.

“We were going back up to the main entrance.” Canis said, pointing to the tunnel behind me.

I frowned, “Why?”

“We already hit the end of this branch and found nothing much to take back. Plus Gunhaver told us to.” he said.

I narrowed my eyes at him, “Where is he now?” Canis pointed down the tunnel behind him.

“All the way at the end in some strange cave we found.”

“This cave didn't happen to have a strange object in it, would it?” I asked nervously. 'By Celestia's pearly flanks, Don't make my day any harder than it should.' I winced when he confirmed my suspicions. “Okay, go back up to the main entrance and try to help anyone who needs it. Storm Cloud and I are going to make sure Gunhaver doesn't do anything stupid.” On that note, we parted ways. However, Storm Cloud and I took a much faster pace down the tunnel.

Turn, turn, flip over, turn, switch, flip, turn. On and on it went as I shook the rust off my cube solving skills. I still didn't know a thing about it and yet I was playing with it like a toy. For all I knew it could be the key to the apocalypse or worse, teen pop stars. I just calmly kept on trying to solve the cube. I barely took note of the increasing sounds coming from behind me.

A gasp, “Gunhaver! STOP!” I whipped around to see Flamel and Storm Cloud, both panting from running. Flamel held a hand up at me in warning.

“What are you two doing here?” I asked. I was sure they had taken a different path. Once again I was reminded that I didn't have a proper motion detector on me. Flamel shifted his gaze down a bit and his eyes widened. I followed his eyes to the cube in my hands. I looked back up at them with a confused look, “What?”

Flamel pointed at the cube in my hands a few times before finding his voice, “T-that cube is very dangerous. You shouldn't have touched it.” Okay, now I was really confused.

“Why not? It's not like it's going to drain my soul or anything.”

“Actually, it does.” Storm Cloud said. The silence that ensued was more awkward than that one time in college I caught my roommate and his girlfriend in my bed naked. I bit my lip and looked down at the cube in my hands. ‘So if this thing drains souls,’ I thought as I glanced at my health bar, ‘and I didn’t feel a thing, does that mean I’m ginger? I’m pretty sure I didn’t have that color hair last time I looked in a mirror.’ I shrugged, “I feel fine.” I went back to trying to solve the cube.

“Gunhaver,” Flamel said nervously, “What are you doing?” He stared at me with wary eyes.

“Skinning the cat.” I said. My calm and contradictory answer took him off guard. He was about to respond when I answered for him, “You know how they say ‘Curiosity killed the cat.’? Well this is me, skinning said cat. Fallout said it was making his magic act up so I wanted to know what it could do, but when I touched it, it acted weird before turning into this puzzle cube that I’m trying to solve. Maybe if I solve it, I can find out what it does.” A few more turns and then I’ll be done.

“Gunhaver, I’m a Diamond dog, so I should know that when odd things are buried this deep into a mountain, there’s usually a good reason for it.” Flamel said, “Why don’t you just put it down, and we can all go on with our lives without any trouble from that thing.”

I paused, two turns away from completion. Part of me wanted to finish for the sake of the task while another wanted to see what it would do. However, Flamel did have a good point. Why else would this thing be hidden away deep in an abandoned den where no one would find it? What if it was as dangerous as Flamel said? I mean, if I had a dangerous object that shouldn’t see the light of day, I would try to destroy it or put it where no one could get to it. Obviously, whoever put this here didn’t think of that. I wonder why, though? Was it indestructible or simply an enchanted box from a wizard long ago who liked puzzles? As much as I wanted to know, I had to put it back.

I sighed, “I suppose you’re right Flamel.” As I turned to set it back in its proper place, the Voice spoke up. Just like that?, he said with a frown, You’d put it back because you don’t know what it is?

‘Do you?’ I said, secretly hoping he would know the answer. He laughed.

No, I only know what you know as I see and hear what you do. But my question is: What if it was a way out?

I froze, my hand an inch away from setting the cube back on the pedestal . ‘What do you mean “a way out”?’ The voice smiled.

Simply put, a way out of this game. A way to meet up to Erebus at the end. It could be the start of some important quest that could take you to the end. The Voice shrugged, But if you want to just live your boring life, searching in vain for Erebus, then be my guest. He vanished.

I brought the cube back up to my face, the symbols staring at me. ‘Could it really do that?’I wondered as I shifted the cube in my palms, ‘It would save me time, having a straight path to him, but what would the consequences be?’ I still had two turns left to do. ‘I came into this game to play. Erebus has thrown crap at me since the beginning. I play to win and that’s the only way to find Erebus and get my revenge.’ I placed my hand on one side and rotated it into position.

Cli-cli-cli-cli-clack. One more turn to go. I barely registered Flamel's protests in my ears. “I'm sorry Flamel,” I said, “But this thing may be my only chance.” I rotated the final piece.

Cli-cli-cli-cli-clack.