//------------------------------// // from darkness // Story: Redemptions Price // by ferrosxlupus //------------------------------// Sometimes it not the abyss you should be afraid of. Especially when you have become the nightmare That is told to small colts in fillies Chapter 2 From darkness It had been darkness and dreams. Memories of a time gone by. A smiling equine face. Queen Solana the last face I saw before starting my sleep. Inside a room built to last thousands of years. Even if it was built to withstand, the ravages of time and ponies trying to find secrets within had not been kindest of visitors to the structure. Several adventurers had made their way here. And not all of them used the proper entrance. Neither had the trees used the right entrance. Their roots had grown through the walls. It looked like a proper ruin, falling apart and full of danger. Yet despite all this. Seven explorers had found this place. 7 ponies had found me and learned of the balance. And with time they came to serve it. Ironically they took up my mantle and were called Gray paladins as well. It has been fifteen hundred years since I started my sleep and I remember each one of them. The latest adventurer made this her base of operations and that started fourteen years ago. Before that it was three hundred years. This latest pony is far different from the other ones but then again, they were all different in their own ways. Enough reminiscing, it is time to leave. I have been called, awoken for one purpose. It is time to finally get to work. Time to truly wake up. [Daring Do] “Here once again.” Daring spoke to nopony in particular. She stood in front of a pair of enormous Double Doors, which led to her most favorite place in the world and her base of operations. It was here that she had met her mentor, her father figure when she had none. Today she noticed something different, the air was magically charged and rushing as if it was being displaced. Quickly she hit the secret switches in sequence, she paced as the Doors slowly open. When there was just enough room for her she ran inside. Dashing Down several corridors, she recited the pattern that would take her to her base in the ruins. She ran first to the Right and then began to follow the path in her head, left, left, right, past the pit and under the alter. She knew this path better than any other. After several tense minutes of frantic running she entered thou another Double wide corridor into a central chamber. In the center of the room upon a raised portion of the floor, was a sword, embedded into the stone floor. As always Daring marveled at the wonder that allowed her to talk to her sleeping mentor. Daring’s attention was quickly redirected to the mote of light coming from the ceiling. Falling like a star onto the far pillar from the entrance of the room. As it neared the pillar, Daring saw what she assumed were magical runes light up, than burn away. A single crack resonated as the pillar broke. Than spider-webbed out and crumbled into dust. Becoming a Doorway that led into the abyss. Daring Do stood silently in front of this new Door. The only sounds came from her labored panting, cautiously she approached the dark Doorway. She peered with tentative apprehension into the newly revealed room. The only thing she saw was a column of light at first. As her eyes adjusted it became clear to her. Suspended in the light was a light Gray earth pony. His right fore hoof was red to the shoulder. Looking closer she gasped at the cutie mark. Adorning his flank was the same sword that stood lodged into the stone outside of this chamber. Running diagonally across the hilt and touching the blade was a broken band of intertwined gold and silver. Daring stood still as the sword in the stone. Her mind churning out the answer she had been hoping, wishing, praying for. As the pieces fell together she realized this was the owner of the voice that had guided her for so long. The one she thought of as, “Father” Daring Do “eeped” startled she did something very unlike her. She ran outside the room and hid next to the Doorway. Embarrassed that she had just said the word aloud. Peeking around the corner, the stallion was still drifting in the air. Suddenly his body jerked and with a small groan he began to stir into awareness. [Volaren Arclite] It hurt to wake up, moving muscles that hadn’t been used in a thousand or more years. Groaning with effort, eyes snapped open alert and awake. However the lights that suspended Volaren in air abruptly dissipated. Ceremoniously dumping there floating occupant onto his face. After several moments of trying to untangle himself Volaren heard a soft giggling voice off to his right “Haaa, yes, instead of just standing there. A little help would be nice?’” After having said that, looking towards the sound, a soft brown Pegasus came from the only entrance into the room. Her mane and tail started at jet black and faded into Gray, and she was wearing the most curious of hats. Realizing that he had asked for help, the mare quickly came to his side. After a few more giggle and grunts. Volaren had sorted himself out and now had firm footing. “I apologize miss. This is my first time using a body in fifteen hundred years.” “Please just call me Daring, Master. Daring Do at your service.” Daring took a slight step back and gave a small bow at the end of her intro. “Master? The only people to call me that are my students. And if that is true that means you are Daring Do. My prodigy for the last fourteen years. It is my pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh Daring.” “Likewise Master.” “Now before you get into question mode, you must gather all of your things. We are leaving. This place, it is no longer safe. My awakening has set off a beacon and the forces that wish to disrupt the balance will come here with haste. You must take everything, no clues or item that lead to you must be left behind.” Daring looked at her Master incredulously. “I have a bag of holding. But it only changes the size of objects. It does nothing to change their weight.” “It doesn’t matter, I will carry everything. But first while you pack I must gather my other half.” As Daring scrambled to put everything in her bag of holding, Volaren trotted slowly up the center dais that held the Gray blade. Softly so that no one could hear him, he spoke to the blade. “There is no longer any difference between our souls any longer, is there?” Immediately after he spoke a soft feminine voice filled his mind, a harmonious voice that felt like it was always singing yet an echo of otherworldly power lingered in it as well. “No Master, it is no longer just a soul bond between us. The ebb and flow between us has reached a perfect resonance. We are but one soul with two bodies.” “I am so sorry Gray.” Volaren spoke with utter sadness in his voice. “I promised to find the origin of your creation, but it seems like I will be unable to find it now.” “It is no longer a concern to me Master. I have found something that means far more to me.” “I will keep my promise if I can Gray, but it is time for us to leave. Please undo the binding spell.” A click resonated throughout the chamber. Slowly Volaren stood on his hind legs reaching one hoof out and grabbed ahold of Gray’s handle, slowly he started to pull. At first nothing happened. So he simply pulled harder. As he pulled cracks formed along the ground. Hardly straining, he stepped forward and gave a final heave. Shearing straight through the stone, leaving a great gash in the floor. Below him, Daring had stopped gathering her things and was staring in utter disbelief. She had just seen the pony before her Do what should have been physically impossible. As she continued to stare she truly appraised her Master. He is utterly built she thought. A long hard life had left him stronger than stone and steel. Descending from destroyed ground Gray whispered to him. “Always one for dramatics weren’t you” At this Volaren snorted and replied aloud. “Nonsense, I merely wished to test the strength of this body. To get a feel and find the similarities to my other one. However it seems to have limiters placed on it. Likely to keep me from hurting it and to get used to this no body of mine.” After a small reassuring mental nudge from Gray, he turned to Daring, who was standing slack jawed at what was to him a simple feat of strength. Near her feet was a saddlebag, everything that she owned was packed safely away inside. Reaching Down he grabbed the bagged, and with hardly any strain showing, he agilely threw the bag onto his back. “Master that bag…” Daring began. “SCRREEEE!!!!!!” [Daring Do] Daring instantly dropped to the ground. She knew what that scream was. She knew in her mind that it wasn’t even close to them yet and she could hear it. Everything about it frightened her. She could hear the legs skitter across the cobblestone floor, all eight of them. The clatter as venomous fangs chittered together. She couldn’t stand the noise, her only thought was that she didn’t want to think about it anymore. Immediately she curled up and covered her ears with her hooves. “No no no no no no no no no” she was trying vainly to forget what was coming ever closer and might just be in the next room over. She felt a hoof shake her shoulder, her name was being called, and she heard it as if it was coming through a fog. “Daring, Daring, we must leave, or that creature will make it in here.” These words were all she heard. They only served to make her sniffle, tears were forming in her eyes. “Snap out of it Daring, we must leave now.” Volaren continued to shake her shoulder, yet she was inconsolable. All she whispered was “no please, make it stop. I can’t, I just can’t. Make it go away.” Her tears streamed freely now. Streaking her face and Down her soft muzzle. She felt a gentle hoof wipe away her tears. “Daring, I will be right back, stay here.” Upon hearing those words Daring reached out trying to stop him. She saw him setting down the saddle bag and slowly walking to where the sounds were emanating from. Before he left her sight completely he turned back to her. “You will be safe with me, always.” With that he charged into the dark hallway. Staring with even more disbelief. The Master she had known for fourteen years had just shown himself and already he was sacrificing himself so that she could live. Daring began to cry again. Scree? A new sound come from the hallway. It was different than the first one. This one was filled with fear. Even though all of her thoughts were still wild, one thought rang true. What manner of beast could cause something so evil, to scream in such fear. As soon as the cry finished echoing, one final crash resounded throughout the room. In the silence she heard only hoof steps. Moments later her Master appeared through the Doorway. Wobbling slightly and tired looking while being just a tad bit more haggard than when he had left. With calm certainty he spoke. “Come Daring, it’s time for us to finally leave this place.”