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// Chapter Eight: Darkness 
// Story: Thy Flesh Consumed 
// by tankmanbrony 
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The procession pushed forward and in two days Gorrog saw Canterlot. Its mountainside perch and high walls made it immensely difficult to attack and its garrison manned the walls and bastions. Gorrog was impressed at the size of the fortifications and their strength.
The Moon Tyrant had a strong seat, and Gorrog looked at the shelf as they neared  the gates thinking of how his assault had failed. 
Several soldiers opened the gates as Luna walked into the courtyard, a crown upon her head, it was made of sliver and had a set of sapphires inlaid in a circle around its edge. 
“Bring him to me” She stated flatly, “and High Paladin, be on your guard.”
The drake nodded and unsheathed his broadsword.
Gorrog suppressed a grin as he realized in even captivity and in chains, they still feared him. 
“Sergeant, bring word of this to Princess Twilight, tell her that he is here.”
Spike gestured to Gorrog and one of the soldiers ran off in the direction of the palace. 
The cage door was unlatched and Gorrog hunched over from his restrains, walked out of it. He felt the collective fear of many of the ponies who had gathered in the square, their eyes fixed on his every movement. A huge crowd had gathered around them, watching the Hell Knight as he was herded by several soldiers and Spike towards the castle.
Gorrog snorted and moved towards it as the prodded him along with the points of their spears.  He watched as Luna spread her wings and flew above the group, her eyes following him as he marched towards castle walls, their massive gate opening to receive him. Murder holes above his head and a portcullis made this entrance well-fortified. 
“Soldier of the Moon, we have a special guest today, you remember this guy, recognize him?”
Spike took off Gorrog’s helmet showing the courtyard his face, his red neck and jaw, the pentagram that adorned his forehead. Several backed away  and Gorrog heard a few muttered curses.
“By the empress’s grace Gorrog has been captured and brought to us in chains! LET THIS BE KNOWN AS THE DAY OF OUR TRIUMPH!” 
Gorrog drew back his teeth, and turned to face the drake. 
“I would not be so sure, if you think I was brutal, you have not seen anything yet.”
Several jaws dropped and Gorrog saw the look of pride and triumph flicker briefly to doubt than anger. 
“What do you mean Gorrog?”
Surprised Gorrog turned to see Twilight standing in one of the many passageways into the courtyard. Her body was hidden by a black hooded robe, masking her face in a shadow. 
Glancing at the drake, Gorrog saw something in his eyes, pain.  
“My lady, we have brought you the monster who slew Celestia, your request that he be unharmed has been carried out.”
Gorrog stared at the alicorn; she was after all second only the Moon Tyrant in power and held sway over a significant portion of the population. 
“Take him to his cell, insure that he cannot escape this time.” 
The soldiers around Gorrog brought him down a passage way, and he was kicked into a large cell. The restraints on the ways glowed purple and began attaching themselves to his manacles. Two large cuffs held his legs to the wall and two chains attached to the sphere from which the chains on his arms and head originated. These all made his movement, except for very small amounts impossible. 
A shape detached itself from the shadows, a purple glow from her horn lending a slight illumination to the dungeon. 
“So, demon I have received word that you were trying to come to peace with us. Did you honestly think we would forgive you? No, I thought not, but don’t worry you’ll still be able to help us, you are the first demon to be captured alive of your kind. Hell Knights if I am not mistaken.”
She drew out a scalpel and floated it over to an exposed section of his skin.
“Now, let’s get our first sample.” 
Laughing maliciously Twilight made a small cut through his skin. Applying just enough force to cut through the tough skin that covered Gorrog, but not enough to cause any serious damage.
“That hurt Gorrog?”
“I have been impaled upon a bed of spikes before, and during our war I was stabbed with much bigger blades.”
“Excellent than, because you’re going to be down for a long time.”
Gorrog’s eyes widened, masked by the darkness Twilight could not see them, but a drip of sweat passed down Gorrog’s head.
A vial was filled with his blood and float through the bars where Twilight deposited it down into a rack.
“Now I was ferret out your secrets and discover a new field of science, or more precisely biology. Hmm, what to call it.”
Gorrog stared at her, hatred at being contained and lacking the means to brake these chains, he grunted at her.
“Princess, what use is my blood to you, and why are you detaining someone who wished to become an ally?”
“Every heard of regicide Gorrog, that is what you are guilty of and more, the countless murders of ponies, the slaughter of an entire city.”
Gorrog shifted and leaned up against the cell wall, his restrains allowing him this liberty.
“So Princess why keep me alive, if I am guilty of these crimes, why not execute me now?”
“Because you are the most valuable demon we know of, your faction will not dare attack so long as your life is in the balance.”
“You underestimate The Baron, he might not care and simply let me die, and while he would lose the faith of Abkesh and my body guard he would gain an army.”
“What is the Baron?” Said Twilight who seemed suddenly interested in what he had to say.
“He is my successor most likely, the first Baron of Hell in many years, I myself thought them legend until I met him. Their return can only herald one thing, the return of the Greater Demons. Mortal you stand little chance against them, all of except for maybe your princess.”
“Greater Demons?”
“Yes, manifestations of Hell’s might.”
Gorrog now content that  he had given all the information he would closed his eyes. It was dark enough in the cell to sleep and so he did, hiss imprisonment allowing this liberty as he was not restrained from sitting on the floor.
Gorrog awoke the next day, his eyes scanning the barred door and walls of his cell. Nothing but blackness encroaching upon him. Nothing moved until he heard a faint hoofsteps descending the stairs. 
Quiet murmuring, then screams as the door to his cell was unlatched and something thrown inside.
“The price for betraying the empress is death!”
The door was quickly latched and Gorrog observed the pony, it was small and looked fearfully around itself. 
Gorrog’s restrains which had previously been tight to the wall and the suddenly grew slack, the chains sliding over themselves as the clattered to the ground. The pony’s eyes fixed on the source of the noise. 
Gorrog rose up and took a step towards the pony, it had been several days since he had eaten, and his stomach demanded to be feed. 
He reached forward and stumbled upon one of his chains, landing heavily beside the pony. It screamed as recoiled back the pitch of the scream identifying it as male. Gorrog continued following him, his proximity yet inability to grasp his meal infuriated Gorrog, who rushed forward and smashed into one of the stone walls of the cell. Roaring Gorrog charged at the pony again, this time hitting him with one of his arms as he passed. 
Gorrog slammed his shoulder into the pony’s jaw, breaking it and sending him sprawling. Gorrog dropped down onto his knees and sniffing the scent of blood moved in. He set his jaws upon the pony’s midsection and bit down, receiving several kicks to the head and shoulders as he felt organs muscles and fat fill his mouth. 
The pony stiffened and began screaming, it cries echoing in the dungeons until Gorrog took out a second bite and blood loss overcame him. Gorrog continued to eat the pony focusing on the abdomen and working his way to the legs.
He was so caught up in eating that he almost didn’t hear a scratching noise, like pen on parchment. Something was observing him. 
Gorrog looked over his shoulder and could the glow of purple magic but not much else, so he turned back to his meal, filling his stomach with meat. Gorrog stripped the meat to the bone, tossed the carcass aside having eaten all the flesh he could get his jaws around.
“So, how long have you been watching me?” 
No reply but the sound of writing stopped.
“We both know you’re watching me so drop the charade.”
Silence was all that answered him. 
Gorrog snorted and started rubbing his back against the cell wall scratching his back against the stone.
The chains started to tighten by means of several unseen winches, pulling Gorrog, who quickly followed, back to the same spot on the wall where he had fallen asleep. 
Resting upon the spot Gorrog lazily sat down. 
“You know mortal, I could get used to this.”
“I would not be so sure demon, things are changing and soon Gorrog, you will deliver us, Hell.