//------------------------------// // Loner // Story: Elements Change the Dark Hearts // by Nightmare_0mega //------------------------------// "What are you?" Dumah ignored the incessant nagging of the mare as he diligently continued looking for an exit. No longer was it about being free of this labyrinth, but simply to be as far away as possible from the nosy creature that insisted on following him. His efforts relentlessly proved to be fruitless as he found nothing but long corridors that ended with abrupt stops. To say he was reaching a breaking point in patience was an understatement. He would have killed her and devoured her soul long ago, but the fact she was still a horse stayed his hand. It was very tempting for the former king, though. "Excuse me, but have you heard anything I've asked?" Rarity huffed indignantly. "I have, and I chose to ignore it. On the simple fact that your words aren't worth my time." Rarity stalled upon the response, finally stuttering out, "H-how DARE you! I was only asking a reasonable question." "That you've already asked me, and I've already answered," he barked back, eyes fixated on the path ahead. "I do not need to repeat myself simply for your convenience." "Of all the-" She spat, biting her tongue before she said anything too foolish. Stamping her hoof in disapproval, she continued to follow him wordlessly, pondering a better way to approach the situation, still unsatisfied with her answers. "Very well," she said finally, calm and composed once again, "allow me to ask what exactly did you do to that poorly kept canine. It looked as if you were draining the life right from his eyes." "You could say that is what happened." Dumah's cryptic, but direct response tipped her off to how good her guess was. "No, that's impossible," she denied, "You said you were a vampire. Vampire's don't-" The former king wheeled around and glared at Rarity with his red, piercing eyes. "You seem to assume what a vampire does and does not do. Tell me, how many have you encountered in your life?" Rarity kept silent. The answer was obvious on a number of levels and would likely be confirmed swiftly, so humoring the thunderous being would be unnecessary and redundant. Indeed, as if on cue, the vampire answered the phantom reply. "Exactly. These pointless questions are really trying my patience, horse. I have entertained them for long enough with little resistance, but that ends now." With his command set, Dumah turned his back to her and kept walking, believing he's finally silenced her. Rarity remained, still on pins and needles, with every intention to dash those assumptions.. "But, how am I to trust that you won't do something to me when it becomes convenient for you, especially since I know so little about you?" Dumah quickly snapped back to Rarity, cocked his fist back, and smashed the ground at her hooves, missing her by hairs. She jumped back with a squeal of surprise. As the rocks and dust settled, the irritated vampire spoke again. "Are you so dense? Do you forget I know NOTHING about you, your world, or the situation we are in? I am at an even greater disadvantage by virtue of being alien to this land unknown. Yet, I am the one navigating these insufferable tunnels, while you insist on following me like the coward you are!" Rarity froze. Such a heavy accusation thrown so directly and with such venom wasn't easily shrugged off. She took an unconscious step back, as if she were impacted that heavily. Words failed to reach her lips as she tried desperately to retort, tears threatening to surface. Dumah continued his verbal assault. "Tell me, creature, why do you follow me? It surely isn't to figure out what I am, for I disclosed that much BEFORE we ended up down here, and yet you've refused to cease asking. But, we both know the answer, don't we?" He snarled, watching her quiver under his booming voice as he continued, "How pathetic. You can't even face such a basic truth." "Y-you..." Rarity shuddered, trying desperately to hold her fracturing composure together, voice cracking under the emotional duress. She swallowed hard, trying and failing to keep herself in check. It wasn't long before the dam finally broke. A flood of tears left her eyes as she screamed out, "YOU HORRIBLE, DESPICABLE MONSTER!", and fled from the vampire blindly. Dumah watched the once elegant mare depart with fleeting interest. Good riddance, he thought to himself. As he turned back to push forth, he hesitated. Something felt off to him. It wasn't the guilt of harming the little equine's apparently fragile heart, but the the utter silence of her absence. He couldn't feel her heartbeat nearby. Normally, it wouldn't be a cause for concern, as it would just mean that she's far enough away to no longer notice her annoying, living presence, but that's when he realized that something. He couldn't feel any living entity nearby. Not even the smallest of creatures that may dwell down in these tunnels. He was truly, and utterly, alone. Memories of his last moments in Nosgoth, in his city in the mountains, came rushing back to him. His freedom from the crushing despair of limbo. His intrigue and aggression towards his liberator, his older former brother, Raziel. The terrible revaluation he only realized now. The feeling of emptiness, abandonment, and loneliness prevailed the walls of his ruined, derelict halls. Not a single heartbeat could be felt then as he chased his phantom of a brother through the silent corridors. Not of his kin, not of any humans that may have been there, nor even of scavengers that could have picked at the remnants of carcasses that still remained in the ash and snow. It was nothing but a cold, empty shell. A shell that a proud and foolish ex-king witnessed passively as he chased nothing more than a ghost of vengeance. Even his fiery demise was ultimately hollow. Dying and burning in vain in a tomb of forgotten memories and dead silence, where even his flames likely would have withered in the cold. Dumah closed his eyes, and let his tensed breath escape through his nose. His clawed hand reached to his breastplate, the sensation of his steel tipped digits scraping against the marred metal brought him back to reality; though the feeling of unease never left. As his eyes opened, he cast aside his hesitation and personal comfort, and continued on. A stroke of luck finally showed itself as he passed through the tunnel, and exited to a natural bridge overlooking a deep black chasm. Said bridge went at an incline, and connected to yet another open passage leading to more tunnels. He was wary of stepping foot upon it, judging his own size and weight against the rather narrow and deceptively thin looking suspended path. Pressing his foot against the first several inches, applying a hefty amount of pressure to be sure, yielded no results. No rocks fell from underneath, no ground gave way to his presence. It wasn't conclusive, but it was the best hope he had. With a tentative step, he pressed on, crossing the bridge, and entering the rest of this mad labyrinth. -o-v-o-v-o-v-o-v-o- It was some time before Rarity finally slowed herself. Believing she was far enough away from the malicious being, she gave herself a moment to be lost in her unladylike emotions. Leaning against the tunnel's wall, and with a heavy sob, she let the tears flow freely as her mind dwelt upon those searing words. Am I really a coward? She wiped away the dampness from hear eyes with the cleanest of her front hooves. Was I just asking redundant questions to keep my mind off that fact? With an undignified sniffle, she pushed away from the wall, and resumed walking. She sighed, unable to shake her thoughts gnawing within, even trying to deny it outright. No, that can't be right. I've been in a similar situation before, and I was able to handle it on my own, she thought in justification. I have even faced worse than this since then, she continued with her stream of consciousness, before a daunting question popped into her head. Then, why AM I afraid now? She thought back to when she was trapped in that cell, to when those dogs laughed and mocked her with little hint of mercy. That they emphasized how her words and manipulating a dire situation to her advantage would no longer work. That she herself had confessed then that she would need a miracle to get out, and even banked on her younger sister to somehow figure out she was missing. Then, just maybe, her friends would have come to her aid, and help her escape this nightmare. The despair from that moment never really left her, she realized. It only lessened, when the being she thought was injured in that horrid place would get back up while she was sleeping, and proceeded to take it upon himself to be free. It was a golden opportunity for her to seize, which he allowed for the time being... provided she stayed quiet. Her ears splayed back a little harder upon remembering that part of the deal, which she broke more than once. But, I just wanted to be sure nothing terrible might happen, she tried to justify, but in the end, only had that thought recounted as another example of her own cowardice. She had no right to demand answers from a being that did her no harm, and even acted as a liberator and guardian at the time. "I'm such a foal..." she muttered meekly. It was far too late to turn back and find the behemoth of a vampire. Not just because of the display she presented in their last moments together, but also because she had ran from him almost blindly, and had no real idea what directions she took. With another heavy sigh, she finally looked up from her hooves, and found she came to a crossroads. Looking back and forth between each of the presented tunnels, she noted the markings Dumah had made while they were traveling together. She remembered how they were meant to not only mark where they came from, but also to identify dead ends. She paid close attention to each tunnel, and realized the one to her left was still unmarked. It was a leap of faith, but she knew that if she was to get out of this place now, she would have to have a little more bravery. With a cautious step, she began her trek down that tunnel. It was surprising exactly how lengthy the tunnel itself was, stretching for a fair bit longer than a hoofball field, and was still going further on still. Annoyance danced across her mind, but she let it go. She had enough on her plate as it were already. After a while of silence and hoofbeats against the tunnel ground, she found herself at an exit, opening up to an excavated cavern. The dust, grime, and lack of presence gave off the feeling of abandonment, though she had no real clue how long ago that may have been. Tools were haphazardly tossed to the edges of the large room, in piles besides larger looking equipment, or left embedded in the stone walls. The few mine carts that could be seen were either broken or tipped over, with the rails obviously disconnected, and the smaller tunnels for said rails caved in. The only other thing left behind in this derelict place were two large troughs, one of them still filled with water. Rarity didn't realize it until she saw it just now, but being down so far below for so long had made her thirsty. I could go for a small cup of camomile tea right now, but water will have to do, she thought as she approached the trough. Peering inside, she noted the translucent appearance. As unappealing as it seemed, her own instinct for necessity overrode her comfort and preference. She leaned in, scooped some water up with her natural unicorn telekinesis, and gulped down the contents within the aura of her magic. It took her less then a second to realize how bad of an idea it was to drink the contents within the aura's bubble. Wheeling backwards, she coughed and sputtered, trying desperately to get the taste of the impurities from the grime and dirt out of her mouth. Not to mention the stale aftertaste that likely came from the water itself. Still holding some of the liquid within her magic, she violently flung whatever contents were left against the wall, making a twisted combination of a sound, somewhere between a splash and a squish. She glared at the stain she made as if it had offended her which, if that liquid would have been alive, it probably would have. I should have taken Twilight up on her offer to teach me that water cleaning spell she suggested a month ago, she mused with a huff. She didn't have time to ponder any further than that, as the sound of scratchy, rough and tumble voices echoed down one of the nearby tunnels. She couldn't entirely make out what they were saying, but the distinct broken Equish they were speaking tipped her off that they were no friends of hers. In a panic, her eyes darted around the excavated area, searching for a hiding spot. Noticing one of the tipped over mine carts that had just enough of a gap for her to squeeze under, due to the dirt it was sitting on, she risked marring her coat and dove under the large piece of equipment. In the shroud of darkness and under the metal, she slowed her breathing, wrapped her hooves around her mouth to stay quiet, and concentrated on listening to what was going on outside. "-ver's been missing for lots of time. Wonder where he is. King is mad," one of the voices barked. "Hope he doesn't beat us if we don't find Rover. I don't want rod," another whimpered. The two vocal entities got louder and louder until Rarity could hear them in perfect clarity, along with the echoes of paws hitting the dirty ground and clanking metal ringing. She watched through the gap between the mound and cart as they suddenly crossed her line of sight. One of them stopped, causing the other the pause as well. "What if Rover just lost in tunnels? Sparky took wrong left turn last Tuesday and came dropping through ceiling!" "Rover good navigator. Incompetent, but good navigator. Hector keep him in check too. Can't be lost." "We find them. If Rover failed, we find pony instead, and blame Rover, then Rover get rod while we watch!" the guard dog said with a chuckle. "I get popped kibbles!" Rarity watched on, only able to see their paws shift slightly every now and then. She believed they weren't exactly too bright, but she didn't want to risk trying to tango with them if she didn't have to. It was clear they didn't intend on sticking around too long. It was also clear that she would have to get moving once they leave, since they seemed to be looking for her as well. As she began formulating an escape plan, the feeling of hundreds of little stick like legs tickling and shifting up her back hoof immediately shot her out of her thought process. Hazarding a fearful look, Rarity gazed behind her and saw terror. The light coming through the gap was just enough to outline the hundreds of dark red sections of a lengthy and very leggy centipede. The fashionista turned ghost white, and lost all control to her basic instinct to flee. With a squeal of horror, she shot up, tipping the mine cart back over on its wheels, and leaped from the mound she was on while bucking wildly and screaming, "Get it off, GET IT OFF!" After a moment of panic, she prodded and patted herself with her hooves, checking her entire body for the unwanted guest. With a sigh of relief, she concluded that the little monstrosity was nowhere to be found. It was only then she realized her grave mistake. Eyes shrinking in despair, she turned to the two armored Diamond Dogs, whom had watched her in bewildered silence. All three of them were dumbfounded at the turn of events. Giving an awkward, forced smile, Rarity gave a light chuckle, and said, "Ah, well, uhm, I don't suppose you two fine gentle, uh... dogs... could help a lady out? You see, I'm rather lost, and I have an important appointment to keep." The two guards growled in response, giving her the cue that now would be an excellent time to flee, which she did with gusto down the pathway she entered from. One of the dogs barked an order to the other, which had him return to the tunnel they came from, before giving chase after Rarity himself. The two ran as fast and as hard as they could down the lengthy tunnel, with the dog being slightly faster, gaining on Rarity's distance. They finally came to the first crossing of paths, and in a hasty decision, Rarity took a right. The dog followed. Then she, finding yet another cross way, took a left. Then another for another left. Then a right. Left. Left. Right. Every single turn, though slowing the pursuing Diamond Dog down a little, was matched not a few moments later. Then, while fleeing, Rarity had a risky, if brilliant idea. I may not have learned that water cleaning spell from Twilight, but I did learn this one a few months before that, she thought with a smirk. As she kept running, she ignited her horn, charging the spell, and visualizing the location. Upon yet another right turn, she released it, discharging a flash of light which blinded the pursuing dog long enough to run into a wall. A second flash appeared three turns back, producing a rather dazed Rarity. The light singe on her mane disheartened her for a moment, but she couldn't argue with the escape results. However, she did feel rather drained from such an act. I honestly doubt I'd be able to reproduce that spell any time soon, she thought. Rarity pressed on down the path she ended up in, keeping an eye out for more markings and tunnels not yet explored. It didn't take her very long to finally find an unmarked tunnel, and proceeded down the pathway. She remarked on how lengthy the tunnel seemed to be, but was a tad too exhausted from running and risking a teleport to entertain the thought longer than a few hoofsteps. Rarity tried keeping a faster pace, but the whole ordeal took a bit more out of her than she realized. First thing I'm going to do when I get out of here is hit the spa. I think I've earned it, she thought with a smile. Finally reaching the end of the tunnel, she entered an excavated area that looked suspiciously similar to the one she fled from. Walking further into the room, she surveyed her surroundings. From the rock formations, to the trough, and even the right-side up minecart that looked like it was upside-down at one point. Then something clicked in her head. Oh... The sound of several sets of armored paws echoing from an adjoining tunnel caused Rarity to backpeddle towards the tunnel she came from. The problem with that impromptu plan of escape was the fact that her rump bumped into a hard, metallic obstruction. Turning her head, she noticed the Diamond Dog that was chasing her previously was now looming over her with a look of utter spite plastered on his face. Rarity tried to run, but was met by no less than nine Diamond Dogs in armor, with eight of them brandishing spears. "Well," the guard dog that led the other eight spoke with a sly grin, "Rover did fail. Pony ours now." The dog chuckled as the other eight dogs advanced on her. Rarity backed up against the wall, fearfully watching her aggressors. Physically and mentally exhausted, with no way to cast magic or talk her way out of it, she whimpered quietly as the dogs captured her once again. -o-v-o-v-o-v-o-v-o- The lumbering vampire kept a brisk pace as he moved through each tunnel. His ire rose with each passing moment the more he found dead ends, and even the occasional drop that opened to the chasm he crossed to get to this network. The silence wasn't helping, as the still air allowed his thoughts to be unfiltered and uninterrupted. He considered his position in this new world seriously for the first time. A king destroyed and removed from his home, doomed to wander the land far beyond his home, and trapped in a subterranean labyrinth where scarce a living soul dares to be. At the least, he had the little equine as a companion to lessen the heavy seclusion of his situation, but his actions and pride made sure of her departure. He would never feel guilt for what he would do to others, from necessity or otherwise, no matter where he is, however regret was a different matter. Dumah gave a heavy sigh as he marked off yet another tunnel that lead to a dead end, and trekked down a new path. By the time he had got far enough in the tunnel, he began to hear a familiar sound. The constant, rhythmic melody of beating hearts. The sound of blood. The sound of life. He quickened his pace until he reached a fairly large room that had been excavated. All around him, he could see the busy movements of those bipedal canines as they toiled away against the rock, digging for the reason of their existence. One of the Diamond Dogs noticed him, and gasped in surprise. It wasn't long before the entire labor force of dogs looked toward the thing that their skiddish comrade was so spooked about. More loud gasps and the sudden cease of metal cracking against rock soon paved way to a very brief moment of incredulous dead silence, before a wave of pandemonium exploded among them all. Every single dog present there dropped anything they may have held or collected, and ran to one of the many nearby exits that peppered the walls of the room. "So," Dumah mused, "there is a colony of these creatures down here. Intriguing." The large vampire slowly made his way over to one of the walls, and searched the picked at wall with a careful interest. His short browsing proved fruitful as he found a rather sizable diamond, among other gems, hidden within the solid rock. He pulled out the diamond, which turned out to be half the size of his palm, and examined it closely. "How curious..." he muttered. Before Dumah could continue looking around, the sound of clacking metal and rushing paws echoed from the nearby tunnels. Within moments, several dozen guard dogs came storming into the room, brandishing spears and halberds in a defensive stance. "Monster!" one of the creatures called out with authority, "You surrender to us! We outnumber you!" Dumah smiled darkly, chuckling a little, before he spoke, "Ignorant mutts. You know not whom you address, do you?" Slowly, the great vampire turned to his opponents, still holding the massive diamond in his hand. The dogs gawked at the gem he held in disbelief. Not a single one of them have ever seen such a sizable gemstone in their lives until now, which steeled their resolve. "Drop gem now!" the leader of the battalion barked, "It our gem! Not yours!" Dumah looks to the twinkling diamond in his hand, admiring its shine. As a king, he had seen many material treasures in his life. Some created by skilled hands, some found in the remaining natural beauty of his home realm, and some still offered by cowering humans that demanded immunity from raids conducted by his kin. His smile turned sour as he realized what the gem represented in the end. His pride. The very same pride that had him pegged to his throne by a surprise human ambush. He looked back towards the nervous batch of warriors before him. With a small smile, he said, "Very well. It is no use to me anyway." With that, Dumah held it aloft for all to see, before closing his fist around it. Not a few seconds after, the sound of cracking stone could be heard coming from within his grasp. Upon opening his hand, shards and dust of the former diamond gently drifted onto the floor. The dogs stared at the remains as they fell into an unceremonious pile as if it became as worthless as ash. "Now, be gone from my sight, or face my wrath." "Y-you," the leader of the pack shuddered, both in fear and white hot rage, "King would h-have praised us for big diamond! Now, King will have head as replacement!" The dogs advanced, still visibly terrified by the shaking of their legs and the clattering of their armor. Dumah stepped forward, cracking his knuckles and stretching his neck from side to side with audible pops, and stood before them at the ready. "Very well," he said to them, "Come." The goliath of a vampire raised his fist up high before smashing the ground with all his might. Everything from the walls, to the ground, to the guards themselves shook as if an earthquake had occurred. It was then that Dumah launched himself at them, claws balled into fists, ready to show the mongrels what a true warrior king can do.