Eternal Night

by Lucaro

Chapter 24: Consumed

“You’ll come undone…” a voice sighed from somewhere above.

It seemed as if the corridor was pressing in on the two pegasi. The walls were reverberating, shuddering, and each movement drawing them closer. Or so it felt that way.

Sirius and Arcturus gently tread through the increasingly narrow passage, the crimson soaked carpet squelching under their hooves. The interior of the apartment building looked different than it had been before.

Instead of electrical lights on the roof, there were now flickering candles lining the walls of the hallway. The classy wallpaper had been replaced with a blood red paint, portraits of insane looking ponies were mounted where contemporary paintings once hung, and the whole place had the aura of repressed anger tempered by insanity.

The doors to the individual residences lined the hallways, and sinister sounds could be heard from within. Scratching, groaning, angry whispering, Sirius was watching every door wide-eyed, expecting one to burst open and reveal a terrible ghoul.

“This isn’t real,” Sirius and Arcturus chanted in sync. “This isn’t real.”

But in his mind it was real, and that could be just as deadly. He had studied this is as a Night Terror. If the brain believed in a hallucination strongly enough, then it became reality. For example, if the body thought it was sick, it would make itself sick. If the body thought it had been struck, poisoned, or harmed in anyway, although the injury may not be real, the body’s reaction would be. Sirius could feel pain, or even die reacting to a wound that only existed in his mind.

The pony’s mind was an immensely powerful thing; therefore, its corruption was the most dangerous and complex of all ailments. Sirius knew this firsthand. His disorder had created five other ponies with distinct personalities and talents.

They reached the end of the hallway, and stood before the elevator room.

Six elevators were in this room, three on one wall, and three on the opposite. The once shiny silver doors had been rusted, and eerie rattling sounds could be heard from within. A dim crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, the candles providing an eerie green light that washed over the room like pestilence.

Sirius swallowed, and trotted to the button console. He moved to push the up button, and his hoof hovered over the button, but there was a crinkling sound. The plastic cover of the button was being burned by his proximity, the plastic crackling and turning black.

“Ding! You have arrived on the ground floor….” a mare’s pre-recorded voice echoed.

Sirius and Arcturus froze.

There was the sound of elevator doors sliding open from behind them.

Somepony was breathing heavily, panting.

They flipped around, and saw that the center elevator was open. An eerie red light bathed a dark shadow suspended from the elevator roof. The bloody corpse of a blue earth pony mare was hanging there, a noose around her neck. “Sapphire!” Arcturus gasped, charging into the elevator.

Sirius followed him inside, and Arcturus jumped up to sever the rope. It was when the elevator doors slammed shut behind them, that they realized that it had been a trap. The illusion of the mare was replaced with what it really was, the corpse of a slaughtered pig. The massive boar began to swell, its features horribly distended as it blew up like a balloon. Arcturus and Sirius screamed in unison, the pig’s gut rupturing and exploding. Bone and viscera was sent splattering all over the walls.

Slick with the pig’s fetid blood, they banged on the closed elevator doors, but they were sealed. The room lurched upward, and the monitor mounted on the wall began to count upward from 1. “Going up,” the mare’s pre-recorded voice chimed.

Sirius and Arcturus looked at each other, gore dripping from their muzzles. The elevator dinged softly every time they went up a floor, heading up to the penthouse.

Arcturus exhaled deeply. “Sirius, we have to save Sapphire. No matter what happens, we have to keep on going.”

Sirius nodded. This was just a game Necron was playing with them, they could not fold.

The elevator shook ominously, and came to a shuddering halt. “You…You…You…have arrived…” the mare’s voice glitched and faded away with a droning sound.

The elevator shook violently, and the doors slid open. Arcturus and Sirius stared out into the darkness. This wasn’t their floor….

A figure was standing down the hallway. Sirius could see the gleam of metal in the pony’s hooves. Arcturus and Sirius were frozen with fear, staring at the pony.

The pony made a sudden yanking motion, and the air was filled with the roar of a chainsaw’s motor. The pony charged towards them, the bloody power tool buzzing loudly.

Sirius and Arcturus screamed, and Sirius began smashing the “close door” button. The doors began to slowly close, and there was the terrible grating sound as the pony rammed the chainsaw through the remaining crack. Arcturus and Sirius dove towards the corners of the room, avoiding the murderous weapon.

The elevator began to lurch upward, and the chainsaw began to slide down the break in the doors, and finally withdrew. The doors finally clamped shut.

Sirius gasped for breath in his corner, his heart racing. “I wonder what else Necron has in store for us,” Sirius groaned, wiping some blood off his face.

“Next time, we’re going to take the stairs.” Arcturus said.

The elevator lurched to a halt once again. “You have arrived at the penthouse,” the mare said.

Sirius stepped out of the elevator and saw that their apartment door was already open. It was pitch dark inside. The elevator doors slammed shut behind them, almost catching Sirius’ tail.

Somepony was playing the piano from inside. Sirius looked at Arcturus, and he shrugged. Did we even own a piano? Apparently we did.

The notes were haunting, and each piano key struck sent shivers down Sirius’ spine. Sirius crept towards the door, and before stepping inside, he groped the wall for the light switch. He hit the switch, and the lights turned on. The playing piano went silent as suddenly as it came. Everything seemed normal inside. The apartment was as he had left it.

Had Necron given up? It was unlikely, but calm came over him regardless.

Sirius stepped inside, and saw Arcturus’ cello lying on the floor. He picked up the handsome looking instrument, feeling the polished mahogany wood. “How could I have not noticed several other ponies living with me?”

Arcturus nodded and picked up Levaian’s acceptance letter from the floor, along with all of Chaucer’s hospital bills. “We saw these things, but our mind didn’t register them. Subconsciously, we avoided the places our other alters inhabited. Like Levaian’s study, or the kitchen where I liked to cook and play music,” Arcturus gestured to the door at the end of the corridor. “The same goes for Necron. That’s where he spent most of his time.”

Sirius and Arcturus were staring at the door, both thinking the same thing: What had he been doing in there?

“I went in their once,” Arcturus said. “But I can’t remember what I saw. My brain won’t let me recall the information.”

Sirius swallowed. “Are you sure that Sapphire is in there? What if it’s another trap?”

Arcturus shrugged. “Where else would she be? That’s where he’s keeping all his prisoners.”

They both stared at the door to Necron’s lair. Sirius was terrified. Did he have the willpower to survive a confrontation with the embodiment of his insanity?

“ARCTURUS! HELP ME!” Sapphire screamed.

Arcturus charged forth. “I’M COMING, HANG ON!”

Sirius grabbed his tail, and tried to hold him back, but Arcturus was in a frenzy. “Don’t go inside, you idiot! It’s what he wants!”

Sirius’ hooves and Arcturus’ tail was still slick with blood, and his grip slipped. Sirius went flying back, striking his head against the wooden floor with a solid crack. Disoriented, he turned over to see Arcturus tear open the door and vanish inside.

Sirius struggled to get back on his hooves, and stumbled down the hallway. “Arcturus!” Sirius cried.

Vision spinning, his head aching, his heart racing, he stepped into what appeared to be some kind of unfinished room. The overpowering smell of rot made him gag.

Blood from his head wound trickled down Sirius’ mane, running down his neck. The walls were made of concrete, and resembled some kind of dungeon. Medieval torture devices lay all around, along with racks loaded with surgical tools and other devices designed to cause pain. Chains hung from the roof, and he looked up and gasped. Ember’s head was hanging there on a hook, along with other dismembered parts of her body.

Necron had literally pulled her apart.

There was a cry of pain from Arcturus, and Sirius felt alarm. The sound was coming from the net of chains above. Sirius flew upward, weaving through Necron’s web. He saw entrails hanging from the chains, and the withered heads of other ponies. As Sirius ascended, he saw Doctor Pharus’ corpse nailed on the wall. He looked like a withered husk, as if all his internal fluids had been sucked out of him.

Sirius shuddered, and heard Arcturus cry out again. “Somepony, help me!”

Sirius flew to the very top of the chamber, and saw Arcturus and Sapphire.

The mare looked like she had been drugged and was wrapped in a cocoon of some kind of hyper-sharpened wire. The razor wire was biting into her flesh, and Arcturus was trying to uncoil her. “Arcturus…” she whispered. “You came...”

There were tears in his eyes. “Just relax,” he said, trying to find some way to free her. “I’ll get you out of here in no time.”

“Arcturus,” Sapphire whispered again. “I…I…I love you.”

Sirius felt the powerful effect those words had on Arcturus. They were completely sincere, but resigned, as if she had accepted her death. Tears began to stream down his face. “I love you too,” Arcturus said, gently nuzzling her.

“And I love you all too!” another voice said, laughing maniacally.

The wires that were binding Sapphire were suddenly jerked upward with a sudden velocity. The constricting wires sliced right through Sapphire, cutting straight through fat, muscle, and bone like a knife through hot butter. She screamed as she was torn apart in the whirlwind of razor wire.

Sirius and Arcturus watched in horror as bits and pieces of Sapphire rained down, splattering on the dungeon floor below.

Necron, in the form of a horrendous metal spider, landed on the web of wires. Sirius screamed, and flew down to the bottom of the chamber, his door of escape wide open. He looked around, but noticed that Arcturus was still up there.

Arcturus was holding what remained of his dead mare-friend’s azure and cyan mane. “Sapphire Shine…No…No…you can’t be gone…” Arcturus whispered to himself, his eyes wide with shock, his body trembling with grief.

“Arcturus!” Sirius cried, but it was too late.

Necron had appeared behind him and bit down on his head. Arcturus didn’t even struggle as he was lifted up by the monstrous spider, the fangs piercing his head. There was a crack as Necron broke his skull, and with a revolting slurping sound, Arcturus’ brain was sucked up by the spider.

Sirius howled, pain searing his mind. He writhed on the floor as Necron consumed the rest of Arcturus. His secondary personality was now dead, and Sirius was completely vulnerable.

Necron tossed Arcturus’ husk aside, and looked down at Sirius with greed in his eyes.

Sirius scrambled to get up and galloped out the door. There was a shriek from Necron as he gave pursuit, the sinuous movement of his eight appendages adding to the terror.

Sirius galloped down the hallway, skidded the corner, and saw that the apartment door was gone. There was just the wall. He looked around, looking for another way out. There was soft moonlight on the floor of his bedroom…The balcony!

Necron shrieked again, and Sirius saw that the spider was running along the roof, his fangs still dripping with Arcturus’ blood.

Sirius ran into his bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him. He turned and faced the balcony, and his heart sunk to his hooves.

It had been boarded shut. Only tiny slivers of moonlight were coming through.

He was trapped. He was going to die in here.

The door exploded, splinters of wood flying in the air as Necron burst through. Sirius retreated to the corner of the room beside his wardrobe. He closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

“Open your eyes,” Necron hissed. “I want you to see this coming!”

Sirius was forced to open his eyes. Spider Necron was creeping towards him, reveling in his victory. He saw his demise in those red compound eyes.

A glimmer from his wardrobe caught his attention. There was something in his drawer that was glowing with a pink aura. Could it be? After all this time, the Love Potion was still in there?

That’s right. He had never disposed of it. Necron realized that Sirius was thinking about something, and lunged forth. Sirius ducked down and grabbed the drawer handle. Necron crashed into the wall overhead, and Sirius crawled to the open drawer. Looking inside, he saw the Love Potion glowing brightly. Necron was an entity of hate. If he drank this then maybe he would be subdued....

He whispered thanks to Trixie and drank down its contents. The taste of jasmine filled his mouth, and he heard Necron screaming.

Sirius’ world began to spin as the magical potion took its hold, and with a flash of light bursting forth from his mouth, everything returned to normal.

He was sitting in front of his drawer, the empty vial in his hoof. Necron had disappeared. All the pig’s blood which he was soaked in, was now gone. The boards on the balcony entrance were taken down.

For the first time in forever, he felt at peace. He slumped down against his wardrobe, sobbing. He had been through hell and back. He had made it.

The haze from the Love Potion clouded his eyes, and he saw Mother standing at the end of his bedroom.

“Mother?” Sirius said, staring up at her. Even though she was dead, his fantasy was still playing out.

The mare smiled at him, and Sirius felt warmth blossoming in his chest. He drew close to her, and she nuzzled him gently. “Son…” she whispered.

Tears welled up in his eyes, and she caressed his face. “I’m sorry for how I treated you for all those years,” Sirius nodded, wanting to say that it was all okay now. “I’m also sorry for what I’m about to do.”

What? Mother forced him down and wrapped her hooves around his throat. The Love Potion had weakened him, and he couldn’t resist as she choked him. His vision was becoming blurry, and he saw her face change into his own. Necron began laughing hysterically. He tightened his grip around Sirius’ throat. “The best thing about insanity is that it’s a resilient, persisting condition.” He threw his head back and laughed louder, Sirius’ vision fading. “Did you honestly think a silly love potion would save you!?”

Sirius saw red dots in his vision, his brain was being starved of oxygen. He felt himself losing grip on his consciousness, and he slipped away into the black void.

Sirius coughed as he awoke. He felt so weak and tired, and as his vision cleared, he saw that he was staring up at the roof of Nightmare Moon’s throne room.

He still felt the pain of Necron’s garroting around his neck, his brain aching and sore. He looked to his side and stared into Arcturus’ dead eyes. He began to panic, and looked to the other side. He was surrounded by dead versions of himself, and he was among them. Their bodies were neatly lined up, the injuries they had sustained when they were killed were still there.

He felt somepony grab his hoof, and he could barely moan in his weakness. He was dragged on the marble floor, and onto the black and violet carpet. He could hear voices now. It was Nightmare Moon, and…him?

Somepony clamped chains all around him, grabbed his mane, and forced him to watch what was happening. He, or Necron, was talking to the Empress. He bowed before her, and she declared in a loud voice. “For Knight Sirius’ outstanding work as a Night Terror, and the completion of his transformation….”

Sirius’ chains were yanked upward, and he was helplessly dragged towards them. He was thrown at Necron’s hooves, and he looked down at him and snickered. “Look who’s the dominant personality now.” Sirius stared up at him in horror. “Watch what I do now. I will kill everypony you have ever loved.”

Necron stood up straight, and Nightmare Moon put a hoof on his head. “Knight Sirius, your mind is stronger than any Night Terror I have ever encountered…” she paused. “Save for one,” she added quietly. She returned to her use of the Royal Canterlot voice. “Your potential is endless. You are everything the perfect Night Terror should be like. Therefore…I am putting you at the head of the crusade against the Dayborns. You will lead my forces against them and remind those treacherous knaves that Equestria still belongs to Nightmare Moon.”

Necron nodded. “My queen, I shall serve you to the best of my ability.” He smiled, making a show of his fangs. “Furthermore…I will prove my loyalty to you by bringing you the heads of my Dayborn brother and sister.”

Sirius screamed at them. “No! Don’t you dare touch Cepheus…or Persei!”

Nightmare Moon grinned, baring her razor sharp teeth. “That would please me greatly, along with the total repression of the Dayborns. With this recent insurrection, they need to be put back in their place. Do whatever it takes, Sirius.”

“You bastard!” Sirius shouted, rattling his chains.

Necron bowed once more before his queen. “And one more thing….” He grinned again, eyeing Sirius. “Call me Necron from now on.”

“No!” Sirius yelled, and slowly he was being pulled back. “Noooo…” he moaned, his voice growing softer and weaker. A cord was tied around his muzzle, silencing him. A hood was put around his head, and everything went dark.

Author's Note:

This is Sirius' final chapter. He will appear intermittently now, but will always share a chapter with another character. Chapters will now alternate between Persei and Cepheus, with Sirius popping up here and there.

Now that Necron is in charge, things are definitely going to escalate. Don't underestimate Nightmare Moon's cunning either.

Discussion/Feedback is encouraged. How did you feel about this chapter?

Comments

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

Poor Sapphire.