Vereor Nox

Cinder 1: Escape

The Undead Asylum is the most secure of prisons, filled to the brim with those bearing the Darksign, situated at the top of the highest peak in the Badlands, and guarded by demons, of all things.

And it was here, in this Goddesses-forsaken place, that I was imprisoned.

It had been easy for the elders; all they had to was sit back and tell me that 'it was for the greater good,' and, 'everypony will be safer this way.' They weren't forcefully escorted through the harshest desert in Equestria. They weren't thrown in the farthest cell in the back. They weren't denied food or water! They weren't made to spend years trapped in a grey room with nothing but a useless sword and some dusty rags to keep them company! They weren't-

*Thud*

At the sudden noise, my body suddenly decided to give flying a try, only to realize that it didn't have wings. Soon I hit the ground with a thud as well, and was instantly thankful that nopony was around to see that. Regaining my bearings after my brief departure from the floor, I looked around my cell. I instantaneously realized that my cell was not usually decorated with the corpse of a hollow. As I moved to inspect it, I heard a mare's voice.

"He has the key. The choice is yours."

At the sudden noise, I once more temporarily became a pegasus, and once more I was swiftly reunited with the ground. Looking up, I saw the source of the noise, and was even more startled (I didn't jump this time, I swear) to find that there were not one, but two non-hollow ponies looking down at me through a hole in the ceiling. A hole which, to my knowledge, had been covered by a grate until very recently. One of the ponies was crouched with their head looking straight down through the new hole, while the other stood a bit behind them. Both were unicorns, and both were fully armored.

The knight at the ledge turned to face their companion.

"Do you really have to be so cryptic all the time?" From his voice, it was clear that ledge-knight was a stallion. Which means...

"I'm sorry, Shield. Would you like me to say that again with a long-winded explanation on all the mechanics of how keys work? Or would you rather I leave that task to you? It is your special talent, after all." Yes, this was most definitely the mare who spoke earlier. Her voice held an air of wisdom... and sass.

"How many times do I have to tell you," Began Shield. "It's storytelling, not long-winded speeches! Besides, what if she didn't understand who the 'he' you're talking about is, or what the 'choice' is?"

"Oh come now, Shield. A foal could figure that out." Well, my mom did always say I was a slow learner... but first thing's first.

"Who... who are you?" My voice was rough in my throat, as though each word were a mouthful of sand. This might have been because I hadn't had food or water in a while; this might also have to do with the insomnia I had suffered while incarcerated. More than likely, however, it was due to the fact that my body had already began undergoing the process of hollowing. That is, physically deteriorating until I looked like some sort of zombie pony. Not to be confused with going hollow, the process of slowly going bat-shit insane.

Shield and his companion turned to me with somewhat shocked expressions. It was the mare who spoke.

"You're still here? Shouldn't you be escaping?" At that, Shield let out a small chuckle, and turned to look at the mare.

"I told you she might not understand." Turning back to me, he continued, "So, in answer to your question, we are, or perhaps were, knights of Baltimare. We're also undead, like you." I might have rolled my eyes or brought my hoof to my face had he said anything more obvious. I think I cleared my throat a bit before reiterating my question, but it was hard to tell because of how dry it felt.

"Undead in the Undead Asylum? Shocker. Now really, who are you? As in, what are your names?" The knight scratched his head at that, or at least attempted to. Armor and whatnot.

"Oh, our names? Of course that's what you meant... Well, I'm-" He was cut off by his partner jabbing him sharply in the side with her hoof. Despite his armor, he still seemed to recoil a bit.

"Shield, we discussed this."

"What? Oh, right. Sorry, miss, but we can't tell you our names quite yet. All you need to know is that we're here to help." The mare nodded at Shield's words.

"Right. As he says. That dead hollow in the center of your cell? We tossed him down there. As I said, he has he key. Do what you want with it." As she finished, she turned to the stallion.

"Time to go, Shield." He nodded slightly, and they got up and walked away.

I reached toward the opening they had been at with my hoof, as though I could somehow reach them, and get them to come back. Quickly realizing how silly this was, I set my sights on the corpse that now shared a cell with me. After a quick search, I found that there was indeed a key. And after a few steps and a quick twist of the key in the lock, I found that the key was, in fact, the key to my cell.

A quick glance outside revealed that a few hollowed ponies were roaming the halls. While it looked like they were all wrapped up in their own personal despair, I drew my sword with my magic, just to be safe. My incredibly dull, and horribly worn-out sword. The sword that I had been allowed to keep only because it had been deemed to be in such a state of disrepair that it could never possibly help me escape.

Really, the most interesting thing about the hunk of metal was the ruby set in its hilt. That, and the fact that it was all that stood between me and whatever horrible monsters might be guarding this prison. Which, as I neared the end of the hallway, turned out to be more hollows who didn't seem to notice I even existed. Which was a bit of a let-down, as I was expecting demons.

At the end of the hall stood a ladder, which I quickly climbed to the top of. This led to a small courtyard, containing a small pile of bones with an immovable sword sticking out the top. A bonfire, from what I understand. Nopony seems to know much about them, but they serve as a place for weary undead to rest, a temporary home, so to speak.

I trotted up to the bonfire and held out my hoof, at which point it promptly lit itself. As I was a little tired from exerting myself after having not used any of my muscles for at least several months, I decided to take a breather, and sat down in front of the flame. As I sat there, I began to drift off to sleep. And sleep I did.

I was awakened by a large crashing sound and a scream. Normally I wouldn't question it, as the Asylum was, while sturdy, a very old building, and the undead imprisoned here weren't exactly given the VIP treatment. But considering how close it was, it seemed like as a good a signal as any to get moving. As I got up and stretched, I realized that I hadn't felt so rested in a long while, yet I couldn't have been asleep for more than a few minutes, as it was still bright out.

Deciding that there was no use in pondering this mystery any further for now, I readjusted my equipment, making sure I was fully prepared for anything that might come at me. I was still wearing the tattered remains of my robes, and I still had my blunt instrument of a sword. With that settled, I took a quick trot around the courtyard to get a handle on my surroundings - which, come to think of it, should've been the first thing I did - and found that, besides the one I came in through, there were two doors leading elsewhere.

On the far side of the courtyard was a small barred steel door, not unlike the door to the cell I had inhabited up until around several minutes ago. After thoroughly checking this door, I determined that it was completely unopenable from this side. After acknowledging that there was no further use in examining it, I turned my attention to the other door, or doors, as the case may be.

They were a giant pair of thick wooden double doors. These doors were three times as wide and five times as tall as the most heavy-set pony I'd ever seen, and had a short flight of steps leading up to them. Honestly, the only reason I didn't check them first was because they were overly intimidating for what they were.

Realizing just how silly it was to stand around being scared of a pair of doors, I cantered up to them and gave them an experimental push. To my relief, they opened, revealing... another courtyard.

To be fair, this one was quite a bit larger, and somehow more ominous. Perhaps it was the pillars lining each side, or perhaps it was the other set of giant double doors on the opposite side of the courtyard. Ever so slowly, I trotted towards the center of the courtyard, unable to shake the feeling that something was about to go wrong...

Which was entirely justified, given that not five seconds later, a huge hideous beast landed in front of me. The abomination resembled a pony in that it was a quadruped, and that was about as far as the similarities went. It's head was a mess of horns and fangs, it covered in scales, and it had two tiny wings, which were likely almost useless due to how horribly bloated the creature was.

On top of all that, it had a giant club that looked more like a tree trunk carved into a weapon then a weapon made from wood. I may as well have been a fly this thing was preparing to swat for how big that club was.

I was not prepared at all when it came at me.

One minute, I was taking in the sheer horror of what lay before me; the next, I was prancing around like an idiot trying to dodge its swings and parry its attacks. I soon learned that parrying its attacks was a bad idea, as I was now belly up, with the creature making to deliver its finishing blow. As I tossed my head back in acceptance, I realized I was a colossal moron. Right there, to the left of where I entered, was another door. And it was completely open. As I attempted to scramble to my hooves so I could reach it, the beast's club slammed down upon me.

First I heard my ribs cracking.

Next I felt them as they dug into my innards.

Then my vision turned red.

Then black.

And I died.