Timid Steps

Chapter Three: Resurrection

“Here I am again, knee deep in trouble, only this time, no escape,” I thought.

“You know what you must do, Timid, release me!” Silver shouted throughout my mind.

“After getting us into this mess in the first place?” I asked in confusion, “Oh no, ha ha, you’re staying right where you belong.” I replied between fits of laughter.

“You’ll not make it too far without me,” he swore before I shut him out.

I fell deeply into sleep and had a dream. It was of this very castle, and I was standing outside, it was twice as forbidding, yet, empty-feeling. I strutted up to the gates and threw open the heavy oak doors and walked in. The tapestry was tattered and worn, the throne room filled with shattered corpses and blood splatters. The windows were all in fragments and still-burning hearths and torches littered the floor. King Redwene stepped out from behind the throne with malicious contentment on his face. He was covered with blood and wounds as he strutted down the steps. His glossy, black mane was messy and his coat matted from several wounds.

“Hello, dear Greymane,” he spoke with insanity, “What’s the status of the rest of the traitorous swine?”

A voice emerged from my throat, “What is left of them, milord, have fled across Equestria.”

King Everfree parted his mane to reveal a horn and spoke with his normal voice again, “I’m just grateful for this gift that bestowed upon me by our new friend, otherwise, there’d be a new king on the throne.”

“I’m just glad you’re alright, milord,” the voice again emerged from my mouth.

“Yes, yes, go get our guest and send him on his way, I won’t drag him into this,” King Everfree ordered.

“Yes, milord,” I said as I bowed deeply.

I began to make for the doors to the living quarters when I was awakened by a knock on the door.

“Timid, it is time to rise,” came a familiar voice through the heavy wooden surface.

I then heard them walk away from the door and down the hall, followed by the creak of a door opening and closing.

“What bizarre dream…” I thought as I yawned deeply.

I yawned again while throwing the covers off of myself and slid off the bed onto the stone floor. I walked wobbly to the table and sat down in the chair I pulled out. On the table lay a small meal fit for a god, every bit was arranged perfectly. The eggs and wheat bread went down well with the oats and glass of juice. As I finished my meal, Saps came through the door.

“Enjoying your stay?” he asked causally.

“It is most excellent,” I answered politely.

“So, have you come to your decision?”

“I’m still trying to figure that out, but I am curious of what other benefits I may gain from this agreement,” I responded.

“Well, I wouldn’t be the one to tell you, for we all accepted this gift without much choice,” he said with a little realization of the outcome of his own decision. “But I’m sure King Everfree should be able to tell you more about it.”

“Excellent,” I said, pleased with the answer as I rose to leave.

“Allow me to accompany you, Timid,” he started as he rose, showing a little curiosity and excitement as he did so.

“By all means,” I replied as he took the lead.

We walked through the hall and down the main corridor to the throne room. He pulled and held the door open for me as I gave a confirmative nod when I walked through. I turned to see King Everfree seated upon his throne in a leisurely manner and was sipping on what I hoped to be red-berry wine. He readjusted as soon as he laid eyes on me.

“So, I take it that you came to a final decision,” barely hiding contained excitement he held in his voice.

“Well, not exactly,” I said as I rose from my bowing position, “I was hoping if you could further educate me on the boons of becoming a vampire, milord.”

“Ah,” he said, clearly disappointed by my response, “Well, Timid, other than never having to fear death by normal means again, there isn’t much else I could tell you, my memory isn’t as magnificent as I would like. The book I had uncovered had become lost along with the rest of my once wonderful kingdom.”

“Well, milord, I would have liked to further understand more about it, but I guess I’ll just have to experiment,” I said in a slightly cheerful tone.

“You mean you accept?” he asked, astonished by my willingness to become something I had little understanding of.

“Yes, milord, I do.”

“Splendid!” he cried, nearly upturning his cup in pure excitement.

“Come, Timid, come, we have much to prepare for!” he said as he threw his hoof around my shoulders.

King Everfree led me to the basement which was filled with an assortment of old, dusty lab equipment. The ceiling was so high that appeared as total darkness above us. I looked further down at the long, winding staircase down to the lab level. We began our decent as King Everfree told me of the lab’s history.

“This lab used to be used to find any sort solution to our daily problems, and my own scientific pursuits,” he explained. “If only it still functioned as it did back then…” he said drifting into a nostalgic episode.

“But never-mind all that,” he said shaking out of the brief episode, “We have what we need.”

We finally reached the bottom of the staircase and King Everfree walked over to a table that appeared pre-set not too long ago. His hoofsteps clopped through the entire room, giving it a depressing feeling of emptiness.

“Okay,” he muttered to himself as he began to start up the clean lab equipment. The glassware had become different shades and hues of various colors including green, red, and even teal.

“I’ll need a lock of hair, or any portion of your body mass,” he called over his shoulder.

I picked up some weathered shears off a table still covered with layers of dust and cobwebs. I sliced some hair into King Everfree’s outstretched hoof.

He quickly took it and dropped it into the bubbling, hissing, and fizzing solution of constant color displacing. As he did so the solution stabilized and he looked down with content at the dazzling brew.

“This is what I need…” he said as he lost himself in the beautiful and intoxicating liquid.

“You need this,” he said, leaving his trance-like state.

He bit fiercely into his own arm with a sickening crunch. Blood rain freely from his open wound and he held it over an empty glass. It began to fill as the blood slowly dripped off his slick hoof with plops. After he was satisfied, he poured the about half of his concoction into the blood-splattered cup.

“Cheers,” he said as he raised his glass to toast.

I took the other glass and clinked it with his as I said, “Cheers,” back and downed the liquid.

“Oh, my…” I slurred as my vision distorted and faded.

“Pleasant dreams, Timid Dawn,” King Everfree managed to get out as he fell unconscious in front of me.
I couldn’t hold myself up anymore and fell into a deep slumber.

I awoke to the sensation of being tainted by a warm, organic feel. I slowly opened my eyes to find myself staring into the orange eyes of Silver Stride.