Amnesia: Through The Ashes

"I don't like this...what did you call it?" Charlotte turned to Daniel.

"An ascending room..."

"So it's basically an elevator?" Spike commented.

"I-yes it is called that as well."

The elevator groaned and shook as it continued its slow crawl into the bowels of the castle.

"Not too thrilled about it either but it'll do..." Spike breathed as he examined the how sturdy it seemed.

Through the bars of the elevator doors the trio could see room after room pass by as the descended. Most were cloaked in darkness but a few retained some visible source of light, unfortunately for anyone witnessing the nightmares within. Charlotte was standing closest to the bars and received a painfully clear view of one of the gatherers. It did not even make a move for the elevator. It just watched with an uneasy, haunting stare, not unlike how a predator examines a potential meal. Charlotte shuddered and withdrew to the back of the elevator, subconsciously trying to cover herself as if the monster was creeping under her skin.

Spike glanced to Daniel, expecting him to be used to this by now, but he saw something else entirely. A grown man shaking like a child lost in the forest. He appeared to almost twitch and his movements were sharp and sudden.

"Daniel? Are you alright?"

"I-I am fine...but we must move through this place quickly. We are being followed. I can sense it..."

"Yeah...that's nothing new...these things won't relent." Charlotte said.

"No. Not those...something far worse..."

At that moment the elevator groaned like a massive wounded beast and metallic screeching and tearing could be heard directly above them. Then the cable snapped and the elevator began to drop rapidly.

"Hold on!"

Spike coughed violently into his fist and looked back at the mangled elevator as the dust settled.

"Everyone alright?"

"Yeah...just a few scrapes and a splinter I think." Charlotte stood up and dusted herself off.

"Daniel?"

The man wearily pushed himself to his feet and similarly cleaned himself of the dust. "I'll survive." He said in a raspy tone.

"Good. Let's move." Spike suggested. No sooner had he started walking when a pair of gatherers fell down the shaft behind them onto the crumpled elevator. Only a moment later they were already up and chasing after their prey.

"GO! Find the way out. I'll catch up when I'm done here..." Spike growled to the others. They nodded and took off down the hallway leading deeper the dark labyrinth.

The first gatherer approached Spike and swung a clawed, meaty arm at him with great force. The drake ducked and charged the monster, knocking it to the ground. Unfortunately, he was not fast enough to evade the blow that came from the other beast. It broke a few of the smaller scales and drew blood. Spike dove under the neck swing and delivered a powerful kick that forced the assailant to stumble back several feet.

Spike ignored the blood trickling down his face and the tempo of his heart that beat like a war drum. Even if he could not defeat these things he had to buy time for Charlotte and Daniel, but there was another reason as well. Deep, deep in his heart somewhere there was one thing he wished he could deny. He enjoyed this.

The bloodied dragon lunged forward and dug into the stumbling creature with a violent, animalistic ferocity. Each swipe of his claws rips flesh and sinew from its chest. Spike pressed his claws into the center of the monster's chest until it began to give. He reached in and forced apart the rib-cage as the creature continued to struggle. He quickly spotted the heart and without a second thought seized it up in his jaws. He withdrew a second later and ripped out the still-beating heart. Blood spurted all over him as he launched the organ into a far wall, splattering in a hideous mess.

When the other monster charged him Spike was ready this time. He swiftly gripped under the muscular arms and used the monster's momentum to slam it into the wall. The blood-crazed dragon then lifted it clear off the ground and threw the heavy creature into a spike that protruded from a wall where some device had long ago resided. The mindless demon continued to swing in vain at Spike even as it remained pinned on the spike. Safely under the creature's swings, Spike grabbed both feet and pulled straight down. Hard.

The spike began to rip the monster in half, severing its lungs and separating one of the shoulders from its neck and head, all of which fell to the ground in a spurting, crimson display. Spike stomped the head into the stone for good measure.

Once they had been dealt with Spike stood over his massacred foes victorious. He smiled and took a moment to calm his breathing. Within moment, however, he heard Charlotte scream in pure terror, far down the halls. Without skipping a beat, he took off in a dead sprint down the halls, swerving around the corners with impressive agility for his size. It wasn't long before he found the source. He saw yet another gatherer, like the others, pounding away at a door, presumably where Daniel and Charlotte were hiding.

This one will be easy... He thought.

With its back facing him Spike rammed the monster against the door. He smashed its head into the bars of the door before throwing it into the stone floor. Spike used the talons on his feet to pin the beast's torso to the floor while he held down the arms using his claws, ensuring its movement would be minimal. Finally, Spike unleashed a torrent of flame straight onto the monster's face. For a couple seconds it thrashed viciously, but few things stand up to dragon fire for long. Its half-melted head fell back to the stone a moment later. With the threat eliminated, he asked Charlotte and Daniel to open the door.

"Are you two okay?" He asked once the door was pulled open.

"Dear lord!" Charlotte cried out.

"Seven Hells..." Daniel remarked as they both looked at Spike, whom despite possessing purple scales, appeared almost completely crimson.

"What happened!?" Charlotte looked him over for injuries.

"I...dealt with them." He responded calmly.

"Regardless. We must keep moving. There may be more." Daniel told them. "Quickly. I was almost finished widening the hole when the creature heard us in here and the foolish woman decided to scream louder just in case it did not quite hear us."

Charlotte scowled and opened her mouth to say something but remained silent.

"Just one moment and...there. Got it. Charlotte, you first. This will probably be a tight fit so we need you to take the hammer and chisel and widen any areas that would prove too narrow for the dragon and myself."

Charlotte sighed, taking the tools in both hands and descending headfirst down the hole.

"Try to be quiet and move swiftly. I do not know how many are down here. Come back to us when you are finished." He added.

As they listened to Charlotte's work in the hole Daniel and Spike at last had a moment alone while they took turns keeping watch through the door bars.

"I suppose I now is a fair time to bring up the subject...you clearly aren't of this world, are you?" Daniel asked.

"Can't say I am. My friend, Twilight was working on a spell of some kind but it malfunctioned and sent a bunch of us here."

"I see...are these friends of yours dragons like yourself?" Daniel inquired.

"No. They're ponies."

"And these "ponies" are intelligent like yourself?" He asked with a skeptical look in his eyes.

"Oh very. I'd say they're brilliant." Spike smiled, although it more than likely came across as terrifying to most people on account of his bloodied mouth and sharp teeth.

"Interesting. As much as I would enjoy knowing more about where you come from but there is precious little time to discuss it." Daniel stopped and peeked out the door window for a moment before looking back at Spike.

"So is there a way for you to return to your home?"

"I hope so. I won't be able to on my own. Twilight or Rarity might be able to reverse what happened and create a portal back home but I can't say for certain..."

"I see...is there any possibility that I may accompany you should the attempt succeed? After I..."deal" with Alexander there will be very little left for me in this world, and that is if I manage to evade the nightmare following us somehow."

"I...suppose so. Yes. Charlotte asked the same thing. While it's a very nice place to live and even if the folks there are welcoming, things will be difficult. It wouldn't be like visiting the next town over."

"I understand full well what I am asking. You see my world right now. Are you enjoying it thus far?" Daniel gestured around the room.

"Good point..." A moment later Charlotte resurfaced from the hole and coughed into her fist for a moment before speaking.

"Hole's clear. Should be good now. It's still narrow but you should be fine if you take your time. Best as I can tell it's clear on the other side but that's just going off what I could hear."

"Great. Good job, Charlotte." Spike said. She nodded with a smile and clambered out of the hole. Both Spike and Daniel stood awkwardly and stared at the hole.

"Ladies first." She gestured to the hole.

"I'm not sure I can..." Spike grimaced.

"Why not?" She asked.

"My wings. It's very difficult to keep them pressed against my back without using my hands."

"Damn...what then..."

"We don't have time to make it wider." Daniel informed them. "This might help." Daniel unbuttoned his over-shirt and aided Spike in binding his wings to his back with it.

"Thank you. I should be good now."

"No problem."

Without another word, Charlotte descended down the hole, followed by Daniel, then Spike. They crawled uncomfortably through the cramped dusty tunnel as silently as they could manage. Several long minutes later Charlotte emerged safely from the tunnel, followed by Daniel. They both looked back at the tunnel to see Spike stuck still within. Both of them quickly grabbed an arm and pulled him out, not noticing the stones held precariously above them. As soon as Spike emerged a hefty stone became dislodged and fell, hitting the drake directly in the abdomen.

"Spike!" Charlotte called in alarm. Daniel was quick to clamp a hand over her mouth and raised a finger in front of his own to indicate silence. She closed her eyes and nodded. As soon as he released his grip she rushed over to Spike's side and moved the stone off of him with Daniel's aid.

"Spike? Are you okay?" She whispered. He coughed up blood before managing to wearily speak to her.

"I think so...I don't feel all that good though..."

"The best that I can tell he has three broken ribs and some mild internal bleeding. He is fortunate the ribs did not puncture any organs. There is nothing that we can do for him here and I doubt he will be able to fight the creatures hunting us without risking internal injuries." Daniel whispered as he examined Spike.

"Since when the hell are you a doctor?" Charlotte commented.

"I have...experience with anatomy...and I could be wrong about the rib number but there is some internal bleeding. He'll be fine so long as he avoids fighting."

"What do we do? We can't leave him here and he'll barely be able to walk."

With a surge of effort, Daniel carefully lifted the dragon in both arms. He looked Charlotte straight in the eyes as he did so. "No one else is going to die here." He stated.

"We must move quickly. I think I remember the way. If this is the norther cell block I should be able to find the way to the cistern."

"Wait...what if my friends are down here?" Spike asked weakly.

"They wouldn't be. If the shadow is this close Alexander would more than likely keep any prisoners close to him." Daniel said. Spike's eyes snapped open and his pupils dilated slightly.

"We need to move. Now. I can walk...I just won't be doing any extended sprinting for a while. If he hurts them..." Daniel released Spike so he could walk on his own, although it was closer to a limp.

Silently, the trio navigated their way through the halls, careful to steer away from corridors that echoed the presence of gatherers in the distance. Soon they came upon a locked gateway that Daniel identified as the passage to the cistern. Before he could be asked Spike breathed a small stream of concentrated fire onto the lock before it fell from the door, allowing it to be pulled open. Charlotte led the way forward and opened the door leading to the cistern. Daniel, however, paused and looked around the hall they had come from.

"Something's not right...there should be more of them here..." Daniel commented.

"I'm not complaining." Charlotte responded. Once they were in the cistern Daniel took point.

"Okay...next I think...we'd need to pass through the sewers to get to the nave...but they might be flooded and-" As they approached the sewer area Daniel noticed that it was in fact, almost completely devoid of water.

"Are you certain you're remembering things correctly?"

"I..I'm not completely sure on details...but this is the way."

Something isn't right. Something really isn't right... Daniel thought to himself. As they entered the sewers it was clear that even the toxic fungus that used to grow down here was not present anymore. Am I just not remembering things correctly?

Although thankful to have a break from the monsters hunting them and the shadow right on their heels, the absence of both left a pit in Daniel's stomach. Alexander must know something, or decided they weren't worth the effort to hunt anymore. What scared Daniel the most is the knowledge that above all, Alexander was clever.

What is he planning...