Corroding Canter

~Corroding Canter: Chapter II~

Peace in Peril

"The evil of heart lurks, lying in wait to pierce the hearts of others, seeking their lively blood to sustain themselves, or at least to fill the emptiness in the souls with a brief feeling of warmth that fresh blood does bring them. The innocent and kind of heart are far too often the former's helpless prey."

Magnus Thanatos

Kayne kept still with silence as Fluttershy tended to his wounds with tender care, keeping from making direct eye contact with him as she paused.

"I um...need to check Big Macintosh's wounds... please stay still..." she nearly squeaked before making her way across the candle-lit room to the red stallion setting quietly nearby.

Kayne could not help but feel his "hunger" rise as he could smell the Stallion's blood and fear from a mile away, yet Kayne had been around long enough to know, "stupid fear" from "valiant fear" While it was true that this stallion did indeed fear him, it was this fear that was like a kind of subtle adrenaline to him, Much like how the tiger is most ferocious days before it's demise of natural cause. Not from fear of dying, but a will to hold on to life. For whatever reason, Kayne knew this stallion would give his every last breath to defend the others.

Kayne had yet to stand from the floor as the pegasus had asked, and Macintosh seemed none to interested in making another attempt to approach the dark stallion a second time just yet. It was in this time that Kayne focused his attention upon the sight before him, the tiny pegasus hovering before the red stallion with no fear at all, tending to his lip as the red stallion, multiple times her size did little more then give her a thankful nod. Kayne felt his thirst for knowledge overwhelm his "other" thirst as he made it a point to establish communication once more.

"Stallion known as Macintosh, I wish to know why it is that you protect these ponies like you do, what is it that you benefit from serving them?" Kayne asked as the red stallion's expression seemed eternally the same.

"Ah jus' do wha's right fer mah family and any frins' uh theirs stranger, Miss Applejack is mah sis mister." responded the red stallion as Kayne was interested to learn of this stallion being of family to one of the ponies of which he had recently spoken with.

"Ummm, Big Mac... Please let your cheek rest, you don't want it getting sore again." spoke Fluttershy with a soft smile before returning to Kayne's side, her smile seeming to fade as she approached him quietly.

"Why do you fear me miss shy?" spoke Kayne as the pegasus nearly tripped over herself with shock as she hid behind her mane, as if expecting him to give her the same smack that Big Mac had recently received. Kayne realized the small pegasus was obviously very timid and shy, quite true to her name indeed... But Kayne sensed something more about her, as if there was something she was keeping from not only him, but her friends as well.

Big Mac yawned softly as Kayne was brought from his thoughts.

"It's getting mighty late miss shy, I think ya' oughta' get yerself some shuteye, i'll keep an eye on mister Kayne here." the red stallion spoke.

Kayne could hear in the stallion's voice how his words held more than one meaning, yet he played oblivious to such and rested upon the floor before feeling something brush against his head, looking to see what it was as the timid yellow pegasus had placed a pillow next to Kayne's head.

"If you..uhm.. insist on sleeping there, have a pillow at least... if you want it that is.." she spoke softly before nodding her head and heading upstairs without a peep.

Kayne just shook his head, not quite understanding much of anything that had occurred lately, however... Upon resting his head upon the pillow given to him by the meek pegasus, the brown eyes of the red stallion met his own, less than a foot from him as the red stallion spoke.

"Miss Shy and all her friends trust you stranger, ah' seen that look in yer eyes in other stallion's faces before and ah'm only gon' tell you once mister, We're a trustin' folk round' here, us ponies, but don't think about abusin' that trust. I don't mean no offense mister, but I dun know where tis' you done come from, but the feeling you give me makes me hope you'll be returning there soon."

Macintosh's voice was clear and polite, yet held tones of promise to right any wrongs Kayne might set upon.

Kayne just shook his head and grinned widely.

"See you in the morn' Mac."

Breezerider had long since collected the bare minimum of supplies required to make the journey to the Drackenridge Mountains and it proved easy to follow the tracks that Magnus's guards had left. Though no pony that valued their life was foolish enough to follow Magnus for no good reason, the stallion was no tyrant, but had virtually no patience or understanding for any action or being that rubbed him the wrong way. Otherwise, his loyalty to his kingdom and it's people was like his power.

...Unchallenged for over a century...

It takes not a wizard to realize that no mortal creature can exist in a seat of power for over a century and change little in appearance in doing so. Magnus was as "mortal" as the rest of his bloodline and many of his subjects were just the same way. Yet even as long as Magnus had lived, never had he sensed such a feeling of... "Opportunity" ever since this new "doorway" had appeared. For it linked to another world with possibly little to no knowledge of his kind, nor the ability to defend against an attack. If only Magnus knew just how very little the realm of Equestria knew of his kind, it would not spell well for their existence, for in that case, their world and all they know, would become no more than a mere myth that ceased to exist.

Breezerider was following the winding pathway toward the very fringes of the Drackenridge forest when a chill ran through the air that sliced through the pegasus with such a chill that he felt as if his blood would begin to freeze solid in his very veins. Shivering as he continued on toward the distant, yet imposing sight of the Drackenridge mountains. Sharp and jagged formations that seemed to stab from deep below the very ground itself. Piercing into the bottoms of the clouds and invading the heavens themselves. It was somewhat bizarre to think that such a powerful object such as the doorway would be placed inside something as imposing and mighty as a mountain itself, one would expect the Archaic race to hide such an item of immense power and destruction somewhere very secluded, somewhere it would never be found ever again. What its creators built it for, escaped the pegasi's mind, what Magnus would likely do with it however, Breezerider assured himself he knew just what his master intended to do.

Enter the doorway, and consume all life that it leads to, claiming their world as his own and re-building it in his image. A glorious kingdom for Magnus no doubt, but doom for all whom called it home before his arrival.

Breezerider simply could not allow this to happen, how a single pegasus was going to prevent the lord of Prancesylvania himself from doing so however, seemed to have no logical answer in any reality. Magnus knew he had means to access another world via the doorway; it was as if Magnus could actually smell all of the innocent and pure blood that this doorway leads to. Frankly, he couldn't even dream up a way he could prevent his own demise from getting in the way of Lord Magnus, as of all who stood before the imposing stallion, none still drew breath to this day... Doing so was a death sentence, without the sentence...

The cottage was still for the rest of the night as all of Ponyville was quiet, all but the large tree landmark that was the town's local library. Inside, it's ever knowledge hungry librarian and owner, Twilight Sparkle, poured through a pile of books as she tried to get a grasp on as much knowledge as possible of all that the town's new "visitor" had spoken of.

The kingdom of Prancesylvania, and more importantly, the Drackenridge Mountains and Caverns that lied not far from the Everfree Forest that they knew little about still, aside from some of its inhabitants and dangers. This stranger had not spoken of coming from very terribly far away, so why did she get the unnerving feeling that he was from somewhere MUCH further away from Ponyville itself than what he spoke of? Twilight hunted through as much of the library's texts as she could find that related to the strange stallion's travels, discovering that there was indeed a mountain range beyond the Everfree Forest. Twilight's eyes went wide as saucers as she read the name of the mountain range beyond the Everfree Forest.

Twilight placed a bookmark on the page she had left off reading and closed the book with a hoof, levitating her bag into the room as she used her magic to place the book into her bag, along with the map that this "Kayne" stallion had drawn out to plot out his travels. Heading to the only being she must deliver this information to as soon as possible. Twilight would have simply sent Celestia a message instead, but this was a matter that needed to be handled in pony and Spike was deep asleep anyways. Twilight galloped outside and locked to door to her library home as she focused the magic in her horn and vanished in a soft flash of light.

Twilight reappeared near the castle steps in Canterlot as she hurried toward and up the steps as the present night guards took somewhat alarmed notice of the young mare making such haste toward the royal castle. Twilight was unsure if the guards had even been given enough time to see her cutiemark embroidered on her pack in the split second she rushed past them. There was little time to stop and answer their questions; the safety of her friends could be in danger, as well as all of Ponyville if her suspicions were correct. It would be morning in just a few more hours, not long before Celestia was to raise the sun as always, It was Twilight's thankfulness that Alicorns did not require sleep like ponies did and from this Twilight knew that Celestia would be aware of her most faithful student's arrival, possibly even of what information the young mare came to tell the benevolent ruler of all ponykind.

It was not Celestia that Twilight found first; rather it was a shocked Luna that Twilight ran into, literally. The alicorn set dazed for a moment before standing back up and offering to help Twilight to her hooves. Upon seeing whom she had crashed into however, Twilight was taken by sheer fear, as if the midnight blue alicorn would transform into Nightmare Moon and turn Twilight into a pile of ash.

"I do apologize Twilight, I was only walking through the halls to let the staff know that I requested to travel to Ponyville to look for something." Luna spoke softly as she seemed just as timid as Fluttershy often might.

Twilight stumbled to her hooves and shook her head as if the epicenter of a magnitude 8.0 earthquake had just hit Canterlot.

"OH nononono! I'm sooo sorry for running into you princess, I'm just in a hurry to speak with Celestia!" Twilight quickly apologized before getting ready to gallop past the princess of the moon.

"You came to speak to Tia? That might be a bit hard as she left quite some time ago, sorry." Luna spoke as Twilight stopped in mid-gallop.

"Right then I need to... Oh... Well I should have know Celestia would know I was coming and would head straight to Ponyville to investigate." spoke Twilight proudly as Princess Luna held out a hoof and shook her head.

"Tia left to go to Gallopolis for an emergency meeting with King Stridington about the upcoming running of the leaves celebration this year, now you spoke of an investigation of some kind at Ponyville, is something wrong there?" asked the princess as Twilight felt as if she'd just eaten a stomach full of rocks as she swallowed the lump in her throat and explained the story of "Kayne" the stallion, as quickly as possible without skipping any important details.

Kayne had been resting upon the couch for many hours when a strange sound outside caused his eyes to shoot open. Raising his head and glancing out the nearby window as he determined the sound was coming from a chicken coop not far from the cottage, something had obviously disturbed the poultry. Kayne was about to return to his sleepless rest, until he realized Big Mac was asleep across the room. Kayne had no idea how deep a sleeper the red stallion was, but it was quite clear to Kayne that he would not be getting any sleep and this disturbance outside had peeked his curiosity.

Rising from the couch slowly, Kayne made his way across the wooden planks of the cottage floor as quietly as possible for an Equestrian of his size. His eyes watching Big Mac's form for any signs of movement, Though he would prove little threat to Kayne, he preferred to not give this stallion any reason to become provoked. Creeping around in the deep of the night inside a single mare's home was certainly an action the red stallion would deem upon grounds of confrontation. Still, Kayne had no foul intentions, just a desire to stretch his legs and get some fresh air, all while seeking the source of the disturbance outside.

Kayne took his time as he silently made his way toward the back of the cottage, deciding that attempting to exit through the front door would unlikely prove to be in his favor, as the front door had a soft squeak and Kayne saw no wish in doing anything that might awaken either of the sleeping Equestrians in the cottage. Making his way through the kitchen as he couldn't help but smirk to himself as he considered his chances of making it upstairs and having himself a midnight snack. Ever since he had arrived here through the gateway, the many unmistakable aroma's of innocent and pure, virgin blood had nearly driven him mad with hunger, yet the scent of sweet innocence and purity from this mare was down right intoxicating.

Either way, Kayne opened the dutch style doors carefully and stepped outside, taking in a deep breath of air, wondering to himself just how long it had really been since he'd wanted to breathe in fresh air like so. Perhaps a century or two at the least he imagined, fresh air was something not exactly common in Pranceslyvania.

The night air was crisp and cool, the glimmering heavens above twinkled with the life of a billion distant suns as Kayne made his way across the lush grass toward the chicken coop. It wasn't long before a sound caught his ears, grasping his cane firmly in his mouth as it's tip crackled with energy, primed to dispatch anything that did not belong here, other than himself. However, his head suddenly began to feel as if it was on the verge of an implosion, his ability to focus upon the noise nearby was broken as he fought against a sensation that could only be described as being set on fire from inside. It was not the sensation of pain that struck Kayne as concerning, but the mere idea that he was actually feeling pain in the first place, as Kayne has not felt such a pain since...

Well, since the day he was still a mortal stallion, back in the polyponiesian period.

As Kayne began to regain the ability to force his eyes back open, his vision fell upon the form of the mare whom he had originally imagined to be fast asleep in her bed back in the cottage, a small weasel at her side looking quite ashamed of himself. Sensing something off in the way the mare was looking at him, he choose to speak before being spoken to as he removed his cane from his mouth..

"It would seem I'm not the only light sleeper around here madam, I heard a peculiar sound outside, coming from this general direction and sought out to discover it's source. As comforting as your home is, I must admit I was desiring some fresh air as well."

The meek mare still seemed rather stand-offish toward him, though Kayne couldn't help but feel her current actions were far from uncommon, her name even bore the word "shy" in it after all, so perhaps it was not just his appearance that seemed to have her so spooked. Kayne had "dealt" with her kind before, shy, cautious, quiet and reserved ponies like her always begged for their lives in the most vibrant of ways right before he extinguished the light in their expressive, teary eyes.

"I still do not understand you miss Fluttershy, you seem quite unable to trust me, I mean not to strike your feelings madam, but that truly hurts me, You've no doubt saved my life, yet you will not simply allow me to kiss the hoof of whom has given me shelter and care?"

Kayne was as good at faking harmlessness as he was being silent, it was a big part of what had kept him alive, there were many lives ripe for the taking, you just had to know how to talk them into trusting you.

The mare issued a soft squeak and shook her head as her mane fell over her face. Just as Kayne was about to further inquire the mare, a familiar scent entered his nostrils. The smell of sadness, the unmistakable smell of fresh tears. Kayne knew this smell all too well, as it accompanied every single one of his victims, tears from either the pain of being bitten, or the fear of losing their life.

But this was wrong...

Kayne had yet to attack this mare or even make a threat upon her life, though his mind had thought up the many ways he could easily slay such a soft and innocent mare, her night shattering scream would be the only danger she would pose. Still, she was the only mare nearby and the smell of tears was fresh and growing ever more pungent. So, what had caused this mare to suddenly break out into tears?

"I'm sorry mister... P..please forgive me... I tried..."

It was as if the voice of a tiny songbird from half a mile away had spoken, just barely audible to the normal hearing range, yet Kayne's sharp ears adjusted to her tiny voice instantly. Again, Kayne was left in a unfamiliar fog, one that confused and mystified him. Sadness, this mare was emitting auras of sadness like a river of shattered dreams and broken promises, yet he could only detect a small degree of fear from her. This creature was far more depressed then fearful, this was abnormal to Kayne's experience of pony psychology, as her fear should have equaled her sadness. More than ever, this mare confounded the wolf in pony's clothing.

"Forgive me if I seem a bit slow, but I was always taught it was the saved that gave thanks to their savior miss Fluttershy." spoke Kayne as he couldn't help but get to the bottom of this mare's odd behavior.

It was after his sentence that the mare rose her head enough to make what could pass as eye contact with him, staring at the ground more than him as her quiet voice spoke.

"D..don't do this.. p..please... I know what's happening... I'm sorry... I tried..."

Kayne raised a brow in universal confusion, had this mare read his mind, and if so, why was she not fearful of him? What did she mean by "I tried?" Kayne was healing very quickly, frankly, he was healing TOO quickly to be possibly considered normal. So what failure was this mare referring to? From deep within, Kayne could feel his confusion being replaced with anger.

"Madam, I came to seek the sound outside yet all I hear is your pleading to forgive me, what's the meaning of this, I demand that you answer me mare."

Kayne was quite shocked when the mare stood and very submissively approached him, placing a hoof upon his chest softly, her tear stained eyes looking into his blue eyes as she sniffled.

"Saving sick and injured creature's is my life mister... I... I know when a creature is beyond help, It's rare that I find an animal I cannot heal and nurture, but it does happen... It rips my heart apart when I lose an animal under my care..." she whimpered.

Kayne intended to question her again about these unfounded feelings of hers, yet his ears found her voice again before he could find his own.

"Mister Kayne, There's no need to hide it, you might not know it yourself, b...but... I know y...you're..you're...dying..."

Kayne knew at that point his suspicions of this mare were correct, there was indeed something very different about her from the others. Though it would no doubt cause him great turmoil in the near future, Kayne felt it was only necessary to reward this mortal mare with the truth, and so, Kayne began.

"Yes miss Fluttershy, I know I'm dying, I've been dying for a span of time longer then you could understand. I've been in your care long enough that you must have realized that I'm not normal, while the food and drink you have offered me would suit a king himself, I must admit that I cannot survive on it, My body is dying of hunger for what I need to survive, It is my estimation that if I do not feed within the next few nights, I will cease to continue living, If I ever had a life to begin with that is."

Fluttershy looked to the large stallion as her tear stained features wore a confused expression.

"But, I don't understand... What do you need to eat and drink if not food and water?"

Kayne stood over her and spoke without emotion as he answered her question.

"Blood miss Fluttershy, The very fluid that gives all you mortal ponies life. For a vampallion like myself to live, I must drink fresh blood."

"So, I can see why this stallion's story might concern you, but that's still not enough proof of lying on his part to approach Celestia with this Twilight." spoke Luna as she turned to walk on toward the staff room.

"No, but this is." spoke Twilight as she hovered the map Kayne had drawn and the book that she had bookmarked, the map floating before the princess as she read it's details carefully, her eyes narrowing as she did so, looking toward Twilight to say something before the unicorn thrust the open book at the Princess, resting open at the page the bookmark had rested upon.

"...filled with various creatures of varying proportions, yet many prove dangerous within the Forests of Everfree, such is paled in comparison to the devoid of life mountain ranges known only as Canter's Chill, being too cold in climate for the surrounding wildlife to flourish, the mountain’s high altitude air also being too thin to..."

Luna raised a hoof as she forced the book down so she could look directly at Twilight.

"I know what the true geography of Equestria is named without needing to refer to a book Twilight Sparkle, What concerns me is not only why this Stallion spoke lies to you, but why you did not speak of this to us sooner. He must not suspect that we are aware of his deceit, but your friends may very well be in terrible danger, we must act quickly, before it is too late. I will travel to Gallopolis and let Celestia know of this, I'd tell you to go home and get some rest, but I know that will not be possible after all this, I would never ask of you to do such a dangerous action Twilight, but I advise you stay near this stallion, You may be the only one strong enough to subdue him till help arrives, should he prove dangerous."

With that said Twilight nodded her head and vanished in a blink of light. Luna turned and looked to the moon as she took flight toward Gallopolis, a single thought repeating over in her mind.

"The name... I cannot say i've ever heard such a name before, but it once was a title we used for something I rather not imagine being in Ponyville, not our home, not our world..."

Her body shook as her stomach felt like it had just been filled with rocks.

Sure, this stallion was certainly different in almost every way possible, but his voice spoke of such nasty things. He spoke of how he took the lives of others just to keep himself alive, even if they were all bad ponies, they still deserved better than to die.

"So, now you are the first to know of what I really am miss Fluttershy, I will go now, deep into the forests you call "Everfree" and I shall never return again, that much I promise you, as a token of my gratitude for all your kindness."

Kayne turned and walked off, only making it a short distance before her voice called out again.

"Wait... You said you'd never return again... Mister... please... I don't want you to hurt anypony else, but you can't just die... You still have feelings, if you were such a bad pony, then you would have hurt us all."

Kayne stopped and turned his head back toward her, a glare in his eyes as he walked back toward her, speaking in a low voice as he closed the distance between them, the volume of his voice rising as he neared her.

"Ever since I arrived, I have been fighting this hunger, for days now I've wanted nothing more than to kill you all, yet I cannot bring myself to do so... The overwhelming sensation of pure and innocent blood everywhere I turn, how much it could soothe my dying hunger. I can no longer control my thirst for blood, and I put you all in danger with every second longer I spend here!"

Kayne now stood above the trembling mare, glaring down at her as his razor sharp canines now shone in the moonlight.

"You have been by far the most... difficult... to keep from attacking, even now as I stand this near to you, I can smell your blood, sense your fear and hear the sound of your nervous heart beating. That smell, your fear... How much it makes me crave to listen to that final intoxicating sound of yours...seize up in silence."

Kayne slammed a hoof into the ground next to her side with enough force to shatter solid granite, looking into her eyes as it was apparent it took everything in his willpower to re-direct that otherwise life ending stomp. His eyes were a furious mix of anger and fear, like a cornered cat before Cerberus himself, hopeless, but determined.

Kayne could not suppress a vile hiss as Fluttershy placed a hoof upon his and smiled softly.

"You're not a bad stallion, I know that because I can see it in your eyes, you were a good pony before you became what you are now, otherwise you would have hurt us mister, You have to see that yourself, you're fighting it... I want to help you fight it... if that's alright..."

Kayne's glare remained upon her as his muzzle lowered toward her neck, his mouth and nose less than an inch from her vulnerable neck. His breath was ice cold and carried the smell of many lives upon it as his nose remained next to her neck for quite sometime. A short snort issued from him as he raised his head as quickly as he had lowered it and stepped away from her.

"You would do well to learn what creatures you should not trust, Your intentions are in the right place, but I'm not just a bird with a broken wing you can nurse back to health, I'm evil... I can only survive upon the losses of others, that is no form of living to me. I never considered the price of the lives I've took, until I came here that is..."

Fluttershy remained were she was, digging at the ground with her hoof as she debated upon something Kayne had spoken.

"Kayne, you said you need to drink blood to survive, you also said I was the one you wanted to... kill... the most..."

The meek pegasus shuddered as she spoke the word "kill" in a sentence, let alone in a sentence about herself. Her fear more then doubling as Kayne approached her again, his face blank of emotion.

"Go on... but think carefully before you speak mare, As my hunger increases, Your time is running out."

The yellow pegasus nodded her head, her heart hammering in her chest with fear as she continued.

"You said that my blood is what you crave the most I also said before that I wanted to help you and I still mean every word of it, all I ask is if you can drink another pony's blood without killing them... or worse." Fluttershy finished.

Kayne shook his head grimly.

"I wish for neither of us to die, but of all the times I have consumed blood, never have I ever considered stopping until my hunger is fulfilled, rarely is there ever any blood left in a pony of your size when my hunger is filled, and it's shortly after they have passed away. It is much like your breathing, I can survive on little, but eventually I will need more, the more I have, the longer I can go without. Given my age, I can survive on one good feeding for months."

Fluttershy nodded her head and swallowed a lump in her throat as she offered an outstretched hoof toward him.

"I don't want either of us to die either Kayne, at least let my trust in you prove that, just... please be gentle."

Kayne looked to the mare rather dumbfounded as he rejected the offered hoof.

"Not a chance in all the lands that are holy would I allow such a thing Fluttershy, Your trust is noble, though pointless in it's nature, I would need more blood then you could give. Even if I could stop myself from killing you on the first bite, your body simply could not support the life of two and eventually you would wither and die of Anemia. No matter how you think you can save me, I'm still damned to this life of death."

"Kayne, nothing is worse than dying alone like you speak of doing, Please, just let me try to help you, if what you say is true, then after drinking my blood, you would hunger for no pony else's... just mine. Please... I'd rather wither away then fail at helping somepony else, Don't leave your death in my hooves Kayne."

The stallion looked to the stars above and then back to the mare before him as his tail twitched violently in debate. His eyes shot between the Everfree forest and the yellow pegasus.

"Miss Fluttershy, you have a life here to live and friends who love you, you have too many priceless gifts and blessings in your life to gamble... Why would you risk it all for a stranger?"

Fluttershy shook her head and nuzzled Kayne's neck reassuringly.

"You're not a stranger, you're a friend Kayne, and I always help my friends in any way I can."

"Are you absolutely certain? It will hurt tremendously... More pain than you can possibly imagine... Your friend inside will hear your scream and I will be found out, and likely killed." spoke Kayne, attempting to scare the mare's intentions away.

The yellow pegasus just shook her head again and offered her neck to him.

"Anything for a friend... I get scared and scream all the time... Don't worry about it."

Kayne shook his head, his need to feed coupled with the most enticing smelling creature offering herself to him was too much to bear.

"Since I have reason to doubt your words, I have ways of knowing when my feeding is putting your life in danger."

Spoke Kayne as he lifted a hoof over her, placing a small fraction of his weight upon her as his fangs pierced her neck, when she started becoming weak from blood loss, he'd feel her trembling below. He had previously discovered this method when a rather seedy female had approached him decades ago, demanding his seed or threatening to kill him. Obviously drunk and not aware of her actions, though he still drank her blood, but did not take her life.

True to his word, the pain in her neck was inexplicably horrible, like two white-hot daggers driven all the way through her neck. It was all she could do to keep herself from collapsing out of sheer shock as the vampallion feasted upon the vital fluid coming from her neck. For Kayne it was just short of bliss as the warm sensation filled his senses with life, savoring the taste of fresh blood in his mouth as he became lost in a blood-thristy feast.

Fluttershy grimaced at the feeling in her neck as it spread all throughout her body, unsure if she was becoming weaker or if Kayne was seeming heavier and heavier. Truth be told, it was both, for as Kayne drank, his body relaxed in releif, placing more and more weight upon Fluttershy as his drinking of her blood weakened her in turn.

Fluttershy's head ached and burned as she began to doubt her decision as her entire body began to tremble, her hooves shaking as her back began to sag.

"Kayne...  Please... You're hurting me... I... I can't take this much longer!" she cried, her vision blurring as her body swayed and sunk below him.

Kayne continued to feast upon the pegasus's warm blood as her small frame quivered below him, on the verge of collapsing as the sound of her cries, the virgin blood in his mouth and her trembling filled him with many forms of euphoric pleasure, far more than any mortal pleasure could ever hope to meet.

"...Kayne... Please..." she whimpered, her quivering legs giving out below her as the world around her grew dark as her frail body crumpled below him with one last soft and final squeak.

The light of the moon shining outside could never hope to reach the depths of Drackenridge mountain that Magnus had, it's light only licked at the cave's entrance as deep within, Magnus stood before the archway that was left behind from it's arcane creators, for reasons unclear. For all intents and purposes, the archway seemed no more "alive" or "powerful" then the rest of the surrounding cavern walls, yet the archway's blackest, mirror-like surface gave it an aura of something far beyond mere carved stone and magic.

Magnus stood before the structure and gazed upon it with a barely concealed smirk as he laid one of his silver talons upon the structure's base and drug the metallic appendage across its surface, seemingly unsurprised as his talon melted away in a blinding, white-hot flash, as if it had just come in contact with the surface of the sun itself, glancing down only to address his singed fetlock.

"It seems my decision to personally investigate this finding has become rather fruiticious, as I can feel an immense power within this object, Only something of great power is used to defend something of even greater worth." he spoke as his voice echoed off the cavern's walls as his own words agreed with his own statement.

The large stallion raised his hoof so that 3 razor-like silver talons, and one molten stub of the fourth came into his view, his vision focused upon the latter, inspecting the charred remains carefully, his vision shifting between the archway's flawless surface and the melted remains of his fourth silver talon, as if he would find the answer his mind was currently searching for.

"Most curious, these very talons are composed of Pure Mythrill, a created metal that is simply impervious to all dark magic; Its most appealing to me that this archway has affected them in such a violently degrading manner. Blades such as these could pluck the empty, sinister chasm from the mighty demon, Methospohiles, chest where his heart would have dwelled, had he ever been mortal... Yet this dormant structure destroys them as if they were made of mere parchment put to a flame."

Magnus's attention was pulled from the object before him as he heard the sound of hooves from behind approaching him. Magnus had come alone and whatever the equestrian's reason for following him was... The being behind him was as good as dead already... However, the Lord was both impressed that a being could be either so bold or naive to follow him, and for what reason. Magnus heard the hoof steps stop and cleared his throat deeply, turning toward the being behind him as his expression was deceivingly soft and kind.

"And to whom to I owe the pleasure of joining me this fine evening?" Magnus spoke in a fake, yet impeccably polite voice as his eyes rested upon the very pegasus of whom he had kept Cryil, his long deceased brother and local haunt of his great castle, from killing just the other night.

"Ah, Breezerider, My most dedicated researcher, do enlighten me upon what brings you to follow the explicitly private matters of your lord and master." Magnus spoke in his still kind and polite voice.

"I came to warn you that Duke Kayne's presence in the other realm, it's dangerous for their realm for him to remain there master... His presence could tear their reality asunder." Breezerider swallowed the lump in his throat as he got to the point of his choice to pursue Magnus.

"I also know you intend to claim this other realm for your own and make it ours. Master, forgive me, but I came here to stop you from entering that archway, one of our kind in their realm is bad enough for their world and Duke Kayne's existence is in danger as well, but I implore you to not enter that doorway, their realm simply cannot survive another of our kind existing in their world... their realm, Kayne's life and your existence will all be torn from us if you accompany Kayne's actions Master."

Magnus could have slain the foolish pegasus right then and there, but Magnus did love a good drama and the opportunity for a show was impossible to pass up, he'd rather play with this Pegasi's mind first, part of his punishment for his actions. Magnus's voice came as soft as ever as he slowly walked up to the smaller pegasus, yet after what Breezerider had just confessed to, such a quiet tone from Magnus was far more chilling then an all out bellow of rage from his lord and master.

"Breezerider, did my ears hear correctly, could you clarify to me that YOU intend to prevent ME from doing something of my own royal accord dear boy? Is that truly what your great quest in following me all this way, is all about?"

Breezerider knew that despite the tone of his master's voice, Magnus took none too kindly to traitors in the least; he knew his own death was soon to come, and that it would be far from short and painless.

"I came, to save the lives of my Lords, my kind and our world, the only way I could do so was to go against the will of my own Lord and ruler of our kingdom master, I apologize for preventing you from your royal decision, but I simply cannot allow you to bring harm to Duke Kayne and our kingdom."

Magnus continued past Breezerider's form, stopping just as his hindquarters were even with Breezerider's head. The royal stallion was silent for a moment before responding in a much more normal tone, one that retained such thunder as he spoke, that grains of stone fell from all around the cavern's roof, despite the low volume of his voice.

"This information is most appealing Breezerider, however, it is of little concern to me. Your suspicions are correct, however, I do intend to claim this realm, but first, I must await Kayne's actions if I am to do so, If it takes tearing their fragile little reality apart to do so, then so be it."

At this point, Magnus turned his head toward the cavern's wall, away from Breezerider's direction as he continued.

"Breezerider... My most loyal servant of research, why did you choose to pursue me mortal, you know very well this cave will now be your final resting place for doing so. You never gave me reason to doubt your abilities of research and you saved many of our kind, so I ask, what drives you to make such a foolish act such as this?"

Breezerider wanted to just close his eyes and await his punishment, yet he remained with his vision toward the archway, seeming to look straight through it as he responded, his voice steady, through his evident sorrow.

"The beings in this other world master... They're innocent and pure, their world would never know the tragedies and terrors that ours has so often been burdened with. I'm only mortal master, it's in my nature to defend what is right for the common good, even if it is not my own people of which I choose to defend, it's my heart Lord Magnus... Unlike yours, mine still beats and lives... It lives for justice and upholding the rights of all living kind that deserve a fair chance at living."

Breezerider was about to continue with what was likely to be his last words when he felt a heavy hoof rest upon his back, the stinging, icy sensation of cold metal sinking into his hide caused him to grimace in pain as the tips of Magnus's talons tapped upon the side of his chest where his heart rested.

"Indeed, You are only mortal and you do the bidding of your warm and fleshy little heart, yet so easily is the strength of a mortal robbed when his precious fluids are lost, tell me something pegasus, what matters more to your kind in life, your blood, or your flesh?" spoke Magnus as one of his talons tensed, cleaving Breezerider's left wing clean off effortlessly. The pegasus responded with a shrill howl of agony as his limb was detached by the cold, uncaring metal.

"Though your body finds your blood MUCH more vital then these wings of yours, I think that to you, your existence is without its prime meaning without the ability of flight.. So tell me boy, now that I have seen to it that you will never fly again, how do you feel, for you still seem very much alive to me, despite the rapid rate of which your losing those vital fluids we were just speaking of." spoke Magnus as his attention was now upon the pegasus face, seeming genuinely curious.

"I feel immense amounts of pain Master, more than I have ever felt in my entire..." Breezerider never got to finish his sentence as Magnus lashed out and clamped his fangs around the pegasus's other light and fragile wing, ripping it from the very socket and stomping his hoof down upon the two bleeding stumps upon Breezerider's back as he roared.

"NO! NOW YOU ARE EXPERIENCING THE WORST PAIN IN YOUR LIFE!! thundered Magnus as he forced his hoof down, satisfied as he felt the pleasant sensation of the creature's bones and vital internal organs succumb to the might of his hoof.

Magnus focused his full attention back upon the archway as he removed the deadly array of bloody blades from his hoof as they clattered to the floor of the cave. Approaching the archway with no sense of fear, as if it were no more dangerous than a common housefly as he placed his hoof upon it's gleaming surface and stared into the open space within the archway. The obsidian where his hoof had rested began to glow with an unnatural shade of red as spider-like cracks began to run through his hoof, the color from his charred fetlock began to fade from its normal shade of midnight black, to a milky grey as the hair began to fall away from it, as if the very life was being drained from his hoof as the milky-grey continued up his foreleg and to his shoulder. It was unclear if the process was causing Magnus any pain or not, though his concentrated gaze remained unchanged and fixed upon the archway's interior.

It was until the lifeless grey climbed up the right side of his head that he removed his hoof from the archway, the color not returning to his faded features upon his right side as he returned to the bloody display behind him and smirked.

"You could have brought the rest of our kingdom Breezerider, it would have made no difference, for I now know what you were so willing to die to protect dear boy, Sad that your sacrifice has gone to waste without truly knowing what it was you died for, you were terribly wrong in doing so dear boy, now I know, I have sensed more life and purity beyond this gateway then I have ever imagined possible before."

Magnus glared at the damage done to his hoof, then back to the archway and shook his head.

"Kayne, my one and only son... This world is far too valuable to risk losing...

...Kayne... my son...

You must perish, so that I may claim this world.