Author's Note

Greetings fellow reader.

As mentioned in the description of this story, it's an attempt, my second attempt, at writing mature and more specific gore. My first quickly descended into something that had gore, for the sake of gore. It was something I quickly deleted after I noticed how much the *cough cough* story had descended into bloody smut.

This here has a fixed frame, I don't have to be too creative to make it gory, the world itself does that for me.

So please, if you have something to say about the story, even if negative, do it in a friendly and constructive manner. After all, I want to become better as writer.

Sorry for the long author's note.

If possible, have fun with the story.

Well...

Whatever...

See ya next chapter.

Welcome to Deadside, The Marrow Gates

The Marrow Gates

Twilight slowly, oh so slowly, opened her eyes. Hissing and groaning at the pain that was snapping through her whole body. She felt like she had been hit by a truck.

Which she had been.

She didn't remember much. Closing her eyes she reached up with her hooves, rubbing her skull.

She had been with her friends, her Canterlot High friends, walking through the town. They had been on their way to... a cinema? She groaned, more pain echoing through her body. She had noticed that her shoe had opened and kneeled down to tie it. As she looked up she saw that her friends, apparently not aware that they had left her behind, had already crossed the road.

She didn't look at the traffic lights as she walked on the street.

But she definetly saw the truck coming.

The next thing was pain. Unending, indescribable pain going through her whole body.

And for some reason, following a reflex she didn't knew she had, she embraced the pain, she cherished it.

It was as if the pain was something important.

"What's going on?" She groaned. Lowering her hooves she opened her eyes, looking at her surroundings. Her eyes widened. She closed her eyes, rubbing them, not wanting to believe what they showed her, she opened them again.

She was sitting on a rock in the middle of a lake. A sanguine lake.

A lake of blood.

"What in tartarus!?" Standing up she looked around, fear taking hold of her heart. "Where am I?" Her wings flared wide in shock.

But something was different. Twilight looked at her wings.

And shrieked in surprise.

Her wings were practically gone. They were broken, twisted and mangled, barely recognizable as wings. They looked more like bony legs of an insect. She wasn't even sure how she was still able to move them.

'When did this happen? What's going on!?' Her mind raced.

Something moaned, interrupting her trail of thoughts, something very close to her, resembling a voice. The voice of a female, behind her.

Turning around she saw into the dead eyes of a human woman, her naked body coated in wounds and scars. The bloodless flesh of her arms, her broken arms, reaching up to Twilight.

Recoiling with another shriek, Twilight slipped, tumbling down into the sanguine lake. The iron taste of blood, washed through her mouth, into her throat and down her esophagus. Flailing around, Twilight stood up, coughing and retching, surpressing the urge to vomit. The blood was reaching up to her shoulders, soaking into her coat, mattening her mane and burning in her eyes. Still coughing and blinded by blood, she began to wade away from the human.

'Where am I? What's happening!?' Her mind was practically screaming at her. Her instinct told her to flee, as far away as possible. 'A nightmare! This is just a terrible nightmare!'

Her panicked mind was looking around, seeing more and more shadowy figures appear around her, some far away, some close enough that she could see details. The man, his stomach cut wide open, the emptiness where his innards should be. The woman with the missing face, her broken jaw dangling from the tendons, her tongue ripped and shredded. The little child, his head spl-

Twilight screamed. She screamed in utter terror, in fear, in panic.

Tripping over a rock she lost her balance, stumbling facefirst into the blood again. Luckily she managed to close her mouth fast enough, the blood only entering her nose. Surfacing again, with blood dripping from her face, she shuffled around, finally getting her hooves back under her body, she stood up, fleeing from the monstrosities.

After a few more steps she noticed the blood getting shallower. With each step it became easier to move, faster, quicker.

And then she heard the heavy clops of her steps as more blood splattered to the ground.

Running for her life she followed the path, through fissures in the canyon jumping over holes in the ground and ducking away from more of the strange undeads.

After an eternity of panicked running, Twilight tripped again, landing on her stomach, her legs sprawled out. Gasping and wheezing Twilight lay there. She didn't know how far she had gone. All she remembered was jumping over a few cliffs and running through a cave.

And the moaning of the creatures, reaching out for her as she ducked away from their grasps.

Now she lay there, eyes closed, gasping and wheezing.

And then her ear picked up the sound of something familiar.

The crackling of fire.

Opening her eyes she sat up, ignoring the scrapes on her legs and stomach she searched for the welcoming warmth of the fire.

Her eyes widened. She was at the end of a path, in front of her, a giant clearing. In the middle of it were two massive stone columns, like teeth, pointing to the dark skies, a monstrous tower standing in the distance, splitting the sky, a vortex of clouds shrouding it's top. A hallway of fire lead up to a massive gate, a gate made of bones, looking like a ribcage, protecting the path behind it like a heart.

And a few steps away from her at the left column, sat a snake. The snake, a human skull as face and a tophat adorning it's head looked at her. It definetly saw her but decided to wait what she would do.

The snake looked different. Yes, scary but still different. More... for the lack of words, alive. It's eyes had the faint glimmer of sentient life in them.

Slowly standing up Twilight looked at the creature, her fear of snakes instantly taking hold of her heart. Her still panicking mind, screamed at her to just run away. But she knew that she couldn't run forever. She needed help.

Fighting her fear and panic, Twilight stepped closer to the serpent.

The eyes of the snake glimmered as it's smile seemed to widen, however that was possible.

"If that isn't one weird revenant." It spoke, in a heavy accented male voice. "Well hello little... pony?"

Twilight gulped. "Hello?"

"And it speaks!" The serpent wiggled, slithering closer. "Now that's somethin. A speaking undead pony."

Furrowing her brows Twilight looked at the snake.

It's face froze, expression changing. "Oh... you don't know it yet!" He slithered around Twilight, a cackle on his lips. "You're a newcomer...." Bowing down, he took a look at her belly, Twilight obstructed his view by quickly raising a backleg. "And still in one piece." His eyes falling on her wings, he frowned "Well mostly." He added. Slithering closer to her face his frown turned upside down. "Cooooool."

Stepping away from the serpents, putrid breath, Twilight gulped again. Though some questions burned on her tongue.

"What do you mean undead? Where am I?" She asked.

The snake laughed, a loud bellowing laugh. "Incredible! A talking undead pony that isn't aware of it's state."

"What are you talking about!?" Twilight shouted at the serpent.

"You are dead, dear." The snake answered. "Or... undead."

Twilight's eyes widened. "What? No! That's impossible!"

"Oh is it? Then tell me 'impossible undead pony'. "He writhered even closer, now staring directly into her eyes. "Did ya meet the weird human creatures in the canyons behind ya? Ya know the ones moaning and screaming, thirstin' for blood?" Twilight nodded. "And did you wake up in a lake of blood?" Another nod. "Well then, welcome to deadside I guess." The snake laughed again. "I'm your friendly host, Jaunty, keeper of the Marrow Gates."

"Jaunty." A voice behind Twilight interrupted. "You are a writhing doorstep, nothing more." Turning around Twilight looked into the burning eyes of a man, a man with a burning skull in his brown chest. His determined gaze looking at her.

Looking past Twilight, Jaunty smiled. "Hello Michael! I wondered if I'd every see your smiling mug again."

"The feelings mutual." He answered. "And what do we have here?" The man, Michael looked at Twilight. "Since when do you talk to revenants?"

Jaunt laughed again. "Oh, you won't believe it Michael, this one here's a newcomer, and she's totally adamant about being alive and all that stuff."

"I'm not a revenant!" She screamed at Jaunty. "And I'm definetly alive!"

Jaunty looked at her. "But girl, you are here..." He tapped the ground with his tail. "This whole place isn't called deadside because it has a nice ring to it you know?"

"But... but..." Twilight looked at the serpent with big eyes. "How?"

"Oh you know... being stabbed or shot, then there is drowning, burning, dissolving... oh, oh my personal favorite, decapitation by guillotine and being run over, suffocating...."

"Shut up Jaunty." Michael interrupted the snakes babbling. "And concentrate on what's important."

"Of course Michael." Jaunty answered.

"And stop calling me Michael." The man continued, annoyed. "Michael LeRoi has no place here in deadside, please refer to me as Shadow Man."

"Whatever you want Mike." Jaunty smiled. "So how's it been? Still hanging out with that old battle-axe?"

"How could I not?" Michael answered.

"Huh, I bet she filled your head with that fetid pillow talk about armaggedon and doomsday and all that junk until your head exploded." He continued. "Oh that's why you're here!"

Ignoring the joke, he shook his head. "She indeed mentioned one prophetic dream she had." He stated.

"Well did she now?" Jaunty turned around. "Looking at that big, black, bloody tower over there she might be right this time."

Twilight followed their gazes. She had noticed the tower before.

"Is that... unusual?" Twilight asked.

Jaunty turned around, looking at her. "No, no... that's totally normal, for giant monuments of evil to just appear." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. After a second he continued. "Of course it's not! Nothing has been there before, just clouds, and the sky. Sometimes a deadwing or two."

"Jaunty." Michael interrupted again. "Focuss, ignore her. Tell me what's going on here?"

"Ah Michael, I wish I could tell you something." He straightened his tophat. "All I know is that it appeared out of nowhere, and that it's a dark place." Looking at Twilight he added: "Dark as in gruesome, horrendous, not dark-dark."

"Thank you..." Twilight answered sarcastically.

Shaking his head, Michael's voice got an annoyed tone. "Anything about the dark souls?"

"Negative answer again." Jaunty answered. "All I know is what Nettie told me, neigh indestructible and terribly dangerous."

"Any idea where I could find them?" Michael asked.

"Hmm... you could try it in those old temples, between all those shiverers and moaners. I'm sure that the old ones guarded some." Looking up to the big tower again he shivered. "Let's just hope none of those damned souls found their ways into that blasted tower."

"If what Nettie is saying is true than some of them might already have." Michael walked towards the gate. "Open the gate Jaunty."

"Oh come on, you just got here." Jaunty pleaded.

"Just open the gate Jaunty." Michael answered, his voice practically ordering it.

"Have I ever told you how Attila and I played bowling with the severed heads of the french aristocrats?"

"Jaunty!" Michael shouted.

"Oh fine, fine." Jaunty turned to the gate. "Open sesame!" The gate opened with the creaking and cracking of breaking bones. "I'll wait here Michael, whenever you want to come back and chat. Maybe we can have some of that old hard stuff to lighten the mood."

"I don't drink... with snakes." Michael answered, walking through the gate.

Shaking his head in shock, Jaunty turned towards Twilight. "And what about you?" His smile seemed to widen again.

"I don't drink." Twilight answered, following Michael through the gate.

"Tch." Jaunty slithered back to his spot next to the fire.

The heavy clops of her steps in her ears, she followed the softer steps of the human, quickly catching up him.

"Hey!" Twilight shouted out to him. "Wait for me!" The man stopped, turning back.

A gun in his hand that he pointed at Twilight.

Startled, Twilight tried to stop, her hooves scratching over the ground before hitting a stone again, falling over, she slid a few teps further on her belly.

"Ow." She groaned.

"I don't have time for some random zombie to follow me around!" Michael stated, the gun inches away from Twilight's forehead. "I don't care what, who or why you are. So get out of my sight!"

Looking up to him, Twilight whimpered. "But... I need help and you..."

"I don't care!" He stated.

"But I might be able to help you too!" Twilight answered. "Please."

Lowering the gun he sighed, shaking his head.

"I don't have time for this." He looked at her. "I'm here to stop the apocalypse from happening, not playing babysitter."

"But-"

"No buts!" He stated, turning around and walking away. Leaving her to her thoughts alone.

'But...' Twilight followed him with her eyes, sadness rising in her.

It was of no use. He would never listen to her.

'Unless...' Twilight trotted through the cave, following him.

After a sprint through the cave, dodging more of the revenants she found herself in a much wider and bigger part of the cave. A spiral ramp at the edge of the room caught her eye, leading up to the second floor. In the middle of the room, standing in front of a pedestal was Michael, a big tome in his left hand, a deck of cards in his right.

Slowly walking closer, her ears perked, she looked at the man. His focussed eyes panning through the pages.

"What's that?" She asked.

Turning his head slightly he looked at her.

"A guide to 'get rid of annoyances'." He answered.

"Funny." She answered.

"I thought so too." He put the deck back into the book and placed it back on the pedestal. "But sadly..." He turned around, drawing his gun. "Only for me." He pointed the barrel at her, a weird turquoise bullet of energy, bearing a skull, gathering at the point.

Twilight ducked, the shot barely missing her, scorching some of her coat and mane, reacting quicker for the second shot, she jumped out of the way. Looking at him she saw determination in his burning eyes.

His voice, now much more menacing, was echoing through the hall.

"You want my protection? You want my help? Proof that you are worth my time!" He shouted, firing another shot at her.

Dodging more of his weird shots of energy she ran through the room.

But she quickly noticed that it was no use, the shots got more accurate with every one that he missed.

And then she was hit. One of them hit her right in the chest and she stopped in her tracks, looking down at herself. She saw the scorched coat, she saw the red skin underneath it. And then, like someone had shoved her mind, something clicked.

He would kill her.

And nopony would ever know what had happened.

She would never see her friends again.

Closing her eyes she heard the humming of his gun as he charged another shot.

She wouldn't allow that.

Firing up her horn she created a shield.

The shot hit the shield...

And went right through, scorching her left cheek and burning another hole in her mane, more hair falling to the floor.

'How!?' Her mind screamed. 'Nothing should be able to...' Her trail of thoughts interrupted as another shot hit her.

And this time something echoed inside of her. Something resounded. A high pitched scream. Something vibrant screamed at her. It was as if her heart was screaming. Another shot hit, scorching more of her coat.

Falling to her knees she looked up to the man, his ruthless eyes staring back, and tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Your soul sure is loud." He walked closer, placing the gun on Twilight's forehead. "Let me silence that for you."

Twilight closed her eyes.

She had lost.

She felt heat on her forehead, the tip of the gun practically drilling it's way into her skull.

'So that's how it ends...' She sobbed.

She heard the gunshot. Something splattered on her face.

And then screams. But not her own. Not the high pitched scream of that thing inside her.

It was a masculine scream, a shout of pure agony.

Opening her eyes she saw Michael in front of her, lifted of the ground, staring to the ceiling.

He groaned and turned his head, blood was rolling down his chin, dropping to the floor.

Twilight followed his gaze, her eyes widening.

Under him was a creature, a humanoid creature with long bone blades as forearm, which were prodding out of Michael's chest.

"Curse.. you.." He managed to spit out before the creature drew out one of it's blades.

"Meeeaaaaat...." It hissed before plunging the claw deep into his back again. The sound of ripping flesh, accompanied by the cracking of bones, and the raspy screams of the man made Twilight flinch.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKk-" He screamed before the fire of his eyes disappeared, his whole body turning into black ashes, rippling to the ground.

Twilight had watched the whole scene in shock. Her mind was denying that any of this was happening.

'It's a nightmare...' It whispered in her head. 'Just a nightmare...' The creature had closed in on Twilight, it's arms spread wide, the blades pointing at the mares body. Twilight didn't move. Her panicked body still denying any and all of this.

And then the blade met her shoulder, a giant tear appearing in her flesh.

The world went dark.

"Huh?" Twilight looked around. Her eyes only finding the darkness.

"Don't you think it's a little pathetic?" A voice behind her asked.

Jumping in surprise she turned around.

And looked into the eye of herself. The undead eye of a pony, it's grayish purple coat singed and torn. Bloodless gashes adorning her entire body. Broken wings dangling from her sides. Her mane and tail shorter than they used to be, ripped and felted. Her backlegs bend the wrong way, still carying her weight. The emptiness where her left eye should be, blood around her mouth.

"Look closely." The other spoke. "This is not a dream. This body-" She raised a hoof to her chest. "-will be yours." She reached out, touching Twilight's chest. She felt the hoof, but she felt no warmth, no bodyheat. Only the cold dead flesh.

"But only if you don't accept."

Twilight followed the hoof of the other, looking at her own chest.

"We will die if you don't accept the truth." She whispered. Tears began to well in Twilight's eyes, blurring her vision.

"You. Are. Dead." She stated, accenting every word.

"NOOOOOOO!" Twilight screamed.

And that something inside her answered. A massive purple shockwave send the creature flying, flinging it across the room. The wave began to dissipate, some of it in form of purple particles still lingering in the air.

And without her control, without her command the particels began to gather in front of Twilight, forming a spike.

Which then threw itself across the room, piercing the creatures chest and sending it into wall, pinning it there.

Twilight opened her eyes, looking at the creature, thrashing around, tugging at the spike in an attempt to free itself.

'Kill it.' That something inside her whispered.

'But...' Twilight began.

'DO IT!' It screamed. 'The spike won't last forever and once it's free it will continue to hunt you, it will never stop hunting you. And it will hurt you like it did before. And it will kill you!'

Still shocked, Twilight looked at the creatures thrashing, she saw cracks appearing in the spike.

'DO IT!' The voice ordered.

Twilight closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered.

And then the spike burst.

Ripping the creature apart. Thousands of shards flung themself through the flesh of the creature tearing it, parts of it splattering over the wall and the floor.

And in the middle of the red mist that was lingering in the air, slowly settling, was a glowing and pulsing pinkish orb, orbited by smaller once.

'Gather that.' The voice spoke. 'It will tend to your wounds.'

She began to walk closer to whatever that was.

'What has happened to me?' She whispered in her head, asking that other voice.

'You were unfortunate.' It answered. 'Dumb luck, cosmic case of unfairness, faith being a bitch. Karma, whatever you want to call it.'

'And what will happen to me now?' Twilight continued. 'Will I ever see my friends again? My parents? Anyone?'

The voice stayed silent for a few moments.

'There are two ways to answer this in a yes.' It concluded. 'Either you will find a way out... Or...'

'Or?' Twilight asked.

Oh how naive she had been.

'Or you will see them here again.' It finished.

Twilight fell to her knees again, her legs simply buckling away underneath her.

Tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Why?" She sobbed. "What did I do to deserve this?"

'Death takes indiscriminately.' It answered. 'Now dry your tears and continue.' It ordered. 'You won't find a way to return if you sit here crying.'

Twilight nodded. Slowly raising to a stand she looked at the weird orb right in front of her. It's light had gotten weaker.

'Quickly, take it.' It ordered again. 'Or it will vanish.'

Raising a hoof, Twilight stopped, inches away from it.

"What is it?" She asked in a whisper.

"A soul." A voice behind her answered, Twilight jumped, turning around.

And then looking into the burning eyes of Michael LeRoi.

"But... How?" Twilight stuttered. "You were... I saw you..."

Michael giggled, a dark grin appearing on his face as he began to move closer.

"I am the lord of deadside." He answered, his voice grim and dark, yet firm and bursting with determination. "Walker between the worlds, immortal voodoo warrior. As a god I stamp upon the writhing face of the deadside serpent, weapon in hand. My hand the arcing deathblow." He stopped in front of Twilight, looking down on her.

"Does that answer your question?" He raised a brow.

She nodded, paralysed by his words.

He nodded at the fainter glowing orb of the soul. "You should take it. It will mend your wounds."

Twilight looked at it, the soul. Turning away from it she shook her head.

"Why not?" Michael asked.

"I feel..." She began slowly. "Like I would lose my equinity. And I don't want to lose that." She answered.

"Equinity?" He looked at her confused. "Oh you mean humanity, just the horse version of it, clever." He grabbed the, now very faint, soul absorbing it into his hand. "But believe me, you being here means you already lost any sort of... equinity." He walked around her, towards the pedestal. Looking down on it he opened it again, taking out the deck of cards.

"Let's see what Les Cartes has to tell me." He looked at each card individually. Learning their hidden meaning, one card in particular peaked his interest. "One, two, four..." He continued whispering numbers. "twenty four, twenty five... makes.... 120." He concluded, tilting his head upwards, not looking at anything. "120 dark souls..." He whispered.

Something brushed against his leg and he looked down, seeing Twilight taking the book in her hooves.

"Hey, hey, stop that." He took the book out of her hooves. "That's important."

The book ignited, yellow flames engulfing it entirely, turning it into ashes.

Twilight's eyes widened, anger spilled into her voice. "You burned it?"

He nodded, igniting the cards in his hands. "Of course, how else am I supposed to carry them around?"

Dumbfounded by his answer she looked at him. "I don't know... a backpack maybe?"

He laughed. "Nobody got time for that." He shook his head, walking away from the pedestal towards the ramp.

"Wait for me!" She followed him.

He stopped, sighing quietly. Turning around he looked down on her. "Look, I know you want my help and all that crap, but I really have no time to babysit you."

"You won't have to!" Twilight answered.

"Are you sure?" He asked. "This place is nothing for the weak."

"I'm not!" She exclaimed. "Didn't I kill that monster?" She pointed towards the bloody wall.

"Oh yeah, you did." He answered. "But that was just a duppie, a lowclass monstrosity, barely noteworthy." He continued. "And look at you, this small fry kicked your ass."

Twilight looked at the ground. She knew he was telling the truth.

He sighed again, looking at her. "Look, if you can proof to me that you are strong enough to kill something bigger than that, I will take you with me."

Twilight looked up to him. "Okay... And what?"

He chuckled. "Well right now..." He panned through the room, spreading his arms. "I'm probably the biggest fry here in deadside, if you can kill this bod-"

Twilight interrupted him, piercing his chest with one of her spikes, pinning him to the wall behind him.

He groaned, looking at the spike.

And then he chuckled.

A humorless laugh.

"Is that all you got?" He asked, looking at her. "That's nothing, just a little pain." He grabbed the spike with both his hands, pulling it out of the wall and his flesh, his umharmed flesh. Dropping it unceremoniously he looked at her. "Come on. Show me something bigger."

Creating another spike, Twilight fired at him again, pinning him once again.

He sighed. An annoyed sigh. Looking at her with a bored and unfazed expression.

"Is that really all?" He asked.

"No..." Twilight answered. "But... what you said before..."

"Yeah?" He raised a brow.

"Are you really immortal?" She asked, looking deep into his eyes.

He looked back. "My soul is. My body not."

"And what happens if I destroy this body?"

"My soul will recreate it, over and over again. Until I'm freed of the curse."

Twilight raised a brow. "What curse?"

"The mask of shadows." He pointed at his chest. "As long as this mask exists and as long as I'm bound to it by contract, I'm immortal."

Twilight nodded. "That's a relief.... Thank you."

"For wh-"

Piercing his skull with another spike, Twilight finally saw blood seep out of the wound.

"I needed to be reassured..." She whispered sickly. "Murderous intent is completly alien to me."

Turning her head away, she shattered the two spikes. Feeling hot blood raining down on her, she looked back at him and saw the emptiness where his head should have been, and the dark hole where his ribcage once was.

A second later he already began to dissipate, turning into ashes.

Ignoring his dissolving body, something she never thought she would be able to, she turned towards the ramp, slowly walking upwards. Her eyes wandered up to the second floor. To be precise, the second floor was nothing but two platforms connected by a stone bridge with a hole in the middle. One of the platforms was glowing in a dim orange light, the other seemed to be a dead end, a massive coffin like statue at the wall, a small pedestal in front of it.

Jumping over the crevasse in the ramp, she continued walking. Reaching the platform with the coffin like statue, she stopped. Her eyes wandered over the pedestal, connected to the coffin with weird wires.

Walking closer to the coffin she noticed that the coffin lid had a weird texture. It was darker than the coffin, almost black and massive scar like growth seemed to be on it. She reached up with a hoof, touching it. And to her surprise the lid was warm, pulsating. Retracting her hoof with disgust she looked over the coffin. And above the coffin was something peaking her interest.

Twelve slots were around the coffin. The slots all had roman numerals, starting at one on the left side and ended by ten on the right.

'Weird...' She thought. Her eyes wandering over the weird connections between the coffin and pedestal. She poked one of them with her hoof, feeling the soft surface, the squishy structure. It felt like she imagined a vein to feel. Just a dozen times bigger.

"What is this?" She whispered, turning around to see Michael wander up the ramp.

"A coffin gate..." Michael answered, he looked annoyed. "Something my predecessor, Maxim St. James installed to keep the darkness at bay."

"What darkness?" She asked, looking back at the gate.

"Les cartes and the prophecy only mention it as something called 'Legion'" He answered.

Twilight nodded. "How do we get through it?"

"Well, to start with, you won't, ever." He stated, rolling his shoulders. "Only the bearer of the mask of shadows, a shadow man, can open these gates."

"Can you do it?" She asked.

He nodded. "I can try atleast." He walked to the pedestal, looking down on it for a moment. Then he placed his hands on the cross like pedestal, his left hand on the left arm of the cross, his right hand on the right arm.

The veins began to move the very moment his hands rested on the pedestal, in a pumping motion.

And even though nothing seemed to happen, the coffin lid, the gate, bursted open, revealing a path inside the stone wall.

"Weird door." Twilight stated. "Why so complex? So complicated?"

"Because doomsday is nothing to joke about." He answered, leaning into the path. "You think the armies of darkness would just stop at a wooden door which is locked?" He shook his head. "He needed something powerful to keep this place safe."

"Well, looks like he failed." She answered. "Considering that a monster was in here."

Michael laughed, turning around. "That wasn't one of the darkness's monsters. That was just a duppie. Just a tormented human soul, seeking for relief of it's hunger, twisted by evil intent."

Twilight raised a brow.

"If you are here for hundreds of years, unable to weaken the pain that brought you here." He continued. "It will make you insane. All the creatures you will see here are just unfortunate souls that suffer. They kill to stay alive in here, either they kill or they die." He walks over the bridge. "Lookie here." He whispered, jumping over the hole in the bridge.

Following him, Twilight leaped over the hole.

On the other side, Michael was kneeling in front of a weird mass of flesh, spikes serving as legs, massive ropes keeping the mass compressed and weird symbols written, no, tattooed on it.

"Was is it?" Twilight walked closer.

"A govi." He answered.

"And that is?" She asked.

He looked at her. "The reason why I'm here." He drew his gun, pointing it at the govi. A second later he lowered the gun. "Try to open it."

Raising a brow Twilight looked sceptically at him. "Open?"

He nodded. "In every of these govi's is a dark soul. It was sealed millenias ago to keep the world safe of it's power."

"What is a dark soul?"

"Pure darkness." He answered. "Pure, malicious evil. All the negative emotions in it's purity gathered in there. And it's alive."

"Is it really so bad?" She looked up to him.

He nodded.

"Then maybe we shouldn't open it." She took a step away from it.

"That won't do." Michael answered, pointing his gun at it.

The shot ripped a hole through the govi, dark purple tendrils like growths were prodding out of the hole, tearing through the govi. The sound of ripping flesh and a weird distorted squeal made Twilight shudder.

The flesh fell to the ground, freed of it's prison, the soul stretched it's long tentacles.

The soul looked like a giant mealworm, giant ethereal tentacles whipping around it, searching for something.

"Urgh... that's gross." Twilight took another step back. It's smell has already been bad before, the smell of decaying flesh. Now it had become unbearable. It smelled... Twilight couldn't even find words to describe it. It reeked of evil was the only thing she came up with, and that foul smell made her hair stand on end.

Michael simply nodded, a arm stretched out.

"Wait!" Twilight exclaimed.

But it was too late.

One of the tentacles had found his hand, wrapping itself around his wrist it began to pull itself into his palm.

The moment the worm like body made contact with his palm it opened a mouth, hundreds, maybe even thousands of pin like teeth showed, digging it's way through his flesh. The worm left no wound, the hole in his hand instantly closing again.

His eyes jittered as the worm dug it's way through his hand and forearm into his arm, wandering up. Twilight could see it's movement, it's way continuing through his dark shoulder, down his chest, over his ribcage and stopping right over his heart.

Michael fell to his knees, gasping for air, grabbing his chest.

And then he screamed, a scream of pure agony as the purple tentacles of the worm burst out of his chest, wrapping themself around his entire body, beginning to melt into his flesh.

"Michael!" Twilight screamed, taking a step closer.

His hand snapped forward, grabbing Twilight by her throat. Standing up he lifted her off the ground.

A second later he dropped her, Twilight fell on her haunches, coughing, rubbing her throat. Michael grabbed his own arm, struggling with it. A second later his hands snapped up, wrapping them around his skull. He screamed, a gargling scream of pain.

He fell forward, on his knees and elbows, his hands still around his head.

A moment later his screams stopped. Only his gasping remained.

"M-Michael?" Twilight asked, slowly taking a step back, fearing that he would attack her again.

"I... I'm... fine..." He squeezed out between heavy gasps. "Never.... felt anything.... like that..." He whispered. "Just... surprised."

"How... are you feeling?" She asked, still keeping her distance.

"Better..." He answered in a whisper. "Stronger..."

"That's... good isn't it?" She asked, fear spilling into her voice.

He slowly stood up, on wobbly legs, looking up to the ceiling. He smiled. A dark grin.

"Better than good." He began to chuckle, his voice raising to a loud bellowing laughter. The laughter of a madpony, Twilight's hair stood on end.

Taking another step back, she looked at him. Her fear told her to leave him behind, to run away. But there was nowhere to go.

His laughing died down. And then he turned towards her.

And smiled, reaching towards her.

Twilight flinched, closing her eyes.

His hand appeared on her head, carefully petting her. Opening her eyes slowly she looked up to him. His eyes showed the same determined eyes he had before.

"Let's go." He retracted his hand, turning away from her, towards the bridge.

Twilight looked past him, following him with her eyes. She watched him jump over the crevasse in the bridge. He reached the coffin, turning around he looked back.

"What is it?" He shouted back at her. "You comin?" He turned around, walking straight through the coffingate.

Twilight looked back at the pieces of flesh, the decaying flesh that once was the govi.

Shaking her head, she turned towards the coffin, running over the bridge, leaping over the crevasse she quickly followed Michael deeper into the darkness.

Down below, in the first floor, stood a man at the entrance. Wearing a suit, his mouth surrounded by blood. He looked up to the coffingate, a smile appearing on his face.

Turning around he walked back into the cave, disappearing into purple mist.

And a soft chuckle echoed through the caves, unheard by Twilight or Michael.

"It has begun..." Something whispered.

"For we are many."