Author's Note

WARNING! This chapter contains gore. That is all

A Queen and her Castle

Nightmare Moon roared as she appeared within her chambers in a flash of black light. Her eyes turned to a poor skeleton of a human standing in the corner. After one blink of an eye she was tearing into his throat with sharp predatory teeth. Gone was the soft coat she had, replaced by a thick layer of fur that looked matted and dishelved. Her eyes were pools of black that bore no mercy. Normally she enjoyed a balances diet of meat and vegtavles but today she gorged herself on the flesh of her slave. Blood was splattered against her fur, armor, and the floor.

Soon she was back to normal as a pile of bloody bones sat on the floor before her. With a quick flash of magic she was back to her regal and majestic self and her body was pristine. After a few minutes she lowered her head and began sliding out of her armor, working the leg pieces all off before sighing as she took off the saddle and flanks soon. Finally she lifted both helmet and chest guard off. All the pieces being slipped onto an armor mannequin nearby before she shook her ethereal mane out. She stood there for a moment, basking in the comfort of air upon her fur and skin after that trip.

After a moment she began walking towards her balcony, wincing at a knot of pain along her spin. It was a small point along the spine where the armor hit when she was smacked by that armored giant.

Her thoughts drifted to him, Jack was the name right? Oh well she thought of how he wanted to come down here with an army to talk. Shivers ran down her spine as she thought of it all, the marching boots, the cadence of the calls, and lastly how dominating and intimidating it would look compared to her troops. It made her wonder just where he was from, because it was clear he wasn't one of her enemies.

A sigh filled the air as she stepped out onto her balcony, below her spread out was a Gothic fortress of black, spiraling towers jutted here and there. Some contained massive crossbows loaded with giant bolts. Most of these were used whaen enemy airships tried attacking or trying to land. Several city districts and towers were still under heavy repair, the wood surrounding them allowing the masons to work. A few tower tops were level and empty, this allowed spell casters or archers to fire upon the enemy fighters. It also provided small refuge for her flyers to relax and heal up during the heat of a siege.

Now that made her frown, seeing the damage still lingering from the last one. It had been two months and they expected one in just another. Yet half the damage was left untouched, all because her people were suffering. Last invasion she'd lost six towns, two cities, and her own fortress had seen the most fighting. A good two thirds of her standing army had died, so she was searching for ways to replenish it but.. No one seems willing to defend their lands, since most who did died horribly or were captured and taken away.

Each time the enemy would press deeper into her territory from the portals, capturing and taking her people back through before she drove them back. Last time the only reason she managed to defeat them was a deal she struck with the minotaurs, allowing them free reign over half her lands. They picked her most fertile fields so now half her measly empire of a total of two hundred thousand were starving on half rations as she negotiated a deal with the vile bovines. The only offer they gave her was food in exchange for the rest of her farm lands, which would give them the sole control over the entire continent's food supply. It was a sound pressure tactic but she refused them every time, feeling her people deserved a better deal.

Soon she'd have no choice but to give in, although she if she did she could promise full rations to anyone who enlisted to defend her lands. That was the only way she could bolster her numbers without directly forcing her subjects to join, but wasn't that still forcing them with the promise of food that might not always be there...

Her hoof smashed down into the balcony and caused dust to puff up around her. Anger seethed within her as she stormed back inside, knowing just how to deal with all the stress and emotions she had welled up inside of her. It was time to visit the dungeons.

After a moment to adjust her mane and fix a black crown of onyx upon her temple, she began walking down the halls. All the palace slaves bowed lowly their heads touching the ground as she passed. Sadly the number of slaves was in the single digits, she remembered the halls bustling with slaves going here and there to please her or her guests. But most ponies had chosen to run away and escape with the enemy during the last few invasions.

It was some time before she started down the steps for the dungeon, she could hear faint screams and maniacal laughter echoing up from below as soon as she opened the door. It already brought a smile to her face as she soon was taking the steps four at a time. Something about torture always put her in a good mood.

Soon Nightmare Moon reached the bottom of the stairs, noticing an Efreeti she had summoned centuries ago to act as the guard was calmly reading a book. A pair of small reading glasses sat atop his nose, a pair of deep teal eyes flicked up before looking back down to his book. One leg was raised and rested over the other as he licked a hoof and turned the page to keep reading. That simply peaked her interest as she leaned down to look over the title. 1000 and 1 Ways to Cook Human. she just blinked for a moment before giggling softly to herself. "Ah lovely book, I personally prefer roasted hamstring Alamode with a dash of onion and fey blood. Brings out a certain spice to the human meat."

"What page?"

"Recipe six ninety three to be exact. The next one is a lovely brain and eyeball dessert platter served in the ribcage of the human."

The efreeti smacked its lips together before smirking. "Fuck you, and have a horrid time in the dungeon."

Nightmare moon moved on, eyeing the pony before smiling as she licked her lips. She'd have to indulge herself later, but for now she was following the screams and laughter.

After a moment she pushed a thick iron banded wood door open, looking inside to the various tools of torture and vice. She noticed several bodies on a few of the instruments, most of them dead or dying. Not only could the souls be heard wailing in their endless torment, you could see and feel the anguish and despair hang in the air like a thick cloud.

"Hmm seems Bubble Berry is ecstatic today, wonder where he is?"

As she talked a lone pony began walking down the aisles of machines and devices, all sounds of suffering going quiet with a single look as the stallion cast a dark gaze around himself. His color palate mainly consisted of purple, with no real splash of color. A small white apron covered the front of his body, with black leather gloves coating all of his hooves. Both gloves and apron were stained dark crimson, a bit of the white poking through here and there. The biggest thing about him was the lack of a mane and the group of tentacles wriggling around upon his face around his beak.

~Hello Mistress, the blood for your bath has been harvested and awaits you above.~ Bubble Berry didn't speak to her in the traditional sense, more like directly communicated within her mind. Using his psionic abilities upon her in the small way she allowed. Normally his powers were used to break and bend prisoners to his will, making them divulge all they knew before he tortured them for fun.

"Ah excellent job once again Berry. I see your work is done efficiently as always. But to be fair, I came down here to do a little torturing of my own. It was a rather stressful day handling the ship within the sky. If you are heading above, please send down my student. I have a job for him." With that she started approaching the back, where fresh victims awaited their fate.

~As you wish your Highness~ With that the stallion bowed and began walking out of the dungeons, tossing his apron and gloves into a bin filled with similar items from the days before. Berry sighed as he headed towards the stairs, nodding to the guard on duty. ~Hector~

The efreeti nodded back. "Berry." The two had a mutual dislike for one another which translated to a typical co worker friendship and stayed at that.

Berry took his time, relaxing and stretching after a long day of torture, how many did he go through today? About ninety or so before he hit a wall just before Nightmare Moon had arrived. He was about to stop anyway since you could only do so much torture in a day before it got tiring.

It took Berry a few minutes before he reached the top of the stairs leaving the dungeons behind him as he went looking for the Element of Shadows somewhere. He knew the stallion was around the Fortress, the telepathic tracker he put in everyone's mind told him so. Although it also informed him Applejack was searching for him.

The orange glow and pop of embers announced the Nightmare before he turned the corner. Standing before him was a pony made of pure fire and brimstone, his own dark soul providing fuel for his fire. The stallion also was the supreme commander of the standing ground forces, a prime title indeed. Although he'd gotten it though lies, deception, assassination, assault, and good old fashioned public execution. It made him the most feared and respected pony to exist and earned him the title he got.

~Hello Applejack, what can I do for you today?~

"Have you seen Blitz or Elusive at all today?"

~I can't say I have, I just recently left the dungeon. Our mistress asked me to retrieve her students for her.~

"Ah well I shouldn't of bothered you. I shall leave you to your mission while I find those two slackers." With that the Nightmare walked away, leaving small spots of fire on the floor in his wake.

With that Bubble continued on his way till he found the alchemy lab, inside there was a dark stallion working on several experiments as a small imp ran around here and there to fetch various ingredients.

~Dusk Shine, Mistress desires you in the dungeon.~ Berry watched as the black furred stallion glared at him for a moment before turning off the burners and huffing softly.

"Fine, but it better be a good reason or I'll slice off your tentacles."

The little imp smirked and let out a laugh as it climbed onto a shelf to return a glass jar. "Ooh Oooh! Calamari!" Berry simply glared at the demonic imp before watching with a satisfied smirk as its head exploded in a mess of grey matter and bone. A large blob of grey matter landed right before him, a tentacle lifting it up to his beak within the center of his tentacle mass. The stallion gladly enjoyed his meal as Dusk simply groaned and stormed past him. Berry simply smirked? It shouldn't be possible with something with tentacle face but he did before going about and collecting the rest of the brain to eat.

Dusk sighed as he walked, rather agitated his work was halted on the whim of a floozy of an empress. Yet when his newest poison was finished, they'd never have to worry about her never again. That brought an evil smirk to his lips.

It didn't take him long to reach the dungeon, but something was off when he saw Hector sitting outside the door to the dungeon stairwell. "Shouldn't you be at the bottom of the stairs?"

"And risk having my soul devoured, no thank you. I am enjoying my well paying, do nothing job too much to do that."

"Oh so you're job is too easy, I can change that." Dusk stood tall, snorting as his eyes closed and he began focusing upon the power within his horn. A dark purple glow started to surround the bone protrusion, black shadows dripping off of it before suddenly it all stopped. Hector stood there with his maw wrapped around the horn, almost all of his teeth in the front were razor sharp and meant for tearing flesh. His jaws pushed together before blood leaked from the skin around the horn, Dusk was shaken and afraid now, trembling in fear as he felt himself being lifted by the teeth before getting himself slammed into the stone wall then the floor. After a moment Hector let go and stood over him, a hoof smashing down on the horn to gain screams of pain from the unicorn. The pressure didn't let up, it kept increasing and building as more weight was forced on the horn. Echoing screams filled the air. Blood kept pushing out of the wounds made by the teeth as Dusk saw the puddle forming just above his head and soon the liquid matting his fur and mane as it grew large enough to go under his head.

They both stopped and looked up as they heard the door open, Nightmare Moon stood there with a smile on her face, blood still dripping from her maw, as was left over soul essence. Seems she cleaned up the forgotten souls trapped within the dungeon. Although she eyes the pair before sighing as she glared at Dusk Shine. "Please don't aggravate the staff."

"But-" He didn't finish the sentence as it turned into a scream of agony as Hector ground his hoof down before stepping off and returning to his book.

"It is your own fault Dusk. Now I have an errand for you to run. Go Up to the ship above and find a human with black armor, with a long rifle upon his back. Inform him I shall prepare for the arrival of him and his honor guard." Her horn glowed briefly before the blood pooled itself and whisked away towards her bath, although she healed the wounds so he could carry out her orders.

Dusk bowed lowly before grumbly replying. "Yes mistress." He stalked angrily away, glaring this way and that as he made plans to finish the poison as soon as possible. But he opened a portal to the Ethereal realm as his body began turning to shadows, he stepped through and started his journey.