The sound of waves lapping on the shore was calming. A bird chirped happily as the mist blanketed the treeline and shore. The morning light pierced the forest, shining onto a black coat. Blood had stained the rocks under it, as well as the fabric. A thin red line gently flowed down the shore, mixing with the water and turning it red.

For Matthew, the lake that he had collapsed at, reminded him of home. Specifically, it reminded him of British Columbia. The mirror surface of the water that reflected the mountains and sky. The cool and clean scent of the forest in the morning sun. The birds and insects chirping and making various sounds, almost like a chorus to match the musical waves of the water. But, there was one sound that didn't belong in this place. One only he could hear and desperately tried to tune out and ignore.

"You spineless, weak-minded, pitiful excuse for a man!" Demon seethed, having finally grown bored of beating Matthew internally, "If you hadn't got in the way, we could've escaped unnoticed. I'm sure by now, that town has sent a detachment of soldiers after us. We cannot afford interruptions, whether they're soldiers, the princesses, or a pitiful seamstress."

Matthew said nothing as he lay motionless on the large rock he had chosen for a resting place.

"If I could, I would've taken full control of your body, thrown your soul to hell, and do everything myself." Demon continued, stepping up and giving Matthew a hard punch in the stomach, "But, I can't. You're lucky that way."

Matthew moaned in pain as the impact pulsed through his body.

"F-Fuck... You!" Matthew coughed, tasting blood in his mouth, "I don't think of th-this relationship has luck at all! If I were lucky, I would've been home by now."

"See! There you go again!" Demon spat, turning away and looking over the water, "When are you going to get it into that mind of yours? You. Are. Stuck. Here! Your only way home is that belt of yours, but you don't have it, remember? Either learn to live with the hand you've been dealt, or be prepared to get dirty. Just like what your father told you, 'Nothing works like work.' Surely you remember that!"

Matthew looked up at Demon, before mustering the strength to heave himself to his feet.

"You are not fit to talk about my father!" Matthew wheezed, bracing himself against the rock, "In fact, you're not worthy to talk about anyone I know or have respect for."

"Do you really think I care?" Demon asked, turning around and facing Matthew again, "I'm a daemon from the underworld. Mortals are nothing but puppets to me. I just happened to find a mortal who's also a spirit arc. I just didn't count on being imprisoned."

Mathew glared, before looking away and around at their surroundings. There was something odd about where they were.

"Where are we?" Matthew asked, looking across the water at the distant mountains.

"This is where Blackstone Castle is supposed to be." Demon said, approaching the water's edge and pointing, "But, it looks like it's been submerged in the lake."

Some distance away from the shore, Matthew saw what looked like the top of a stone tower. However it was very worn down and decayed, easily mistaken for a large stone at first glance.

"Our home away from home." Demon said, looking down to the water, "It looks like it hasn't been in the water long. Maybe two or three hundred years at best."

"Perhaps." Matthew replied, taking a knee at the waters edge, "I left my equipment, ride, and spare weapon in the workshop. Under the castle."

"Any idea how to get them out?"

"I won't know until I get inside. If I'm lucky, the Restoration Crystal should still be in my old workshop and have enough power to raise the castle to get my ride out."

Demon looked down at Matthew inquisitively.

"Why not just open the door and drive out?" He asked, poking Matthew on the head, "A little water won't hurt it."

"It's one and a half tons of metal, with wires, four wheels, and needs air to work." Matthew retorted, swatting Demon's hand away and shedding his black coat, "If water got into the engine, there's no way I could fix it in this world. Unless the crystal has enough power, or to find another Restoration Crystal."

"Alright, fine. We'll do it your way."

Matthew responded by removing his boots and diving into the water. He didn't bother staying near the surface as he swam down. The water was clear enough for Matthew to make out the castle's base. Air also wasn't an issue as he noticed odd bell shaped kelp plants, big enough for him to swim up from underneath and take a breath, before continuing. But, the deeper he went, the more he felt the weight of the water squeeze his body. After a while, Matthew finally managed to reach the damaged front door. However, it was still intact and refused to budge as he tried to pull it open. Instead, he spotted an opening where a stone had fallen from the wall and swam through it. To Matthew's surprise, the foyer wasn't seriously flooded. Only ten feet of water had managed to cover the large room, but almost every door had collapsed or was jammed. When he surfaced to breathe, he saw that it only reached the top of the main doors. The stairs just a few feet away were only partially submerged, but were heavily worn and damaged. The room was illuminated by a glowing green aquatic fungus, but it was still very dark. Thankfully, a "gift" he had from Demon was being able to see in the dark.

"Well," The transparent figure said, sitting on a rotten roof support beam, "you made it. Now, you need to figure out how to get to the workshop. Which, need I remind you, is downstairs. The door isn't going to do you much good, so you might need another way in."

"No! Really?" Matthew groaned, wiping the water away from his eyes, "Are you going to do a running commentary and state the obvious the whole time we're down here?"

Demon glared back, only receiving no reaction.

"If I remember correctly, there's an old dumbwaiter that used to go from the ballroom to the cellar. From there, we can still reached the workshop." Matthew said, rising to his feet and climbing the damaged stairs, "Hopefully, it's not too badly flooded."

Matthew ventured further into the highly unstable and leaking castle. Most of the doors he opened released a small wave of water and a revolting stench that grew stronger the further he went. The water was ankle high when he reached the door to the ballroom. And the smell made his eyes tear up. Mustering the strength to continue, Matthew pushed the double-doors open and was overwhelmed by a sickening green haze, causing him to gag and heave.

"Holy Mother of Christ!" Matthew exclaimed, trying not to vomit, "What the fuck is that stink?!"

"Rotting lake kelp and decaying corpses." Demon flatly answered, looking into the room, "The good news is; once you're down the steps, the water will be chest deep. And look, the dumbwaiter shaft looks intact."

Steeling himself and doing his best to ignore the smell, Matthew looked toward the opposite side of the room and saw his goal. But, something didn't seem right.

"Those corpses shouldn't be here." Matthew remarked, taking a few steps into the room and stopping at the top of the stairs, "These are land animals and they shouldn't look or smell like that. If anything, those should be skeletons. And this kelp. This is deep water kelp. If the surface is only chest high, why are those there?"

"For crying out loud!" Demon groaned, hanging his head as he stood on a rusty chandelier, "Just get in the damn water. The sooner you get to the workshop, the sooner we can find the Black Gem. Now, move!"

"Hey! If you want to do the dirty work, then you go right ahead and take control, huh? If not, then shut up and let me deal with this. Properly."

Demon said nothing as he watched Matthew descend the submerged steps. As it turned out, the water was in fact chest deep, but the feeling of kelp and dead animal parts brushing against him wasn't pleasant. Matthew was almost half way across the large room when Demon noticed one of the carcasses twitch.

"Movement on your right!" Demon hissed, pointing toward the dead creature, "That one."

Matthew was about to retort when he saw the carcass remain still as it floated in the water, but he felt something brush his knee and froze. Moving slowly and carefully, Matthew undid the strap that held his dagger in its sheath. Pulling it free, he heard the sound of disturbed water from his left. But, the kelp matted the surface, hiding anything under the water and suppressing ripples. Another touch on his leg brought Matthew to high alert and he was sure he saw a flash of dark green scales among the gaps of kelp. Then nothing else. Absolute silence filled the room and nothing moved.

"Do you see anything?" Matthew whispered, relying on Demon's vantage point to be useful.

"Not from here." Demon replied, now standing on a floating dead animal, "The kelp is too thick from this angle."

"What are you fucking doing?! I need eyes from above."

Then, the sound of water moving and hissing came from behind Matthew, causing him to turn around slowly. Towering over Matthew was a giant dark green scaly serpent-like creature. It stared down at Matthew, oozing mucus from its mouth and letting a low rumbling growl echo around the room.

"A Mire Eel... Great." Matthew said plainly, receiving a bellowing roar that was mixed with a deathly shriek.

The creature surged forward, aiming to clamp its jaws on Matthew. But it missed as Matthew managed to dive into the water, narrowly avoiding the sharp fangs of the Mire Eel. It dove back under the water as Matthew resurfaced. Quickly, he looked all around, trying to look for the beast.

Demon had returned to his perch on the chandelier, scanning the water for any sign of a disturbance.

"Dammit, where is it?!" Matthew demanded, his eyes darting around, "All I see is dead ani-"

A sharp pain gripped Matthew's leg as he was suddenly dragged under the water. A few seconds passed, before the creature resurfaced, holding Matthew in its jaws. One of the teeth had managed to hook Matthew's left calf muscle, threatening to tear the flesh away from the bone. Suddenly, the Mire Eel opened its mouth wider, causing Matthew to slide fully into its mouth and down its throat. What happened next, the creature wasn't expecting or prepared for.

The moving bulge in its body twisted and thrashed, before a small blade protruded from within. The beast wailed and screamed as the blade sliced down its underbelly, spilling entrails, blood, and the man it had tried to eat into the water. Matthew resurfaced in time to watch the Mire Eel fall next to him, its head just inches away. It made one last attempt to bite Matthew again, only to have Matthew drive his dagger into its mouth and through the top of its head. A low gurgling sound came from the creature, before falling silent forever.

"Well, that was entertaining." Demon remarked, dropping down and balancing perfectly on the serpent's head, "Can you still move?"

"Oh sure. I do this for fun." Matthew groaned, heaving himself to the dumbwaiter and pulling himself out of the water, "You could've helped a little. Maybe take control, or perhaps, help me move a little faster by letting me use some power? But, no. You chose to just sit on a dead deer and watch as I was nearly eaten."

"For the love of... Suck it up! You're over a thousand years old, fought in several battles, and locked in a prison made for you. And now you're whining about a couple cuts and bruises."

"Fuck you!"

Matthew opened the door and looked down the shaft. As he expected, it was heavily flooded and there was no light at the bottom, showing how far down he had to go. Even with Demon's ability to see in the dark, the bottom was nearly impossible to see.

"I don't know if I can make it to the workshop." Matthew stated, looking down at his body damage, "But, then again, we're too far to turn back. Hopefully, I can reach the bottom and find an air pocket or two. If the Restoration Crystal is still down there, I can patch myself up with some of the medical supplies down there."

Carefully, he entered the shaft and took a deep breath before descending under the water. The further down he went, the clearer the water became. Soon he saw a greenish glow coming from an opening beneath him and went through it. Matthew found himself entering the old cellar and surrounded by a glowing fungus. Ahead of him, he saw an air pocket and swam to it, taking a breath. Going under again, he found the door that lead further into the castle. It was the only other door from the inside that went into the workshop. Swimming through it, he was relieved to see a dim white light on a bench. Reaching out and taking it, Matthew swam back to the air pocket and surfaced again.

"Good for one more use." He said to himself, closing his eyes, "Light the fires, drain the water, make the wood anew. Untwist the metal, reshape the stone, recreate what once was a spectacular view."

The crystal glowed brighter as he said the words. Suddenly, the castle began to shake as the earth under it began to rise. The stone walls started to repair themselves, doors unbuckled and straightened, water drained, and torches flashed as flame returned. Soon, Blackstone Castle had fully risen from the depths of the lake with a bridge connecting it to the shore.

Matthew opened his eyes and saw the cellar undamaged and free of water. The crystal in his hand wasn't glowing anymore and was now just an average jewel. Turning back toward the workshop, a smile cracked across his face.

"The truck looks good." Matthew remarked, running his hand along the smooth steel body until he reached the door, "Let's see if she'll still run."

Gripping the handle, the door opened smoothly. Inside, the black on red fabric upholstery was clean, the silver skull on the gearshift reflected a flaming torch on the wall, and on the dashboard was a picture. Climbing into the cab, Matthew sat in the driver seat and grabbed the picture to look at it.

"I miss you." He sighed, looking at the group of people in the photo.

Matthew's eyes shifted from the photo when he caught a glimpse of something shiny under the steering wheel. To his surprise, it was a steel key hanging by a string. Taking it and inserting it into the ignition, he turned it partially and saw the lights of the gauges and radio panel flicker to life. Turning the key further, the engine hesitated a little, before fully coming to life with a roar.

"The sound of that..." Matthew smiled, feeling tears well up in his eyes, "It's good to hear and see you again, my friend."

Turning the key back, the sound died instantly. Matthew removed the key and stepped out, feeling the sharp pain in his leg again. Limping to the bench, he reached for a yellow box with a red cross on the lid and was relieved to seeing the medical supplies inside.

"So," Demon said, leaning against Matthew's truck, "You think this hunk of scrap metal can help us reach the Western Mountains?"

Matthew glared at Demon, before continuing to treat his injuries and answering.

"Okay, first of all, that 'hunk of scrap metal' is a '68 Chevy C10 with a four inch lift, 350 V8, five speed transmission, and Heavy Duty off-road tires. Plus, if memory serves me correctly, the fuel tank was enchanted with a fetish that allowed to stay fully fueled." Matthew replied, grabbing a needle and thread for stitches, "She'll be fine. Second, we're not going to the Western Mountains. I'm going to Canterlot. Hopefully, I can make some kind of peace with the princesses and maybe find my Jump Belt so I can go home."

"You're kidding, right?" Demon groaned, rubbing his forehead, "That stupid thing is gone! You. Are Stuck. Here. And peace? Peace, really? Those bitches have no interest in making peace with a creature like you!"

"Hey! You show some goddamn respect to those two! They showed mercy by imprisoning us. They could've killed us easily a thousand years ago. You know that as well as I do."

Matthew stabbed the needle into his flesh and jolted from the pain. He had cleaned his wound as best as he could, but without a proper sterilizer, Matthew still knew the danger of infection. Pulling the thread tight and letting out a grunt, he managed to seal his wound.

"I know that when something goes wrong, you want to roll over and go belly up." Demon mocked, checking his non-existent reflection in the side-view mirror, "How is it that you became a Spirit Ark? Waste of talent, says I."

"I never asked to be one." Matthew retorted, grabbing the only bandages in the medical kit and wrapping his leg, "Hell, I didn't even know what that is until I met you. I was just a really good mercenary, who did what he was told. That Jump Belt was something I was hired to steal..."

"I don't want your fucking life story. I'm tired of hearing it. Even if you had the belt, you still need power to get it to work. And with the amount of power it needs, the only thing that can handle something like that is the Black Gem, whether you like it or not."

Matthew shot Demon a glare, but as he thought, he slowly began to realize that Demon was right. The belt only had enough power for one dimensional jump. After that, it was drained and heavily charred.

"What's in the Western Mountains?" Matthew asked, hanging his head in defeat.

Demon turned to face him and smiled.

"The Devil's Churchyard." He said, turning his head, "And you'll need that."

Matthew looked and saw Demon pointing to a compound bow hanging on the wall.

Author's Note

Hey, everyone.

I'd like to apologize for how long it's taken to get this chapter together. I lost a friend of mine in a car accident during the summer and lost the motivation to keep writing. I'm back now and will do my best to keep this story going. I hope some of you are still enjoying the story and will hold out until the end.

Thanks.