The Darksiders: Prologue - Eight

by Liam King

Rating: teen
Tags: Drama, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Mystery, Profanity, Violence, Dark, Alternate Universe
Length: 12083

An earth pony finds himself lost in a seemingly abandoned town. Now, he must figure out why he's there and, hopefully, figure himself out along the way.

An earth pony finds himself lost in a seemingly abandoned town, left to fend for himself without any memories of his past.
Now, he must figure out why he's there and, hopefully, figure himself out along the way.

Published 2021-12-16 20:10:00 UTC
Last updated 2021-12-16 20:10:00 UTC

Chapter 1

Author's Note

For context, this story is being written by me in a very peculiar way. I am writing it for my girlfriend, usually in the form of a oneshot per chapter.

With that said, it may not be perfectly written or described. If you are so kind, I'd appreciate any and all kinds of corrections to parts or specific lines you feel could be written better.

P.S. Chapter 1 was written long before the rest, and as such, is the best written and most edited.

Chapter 1

Silence.

The only thing the unnamed pony's ears could make out- dull unending silence. His eyes couldn't see anything beyond the pure blackness of the void, with only a few glimmers of grey light shifting in and out of view. Soon though, even they faded to black. In spite of that, he knew of his location- The Edge of Creation.

The large pocket of existence that stands between the walls of the universe and the space between dimensions.

"Eight?" A voice echoed around the unnamed pony, catching his attention. "Please, open your eyes."

Gently, compiled, finding a glowing white shard floating weightlessly before him, seemingly watching him. He turned his head, looking all around himself, seeing one shard after another. He was surrounded by them.

"Who are-?"

Before he could speak up, the same voice echoed through his head again, making him wince. "You don't seem to have a home in this dimension..."

"Wha—?" he tried again, only to be cut off once more.

"Shhh... We'll find you a home, Eight."

With that, a slow bubble of light began to envelop him, sprouting from just behind the first shard. As the bubble grew and surrounded his entire body, a bright sky began to form from the light. Clouds flew past his vision as he floated down towards a darkly lit town, light reflecting off each individual window. It looked completely abandoned.

"Eight?" He whispered to himself, turning his attention back to the shard.

It didn't respond.

Within moments of the surrounding light fading, gravity suddenly took hold, dropping him towards the concrete streets.

His screams echoed through the air, as his body flailed in the wind, the world completely blurring around him, yet somehow, the shard was following him down.

"You're safe with me." The voice echoed one last time, seeming to fade away.

He could feel himself begin to slow and stabilize in the air until he was once again upright. Gradually, he approached the ground, extending his hoof and feeling the concrete below make contact with it, before gravity finally took complete hold, setting him gently upon the abandoned street. "What... Is this place?" He looked around slowly, taking note of the street name- Dulken St.

Just then, a sudden, cold wind blew hard from behind, as random papers and leafs shot past.

He stumbled forward, barely managing to catch himself, before he quickly moved close to one of the buildings, trying to avoid it.

Every building seemed totally unlabeled, with each one having their doors all tightly boarded shut.

He quickly attempted to yank one of the boards off, which was blocking off the entrance to what looked to be a shop, it's interior being visible through its display window.

However, a small glimmer of light flickered from the center of the street through the reflection, catching his attention.

He quickly turned and stared, seeing something shiny, rolling around in the wind. Cautiously, he approached and scooped it up, seeing now that it was a white shard- the exact same one that had followed him down.

Without warning, another burst of wind shot past him, threatening to knock him over. He quickly ran back towards the building, making sure to hold the shard tightly against his chest. As the winds blew harder and harder, he once again tried forcing himself into the building, yanking and pulling at the boards, to no avail. After a long moment of catching his breath, a look of determination crossed his face, before he took a step back, taking a deep breath before making a quick dash for the door, pivoting just before it and twisting into a powerful buck.

The wood broke with a loud snap, splintering but giving him a small opening into the building.

Reaching his hoof in, he quickly turned the knob and pushed the door completely open, crawling inside and slamming the door closed behind himself. Slowly, he took a deep breath before suddenly choking, coughing on the dust that covered every inch of the room.

"Well, that was unpleasant," he found himself whispering, just as his coughing nearly subsided. "But I'm finally inside." he quickly pressed his arm against his mouth and nose, breathing slowly as he cautiously turned, looking around the room.

Barren bookshelves lined the left wall, caked in dust. A few had even collapsed completely, leaving behind splintered, rotting wood. A desk sat just to the right of them, an old register sitting atop it, the drawer open and empty of any currency.

Letting out another sigh, he lifted the shard away from his chest, looking down at it before trotting up to the desk and setting it down. "I can't carry this thing around like this." He stared at it for a long moment before slowly moving to the other end of the room, peering down a dim hallway, barely being lit by the sunlit. Moving slowly, he stepped into it, noticing a set of stairs at the other end, leading up to a second floor.

Two doors lined the left side of the wall, one laying open, revealing a pitch-black room while the other remained shut.

Looking to his right, he spotted a light switch and flipped it.

Nothing happened.

"Great, no power," He let out a sigh, looking back down the dark hall. Slowly, he began making his way towards the first, shut door, pushing it open, revealing a small empty closet filled with dangling spider webs, coming from the ceiling and walls, though he wasn't able to spot any actual spiders. With a look of disgust, he closed the door, not seeing anything of note, before making his way over to the next door, which still sat open.

Looking in, he could make out what seemed to be a fairly big room, topped off with an old, dusty bed. Past that, many of the details were lost in the dark. Even if he wanted to go in though, a small desk blocked the doorway.

Turning back to the stairs, he peered up them, bearly seeing into another dim, but wider-looking hallway. Approaching, he looked down at the first step, checking for any damage before slowly bringing his hoof up and stepping onto it.

It let out a soft groan at the sudden weight, but overall, seemed to be stable enough.

With a sign, he gradually made his way up, a quiet and soft clicking becoming audible as he reached the top. Pausing, he looked around the new hallway.

Two closed doors each lined the right and left walls, with one other door sitting completely open at the other end, opposite to the stairs, the room inside seemingly pitch black. The soft clicking was emanating from it though, barely audible over the wind outside.

Cautiously, he moved towards the first door on his right. Trying the doorknob, he was disappointed to find out it was completely locked up and quickly turned, moving to the door directly behind himself. He turned the knob, this one, notably, being unlocked, and pushed open. Just as it reached halfway, it jolted hard, slamming against something heavy, a loud scraping sound echoing around the hallway. He jumped a little at the sound before taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Very slowly, he leaned inside, finding a totally wrecked bedroom, a turned-over bed partially blocking the doorway.

On the opposite wall was a window that peered out into an alleyway, the light from outside barely shining through it. Next to that was a ruined dresser, which sat open, its doors and hinges bearly holding on. Inside, torn-up clothes shifted and swayed, slightly dangling out and against the floor. With them, a silver neckless could be seen.

A gentle smile crossed the unnamed pony's face. He could definitely use that to hold that shard around his neck.

After pushing his way past the door and retrieving the neckless, he stepped back out into the hall, quickly wrapping it around his neck. He began softly making his way further down the hallway before coming to a stop at the next door on the right wall, the clicking sound growing slightly more audible as he approached, yet he could still just barely hear it. Softly, he pushed that door open, revealing what seemed to be a study.

Bookshelves lined both walls, a desk sitting between them on the opposite wall to the doorway.

Stepping in, he looked around, taking note that while the shelves were mostly empty, there were still books here, though they all looked pretty dusty and worn, that he wouldn't doubt even brushing against them would turn them to dust.

That is, all except one, that lay flat against the desk, it's cover a deep violet.

Slowly, he approached it, running his hoof against its velvet cover before pulling it open, revealing a series of blank pages.

"Curious." he quietly said to himself, lifting it up and closing it. "This might be handy. Better hold onto it." With that, he turned and began moving for the door, only to suddenly bump into a nearby chair he hadn't seen.

It sat alone close to the door. Beneath it, were scrapes dung deep into the wooden floor, as well as disturbed dust. It had clearly been moved relatively recently.

He quickly shook his head, filing that thought away for another time, before exiting the room. He turned and looked down the hall, directly at the pitch-black doorway, that soft clicking still emanating from it. He stared for a long moment, a feeling of dread filling his body, before shaking his head again, turning his attention to the last closed door. Clutching the journal in his hoof, he slowly reached out and pushed the door open.

Beyond it, there was another, much cleaner bedroom, a single bed pressed against the wall in the center of the room, with two tables on each side. Notably, it looks to be the same size as the bedroom downstairs.

Entering, he spotted something laying flat on the bed- a black trench coat, spread out, as if in waiting. Most importantly, he could see it had pockets- big pockets. Without a second thought, he quickly dropped the book onto the bed and picked up the coat, looking over it before gently sliding it on comfortably. It fit him like a glove.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a full-body mirror pressed against the wall. Moving in front of it, he turned his body, examining himself.

His messy dark brown hair draped down over his dark red eyes, his coat's color seeming to be a desaturated brown. This was the first time he'd actually gotten to see himself. Luckily, it seemed like the black trench coat matched his color scheme pleasantly.

Instantly, he scooped up the violet journal and slid it into his new pocket, feeling its weight press against his rump, before stepping back out into the hall. Once again, he found himself staring at the final door, listening.

Now that the sound had his full attention, he could just barely hear something else alongside it. Something along the lines of soft inhaling between the bursts of clicks.

Cautiously, he approached the door, the sounds growing more and more audible with each passing step until he finally stood just in front of the doorway, quietly breathing.

The room looked to be completely bathed with darkness, with not even the smallest detail being visible from the outside.

Hesitantly, he lifted his hoof and firmly placed it on just beyond the doorway, the shadows of the room overtaking his color, making him seem invisible. With shallow breathes, one slow step after another, he quietly made his way further in, past the doorway, listening as the sounds grow far more noticeable. At this point, he barely couldn't see anything at all. The details of his coat and the rest of the room blurred together into a dark mass of nothing.

The only visible beacon he had was a pair of blue lights, sitting next to one another, both failing to cast any noticeable light.

The more he approaches, the louder the clicking grew, before he finally stopped just short of them.

They subtly shifted up and down in the dark, matching the pace of each breath perfectly.

He could feel a shiver run up his spine before realizing just how crazy this was. As quietly as he could manage, he began backing away, keeping his eyes firmly locked on the shifting blue dots, occasionally glancing back towards the exit. As he just about neared the exit, letting out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding, he felt his hind hoof suddenly catch against something, making it scrape against the floor loudly and causing him to trip, landing back against the floor with a loud thud.

Just then, the darkness of the room quickly evaporated, replaced by a small, wrecked bedroom, its furniture completely destroyed.

The pony quickly turned, spotting a toppled chair sitting between him and a black blob that twisted and contorted in place, until finally shaping itself into a small dog-like creature, before it suddenly letting out an ear-splitting cry.

He quickly covered his ears and screamed, pain bursting through his head. He tried looking at the creature again, only to gasp.

The creature's dark claws were outstretched, it pouncing in his direction before they sliced through his hind leg.

He wailed, clutching it before kicking out at the creature, only to miss.

The creature growled and bit down on his outstretched leg, flailing its claws wildly.

Pain filled the pony's whole body as he screamed, seeing its eyes now glowing a crimson red. Without hesitation, he kicked at it again, managing to knock it off, before quickly trying to climb to his hooves.

Quickly recovering, It suddenly cried out again from behind, the entire building echoing with the sound.

He suddenly collapsed onto his leg, the pain continuing to run up his whole body. With all his strength, he forced himself back to his hooves, leaning against the wall before quickly limping for the stairs. Just as he reached them, he felt a sudden force ram back, knocking the wind out of his lungs and sending him tumbling down to the first floor.

The creature scratched and bit at his body. He tried to hold it back with his arm. The pony barely kept the creature out of reach of his face.

A second later, he managed to climb to his hooves. He grabbed the thing by its claws, swinging it around before throwing it into the dark room.

Its body crashed into whatever was in there, before it quickly began clawing at the desk, ripping it apart and throwing chunks of splintered wood into the hallway.

As quickly as he could, the unnamed pony made a mad dash out of the hall. He glanced back, gasping as he saw the shadow dog pouncing his way. Instantly, he fell to the floor, watching it as it just barely glided over his head.

It crashed against the wall next to the front door with a hard thud, before falling onto its back. It began scratching wildly at the air and squirming, trying desperately to roll over.

Without a moment to lose, the pony climbed back to his hooves and limp over to the desk, grabbing and slipping the shard into his pocket.

The creature cried out again, finally managing to get upright.

The pony could only scream as his body stiffened.

The creature pounced again, outstretching its claws at him.

The pony collapsed against the desk, panting heavily, the creature just missing and landing hard against the register in front of it. It scrambled against it to turn and face him.

The pony quickly turned and crawled out of its range, towards the shelves. He began yanking on one desperately, glacing at the creature.

It finally turned and stared him down, letting out another cry. A moment later, it pounced again.

Finally, he managed to pull the shelf down, it toppling over, landing perfectly on the beast.

It only took a second before letting out another loud cry, before it suddenly begins to tear it apart from underneath, sending wood chunks and splinters into the air.

Before the pony had a chance to move, a large chunk of wood shot out at him, striking him across the head and sending him falling back. The jagged piece of wood hit the ground just as he did, right next to his head. Slowly, he opened his eyes and watched.

The creature climbed up onto the desk again, bearing its black teeth and hissing at him, before it pounced once again.

The pony cried out, turning and suddenly biting onto the piece of wood. He quickly swung it around himself, it slamming into the creature hard.

It flew back and hit the wall hard, landing on its back. It squirmed and trashed at the air.

Without a second thought, he moves quickly over to it, plunging the sharpest part of the wood deep into the chest of it.

It screamed loudly, clawing at the wood.

Falling onto his side, the pony watched the creature wraith in pain before letting out one more cry and falling limp.

Breathing heavily, he stared at it, watching it pulsate until stopping completely, now seemingly crumbling into dust on the floor. Softly, as the creature crumbled, a black shard hit the floor and tumbled towards him, stopping just before his eyes, before his vision slowly blurred and faded to black.

Chapter 2

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 4

"That's an odd name."

The words echoed around him as Eight dreamed, images of a blue and red-haired Pegasus flashing before him, but they quickly faded.

"Yeah, my parents had... Odd naming schemes" The voice obviously lied, a noticeable amount of nervousness in his voice.

Slowly, Eight would find himself drifting back out of sleep, opening his eyes to find himself still in the library, close to the warm fire, and a blanket laying over him. "Violet?" He whispered, looking around him until he could feel her head shift on his shoulder.

She was sound asleep.

"Oh." Was all he could muster.

For a few long minutes, Eight just sat there, trying and failing to sleep, but couldn't manage. Instead, he found himself pulling Violet off his shoulder, laying her comfortably on the floor, before once again, trying to get up. His body ached and protested, but he finally found himself standing, albeit a little unsteadily. Limping, he braced himself against the many bookshelves before he reached the doorway. "She's so..." He couldn't help but think about how light Violet was, not to mention how beat up she looked. "Fragile." Eight whispered. With a sense of determination, Eight casually ordered the Crystal to pull the other sword up and off the wall, levitating it to its side. He knew he couldn't let Violet stay here anymore. "Okay... Let's get that information and get her out of here."

It was a struggle, but Eight managed to make his way down the hallway, using the sword as a makeshift cane. At each doorway, he peered in, only to find nearly identical rooms to the one he'd just been in. "God, this place is repetitive."

"Yeah, it is..."

Eight gasped, turning quickly only to see Violet, looking sadly at him, a blanket wrapped snugly around her. "Oh, it's just you..." With a sigh, he collapsed against the wall, calming himself.

Violet remained quiet but quickly moved to Eight's side, helping him back up. It took a few moments for her to speak again. "Are you okay?"

Now, there they both were, trotting down the hallways, Violet supporting Eight as they moved.

"What were you doing?" Violet spoke as they looked in on another identical room, though, this one more noticeable trashed.

"Looking around, trying to find that thing Teia mentioned." Eight let out a grunt as they moved forward.

"In the dark?" Violet's voice was quite, yet sounded worried, along with her voice quivering with fear. "But you aren't fully recovered yet."

"I don't think we can wait that long." Eight said, looking into another room, this time finding a small room, with a desk against the wall, while every other wall had a bookshelf against it.

Slowly, the two would make their way inside before Violet would softly sit Eight down onto a nearby seat.

Violet let out a soft breath but didn't say anything, only sitting on the floor.

"Look, this place..." Eight leaned against the desk, trying to catch his breath. "It's an obvious death trap, and..." Eight paused again, seeing Violet wipe her eyes, her body shaking slightly. "Are you... Okay?"

"Yes," She looked away, at nothing in particular, seemingly trying to hide her eyes. "But you're not... And I..." She let out a sigh, before resting her head against the nearby bookshelf, going silent.

Eight paused, hearing her unsaid words, but not fully knowing how to respond. Looking to his hooves, he found his gaze drifting to the Void Crystal. "Protecting a friend." Eight whispered, catching Violet's attention. Looking to her, Eight gave her an expression of determination. "You are worth protecting." Softly, he reached his hoof forward before resting it on her head. "If we were put in a situation like that again, I wouldn't change a thing."

Violet stared with a look of sadness on her face.

For a moment, the two remained quiet before Eight finally spoke the words she definitely needed to hear. "Since I'm feeling so weak, I'll stay seated here, but would you mind helping me look through these books and papers?"

She paused, staring, and thinking. "As long as you promise to take it easy... You don't move from that spot."

Eight smiled and nodded, already finding himself getting comfortable. "I won't move."

Softly, she smiled and nodded.

After a moment, It only then occurred to Eight just how dark it was. It would be hard to see in there. Again, his gaze drifted to the Crystal before that determined look reappeared on his face. That familiar feeling filled his body as he focused, before thought at it, ordering the Crystal to light up.

Light burst out from the Crystal, bathing the room in light.

"There we go." Eight found a smile had crossed his face.

Violet just looked awestruck. "Just like a... Unicorn's horn." That was all she whispered, and moments later, Violet began pulling out books from the shelf, sliding a few to Eight while she began reading thoroughly through one after another.

"This is Liam?" A new voice echoed about Eight's dreams.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, still finding the pitch-black world he was so used to dreaming about. This time, however, he wasn't alone.

In front of him now stood a brown earth pony with chocolate brown hair.

"Who-?" Eight paused, staring into his eyes, a soft pressure building in his head. Eight grunted as the pressure grew before he had to force himself to look away.

The brown pony had a sad look on his face but remained quiet.

"Liam, right?" Eight said. Where did that guess come from?

It didn't matter, however, as the pony nodded at the name.

For some reason, Eight could feel a wave of soft anger begin to form. He couldn't remember why, though. All of the sudden, Eight started yelling at Liam, his voice not managing to be audible, no matter how hard he was yelling.

Eight shot up from the desk, the room around him still lit up by his Void Crystal's light. For a moment, he paused. Something felt different. "Viol-"

With a quick motion, Violet covered Eight's mouth, her whole body shaking in fear, her eyes wide.

It was only then that Eight could hear something- the skittering and running of many shadow dogs, passing directly by the room's door, and seemingly headed upward. Eight's eyes widened too, staring into Violet's. Why were they coming here? It almost sounded like they were running to somewhere specific, on the upper floors of the building.

Something was drawing those creatures here. And not just those creatures. In the hallway, the sound of something else, something unfamiliar, passed by the door.

It took only a few more minutes for the sound to fade off, the creatures now infesting the upper floors.

Violet collapsed against Eight, fearfully hugging and sobbing into him.

Eight just sat in shock. For the first time, he felt the true sense of fear Violet had been experiencing.

Slowly, Eight managed to shake his fear away before he forced himself to his hooves, running over to the door before gently cracking it opening.

The hallway was empty.

Violet quickly wrapped her hooves around Eight, squeezing and trying to pull him back, her body shaking still. "D-Don't..." Her voice was shaking too.

"But-"

"No, please!" Violet quickly tightened her grip. "I don't want you to risk yourself anymore!"

Eight turned and looked at her, a look of sadness crossing his face. "Violet..." Slowly, he lifted his hoof, placing it atop her head. "If I don't fight, then we might not make it out."

"I don't care!" Violet shook her head, looking down. "I don't want to be alone again!"

Eight's expression didn't change, but that determination reignited. Quickly, he focused on the Crystal, turning out his light and ordering the sword to his side. It was then, Eight noticed something. The thing that felt different was his body. Lifting his hoof away from Violet, he stared at it. He felt, somehow, stronger.

"Please..." Violet whispered.

"You won't ever be alone again." Eight took a deep breath. "Let me protect you, please."

Violet looked up, her eyes filled with tears as she looked back into Eight's. It took a moment for her to realize he wasn't going to back down.

"Trust me." Eight's eyes now showed pure determination.

Violet lowered her gaze, sniffling. "T‐Then..." Her body was shaking still, but slowly, she pulled away. "Then I'm coming too!" She blurted out.

Far off, in a deep forest, was laying a mare, stirring awake in the grass before finally opening her eyes. "Night Breeze?" Were the only words to escape her lips.

Slowly, Eight and Violet moved into the hallway from the room they had been in. "Violet," Eight whispered, turning to her. "You really don't need to come. You'll be safer there."

Violet just shook her head, quietly following behind him closely.

Eight let out a sigh before moving down the hallway, his sword at the ready. He didn't like it, but this was the only way she'd let him leave that room.

The two made their way further into the hallway until finally spotting the stairs, now scratched up and cut through from the many shadow creatures that rushed through here.

Violet shrunk back before pressing closer to Eight at the site.

"What on earth has so much influence over these things to call this many?" Eight frowned, steadying himself before starting to move up the stairs quickly and quietly, his sword still hovering weightlessly by his side.

As they moved further and further up, along with the sniffing and scratching of the many shadow dogs, was a new, unfamiliar sound. It sounded like a whistle.

Slowly, Eight peeked through the doorway, seeing up to four of those familiar creatures, but among them, right in the middle, sat a long, eel-like shadow, with curved blade-like object slicked back, like a Mohawk. Looking closer, it looked almost like half its body was melted into the floor.

Suddenly, the creature's gaze snapped to the side, as it stared directly into the stairs before it let out a high pitch, almost modulated-sounding yell. Just then, all the shadow dogs tuned to them.

Violet let out a yelp and quickly jumped back down the stairs.

"Grr, so much for stealth." Eight growled, jumping from the stairs and into the hallway, sword at the ready.

Just then, the Eel-like creature dived into the floor as the shadow dogs readied to pounce. Suddenly, however, it lept back out, it's head-blade extended out, revealing another blade at its tail before it began spinning through the air at him. The other creatures didn't stand a chance as it tore straight through them in its attack at Eight.

Quickly, Eight ducked under the attack, slicing his sword over his head, only for his sword to bounce right off its blades, impaling itself into the wall.

The creature fell out of its attack quickly, diving back into the floor.

"Damnit!" Working quickly, Eight yanked his sword from the wall with the Crystal, before bringing it back to himself.

Just then, the wall right next to him started to blacken with shadows, only for the Eel to fly out, slicing at Eight, cutting his cheek and nose.

He flew back in panic, landing on the floor before slicing at the creature again, only to find it had already retreated to the other wall.

"Eight!" Violet quickly ran up to him, getting down next to him. "Oh my, are you okay?"

"Ugh, I'm fine." Eight brought his hoof to his cheek, only to, once again, find no wound. "But you need to get back. It's not safe."

Before she could respond, the ceiling began darkening, like the wall, followed by the creature falling out, its blade outstretched.

Eight lifted his sword quickly, blocking the strike before knocking it away, it landing on the floor a little ways off.

For a moment, it just flopped around and scrambled in place, trying to move.

"No, you don't!" Quickly, Eight focused on his Crystal before cocking his head to the side, the bookshelf next to the creature quickly coming down on it. With a sigh, Eight pushed himself to his hooves with the help of Violet. "Well, let's hope that-"

"Look out!" Suddenly Violet pushed Eight out of the way just as the creature leaped up from the floor below, slicing through the air and cutting into Violet's arm.

"Violet!" As they both landed, Eight caught her in his hooves.

She just let out a cry, clutching at her arm.

The eel had already dived back into the floor by then.

"Dammit, how do you kill this thing!" Eight paused, blinking, an idea forming in his head. Quickly, he lifted Violet and laid her against the wall before standing, his sword, once again, at the ready. "Come on then!"

As if it understood, the floor in front of him began to darken before the creature lept out, spinning in the air at Eight again.

Bracing himself, he quickly blocked the attack, the creature relentlessly slicing against it, before Eight pushed back, knocking the creature back to the ground. Seeing it flopping around, he ran up to it, lifting his sword before slicing directly through its neck, decapitating it and leaving a deep gash in the floor below, before it soon faded away. For a moment, Eight paused, panting before gasping and turning, running back over to Violet, who still sat, crying and holding her arm. "Violet, are you okay?" Eight said, panic filling his voice.

She just shook her head, holding her cries back.

Eight tried to calm himself, shaking his head. "Let me see it, Violet." Eight brought his hoof to her arm. "I need to know how bad it is."

Violet's entire body was shaking before she opened her eyes, looking at Eight before she looked down, her cries still audible.

As she pulled her hoof away, Eight stopped, staring. "That's not... Possible."

Violet's arm looked unharmed.

"Where am I?" The mare tiredly trotted into a small clearing in the vast forest that surrounded her. She pushed her hoof against her forehead, trying to think, but all she could remember was the name Night Breeze, her own name, apparently, and a promise. One she didn't remember making. "Promise to protect..." She whispered before she looked up into the night sky. "Protect who?"

Eight pulled Violet quickly into a nearby room- another large study room on the second floor, as his battle against that shadow eel had clearly drawn the attention of two more shadow dogs, which now prowled around the hallway.

Violet slumped against the wall, trying to keep her cries and whimpers quiet, only until the creatures finally passed.

Eight took a deep breath before letting out a sigh, then slumping back against the wall too. "This doesn't make any sense..." He said, bringing his hoof to his face again, trying to find his cuts, yet still finding nothing.

"Eight..." Violet whispered, clutching her arm again. It's clear that even if there is no visible wound, she could feel the pain like it was there.

He paused, realizing something, before pressing his hoof against his cheek. He could still feel the cuts on his face too. "Is this..."

Violet turned to look at Eight, the expression of confusion mixing with one of pain.

"Is this related to being a Darksider?" He finally said, looking to his hind hoof, remembering how it felt back then, after his first attack.

"What do... Mean?" It's clear Violet was fighting through her pain as she spoke, tears still in her eyes.

Eight didn't answer, only looking to the Crystal again. "But how did I heal, then?"

"Eight?"

Finally, he turned to Violet, looking at her with worry.

She just stared back, clutching her arm.

Softly, he looked back to his Crystal before suddenly slipping it off.

"W-What are you doing?"

"I have a theory about how I healed up so quickly." Slowly, he brought the Crystal to her head, sliding it on so it sits, dangling around her neck.

Violet watched closely before looking down at it. "...Have I seen this crystal be-" Before she could finish her thought, Eight spoke back up.

"Now, focus on it, and I want you to order it to light up."

"What? But they'll-"

"Not if I close the door on my way out." Slowly, he stood up, trotting to his sword before biting onto its handle and lifting it in his mouth.

"What, no!" Violet tried to stand, only to find herself falling back to the floor.

Softly, Eight rested his sword against his side before speaking. "I'm sorry, Violet, but you are in no shape to follow me, right now."

"No, please, don't-" Violet tried to move again before wincing at the pain in her arm again.

"Look, Violet, I understand, but..." Eight didn't want to upset her any more than he had to, but if nothing else was going to work, then being blunt was what he had to be. "You're too weak right now, and if you tagged along right now, you'd get us both killed... This isn't the time, nor the place to try and get stronger." Taking a deep breath, Eight lifted his sword to his back before approaching the doorway.

"B-But..." Violet couldn't find her words, shaking.

"I promise I'll be back for you, once I've got what I needed." He stepped into the doorway, cautiously looking around. "Now do as your told and stay put, okay? And focus on that Crystal." He didn't wait a moment longer, stepping out of the room and into the hallway, closing the door before she could respond.

Softly, the mare, Night Breeze, sat down against the base of a large tree. "What is... Wrong with me?" She had tried multiple times to think back, to remember, but her mind and memories were a mess. Nothing would come into focus.

"So, she's a Darksider too?" Eight found himself whispering, a strong sense of guilt washing over him as he slammed the door behind him shut. Looking to his hooves, he saw a small ray of light had begun shining under the door. "Good, she figured it out." Eight couldn't help but smile a little before lifting his gaze. Taking a deep breath, he secured his sword to his back before turning to look down the hall. "No more delays, I'm getting us out of here." Suddenly, he began running down the hall, not even bothering to look in the rooms anymore, now just looking for another set of stairs.

The sound didn't go unnoticed as every shadow creature in the area suddenly came running out of the rooms, and more of those shadow eels peaking out of the walls.

"Get out of my way!" Eight yelled before biting onto his sword's handle, using his weight to extend the sword out and jump up, spin into the air, and slicing at any shadow dogs that came near.

The eels quickly retreated into the walls, dodging his slashes, only to pop back out behind him, two of which began spinning in the air at Eight.

Growling, he turned, bringing his sword up to block just as the creature made contact, spinning its blades relentlessly against his. Just then, a flash of inspiration hit Eight before he jumped up, letting his sword go before planting his hooves against it.

The creature didn't cease its attack, instead now pushing Eight back, with him surfing his sword.

Quickly, he turned, trying to keep steady on his blade as both he and the creature grew closer and closer to a wall, growing in speed. "Come on!" As they finally reached the wall, Eight lept off, grabbing a hold of his sword as he ascended.

The creature, meanwhile, just smashed head-first into the wall, its blade embedding itself in it.

Without a second to lose, Eight twisted in the air, planting his hooves into the ceiling before shooting himself back down, slicing clean through the creature's neck.

The creature struggled to the last moment, slicing Eight's cheek again before it began fading away.

Eight grunted, pressing his hoof to his face, yet still not finding any drops of blood. The area still burned though. "So, no wounds is a... Darksider trait, right?"

The hallway suddenly echoed with the cries of the leftover Shadow dogs as two more shadow eels began swimming through the floor at Eight.

With a soft gasp, he quickly turned and ran down another hallway, resting his sword on his shoulder. "Where are the damn stairs?" He suddenly skidded to a stop, finding a split in the hallway. "Had this always been here?" Quickly turning left, he saw an almost exact copy of the hallway he just exited, but turning leads him directly towards a nearly pitch-black set of stairs. He knew he didn't have much time to think, and so, he quickly bolted down the new hallway, leaping onto the stairs, just as the two shadow eels rounded the corner.

They quickly lept up out of the floor, diving into the walls to the side of the stairs.

Eight's eyes widened as both walls in the stairs turned completely black before he quickly dashed up the stairs.

Both creatures had begun jumping and slicing back and forth between the walls, one managing to slice into Eight back.

He let out a scream before ducking under the creature's attacks. Only after they had entered the walls again, did Eight stand and dash up the stairs, only managing to dodge a few attacks before the creatures got in a few slashes, cutting into his hind hoof and sides. Eight quickly collapsed out of the stairs, onto the third floor, screaming, his sword falling and clattering to the floor next to him. Quickly, he huddled up, prepared to receive more attacks.

The creatures had stopped, now staring at Eight, both seemingly refusing to exit the stairs.

Cautiously, Eight pulling his hooves away, Staring back at the creatures, panting heavily, his entire body hurting. "What the-?"

Suddenly, the room echoed loudly with an ear-piercing scream, causing the creatures to shrink back before diving back into the walls, away from it.

Eight quickly clutched his ears, letting out another scream, but soon after, the sound died down, leaving Eight's body to collapse completely. He found himself struggling to remain conscious, his vision beginning to darken. "N-No..." Eight rolled onto his hooves, using all his strength to lift himself up. "V-Violet... Needs me!" But in an eye blink, everything went black.

"Are you okay?" Liam said, the dream world around both him and Eight swimming like water.

"I need to..." Even in his dream, Eight could feel his body screaming in pain, as he lay on the ground. "Wake up..."

Liam remained quiet, slowly approaching him. "Do you need help?" Slowly, he knelt down, a sad look in his eyes.

"Not yours." Eight growled, turning the glare up at him. Why was he so angry at him?

Liam paused, looking down. "Are you sure?"

Eight shot awake, pushing himself off the table he had collapsed onto. With a growl, he began walking down the hallway, his body screaming in pain with every step. "Who... Even are you, Liam?" Slowly, he felt a powerful determination fill his being, as he grew closer and closer to a door at the end of the hall.

Violet stared down at the blank pages of the violet journal she had found on Eight, tears gently falling down her cheek. She couldn't help but shake and shiver in fear, despite the Crystal around her neck lighting up almost the entire room. "Where..." She sniffled, curling up on the floor. "Where did he get this?" She finally whispered, flipping the page of her lost journal with her horn's magic.

Just then, a loud popping sound echoed through the room.

Violet shot up, quickly running and hiding behind a nearby bookshelf, the crystal going dark around her neck. Her entire body was shaking even more intensely as she pressed herself close to it.

"Eight!" The familiar, young voice of Teia called out. "Please, I know you're here, I need to talk to you!"

Gently, trying to calm herself, Violet slowly peeked around the shelf.

Teia turned, spotting her before giving her the gentlest of smiles. "Oh, hi. You're Violet, right?" Slowly, Teia made her way closer, looking around. "Is Eight here?"

Violet bit her lower lip before looking down, shaking her head. "Um, no..."

Teia took a deep breath before sighing. "He's heading up, isn't he?" A sad but understanding expression crossed her face. "Damnit, once again I can't tell the right time."

Violet tilted her head, sliding down the bookshelf and sitting, still desperately trying to calm herself.

"Nevermind." Teia suddenly turned in place, trotting away.

"W-Wait!" Violet suddenly cried out, reaching for her. "Aren't you going to help him!"

Teia stopped, not even turning to face Violet, before shaking her head softly. "I can't." Another sigh escaped her lips before she finally turned to face her. "This moment is fixed."

Violet finally managed to calm herself enough, focusing enough to light the Void Crystal again. "Fixed?"

A soft smile crossed Teia's lips, an almost encouraging smile. "You two can do it without me."

Eight stared down at the hole under the door, a pitch-black shadow shooting down like light pouring through a window. Without a word, Eight drew his sword from his back with his mouth, his body screaming at him to rest, but he knew resting wouldn't save Violet from this place. "What are you." Slowly, Eight took a few steps back, bracing himself for whatever may come before charging at the door, quickly pivoting and bucking the door open, snapping it off its hinges.

The door flew and landed hard against the wall at the other of the large, circular room. Desks lined around the walls, papers scattered across each one. However, where the floor would be, was nothing but a black void.

"What in the hell?" Eight found himself whispering, before stepping inside. The void-like floor seemed to splash and shift like water as he stepped further inside.

Suddenly, the room was filled with an echoing scream, reverberating off the walls.

Eight dropping his sword, collapsing to the floor and gripping his ears, only for the sound to suddenly die down.

Just then, the blackness coating the floor began to recede into the center of the room, a creature forming from it. Its cylinder body pulsated as it quickly grew taller and bigger, until it towered over everything, a large, gaping mouth forming at its top. It slowly lowered its mouth, its maw opening to reveal a huge eye inside.

Eight stared in shock, his ears ringing before he began pushing himself to his hooves.

Suddenly, another growl erupted from the creature, multiple strings, and tentacles of black ooze shooting from its sides and into the walls.

Eight quickly covered his ears again, screaming too, but he paled in comparison.

Just then, the tentacles suddenly yanked out and back into the creature, pulling with them the squirming bodies of multiple shadow eels and dogs. But as soon as they could be seen, they all were pulled into the creature's pulsating body.

Eight's eyes widened before he quickly bit down on his sword, jumping out of the way as the creature suddenly charged at him, before turning to see as it charged directly into the wall, passing into it.

In the wake of the creature's attack, the black spot it left on the wall began to pull together at multiple points, only for a pack of shadow dogs to leap back out, giving Eight no time as they began charging him.

"Oh, this is unfair!" Eight cried out, biting down on his sword harder before swinging it at the first dog to pounce at him, its head coming clean off as its claws just outstretched.

It wasn't enough, however, as another quickly circled Eight and lept onto him, biting the back of his neck.

Eight cried out before he quickly slashed at another approach shadow dog, it fading before it could do anything.

Just then, a large black spot began growing on the wall, only for the large worm-like shadow to charge out, its jaws open wide.

Through the pain, Eight lept out of the way, crashing against the floor and knocking shadow dog off his back.

It too, fell to its back, the dog trying desperately to roll over, but only leaving large scratches against the wooden floor.

Eight clutched the back of his neck, it burning with pain before he could barely see the shadow next to him. Between them, he spotted his sword. Through the pain, Eight quickly rolled over, biting down on his sword before jumping back up, stabbing into the shadow dog.

Violet quickly shoved the door open, running into the hallway, the crystal glowing brightly. "Don't die!" Violet cried out, her body feeling full of energy and power. "Don't you dare die!"

Eight's body slammed against the floor, his blade flying across the room and impaling itself into the floor, as the creature slid back into another wall, more shadow dogs flying back out in its wake. "I need... To win this..." Eight grunted, forcing himself, with everything he had, back to his hooves. "I need to... Protect her..." He panted before dashing at his sword, grabbing it, and turning, charging at the shadow dogs. Throwing the weight of the sword, Eight jumped up, spinning around with the sword, slicing through each shadow dog.

At that moment, the floor below began blackening, as multiple smaller copies of the shadow worm's mouth shot up, biting at Eight, with most missing.

Eight landed into a roll, sliding to a stop on the pitch-black ground, just as a set of jaws began surrounding him. Quickly, he jumped out, the jaws slamming shut behind him, and, thinking quickly, he slashed at them, causing the creature to cry out in pain. He suddenly hit the floor, barely managing to recover to his hooves as he felt the wind knocked out of him. Eight panted hard, his hooves shaking with exhaustion, the sword bearly being held up in his teeth.

Violet booked it up the stairs to the 3rd floor, bearly ducking under the attack of a shadow eel as it slashed over her. She shook with fear but didn't stop, tears fall from her cheek. "Please, Eight..."

Just then, the entire building seemed to echo with a loud cry, one of pain.

Violet gasped, tripping and rolling into the 3rd-floor hallway. She panted, her hair falling into her face. "Family..." She muttered, her entire body shaking heavily. "I must... Protect..." But despite that, she forced herself to her hooves, staring through her messy hair into the doorway at the other end, directing at Eight, as he pushed himself to his hooves, his body looking like it was about to give out. "Eight!" Violet screamed.

Eight looked up, his eyes going wide, spotting her.

Just then, a large mouth of teeth shot up from the ground, chopping onto Eight.

Violet gasped, before sprinting into the room.

Eight bearly managed to hold the jaws open, his sword falling and impaling itself back into the floor. "Violet!" He called out, his body slowly being pulled down. "Run! Get out of here!"

Violet let out a cry, before looking around. "I can't..." Gripping her eyes closed, her body was near the point of exhaustion, only being held together by the power emanating from the Crystal. Violet's eyes shot open. "The Crystal..."

Eight was suddenly yanked further down into the throat of the creator.

Violet out another gasp, before her fear slowly turned to rage. "Leave him alone!" Quickly, Violet grabbing the Crystal, snapping it off her neck before chucking it at Eight, it falling down the creature's throat, as did Eight.

The world around Eight suddenly turned pitch black, as he struggled against the tentacles that pulled him down, only for them all to let go, sending him down against the pitch-black floor. He panted hard, his body fully collapsing, leaving him lying there. "Violet..." He could barely speak, his voice almost a whisper. "Violet... Run..."

"That's right." A familiar voice said, the figure of Liam stepping out from the darkness and kneeling down. "Run, like the cowards you are."

Eight growled, turning his head to stare at him. "Shut up!"

"Don't be mad cause it's true." He smirked, a twisted look of pleasure crossing his face. "All you can be is cry and scream at the world. No matter how badly you want it, you'll never be a hero." Liam stood back up, lifting his gaze. "You can't even protect yourself, so what good can you do for her?"

"I can't... Leave her... Like this..." Eight suddenly gasped, as he could feel a painful pressure surrounds his entire body, making him scream.

"What do you think you are, Eight?" With a wicked smile, Liam turned to Eight again. "Would you like me to tell you?"

Eight couldn't respond, his screams dying down, his body going numb.

The smile didn't leave his face as he knelt back down, whispering into his ear.

Eight's eyes went wide, tears falling from them. "I... I can't be..." Eight shook his head. "I... I'm me! I... I'm not! He couldn't have!"

Just then, Liam looked up, his smile fading as the Void Crystal shimmered, before bursting light out, burning away at the creature that looked like Liam, leaving behind the form of a pony, an eye where its face was.

"I... I will be... More than that!" Eight screamed, rolling onto his back and snatching the crystal out of the air. He quickly forced the Crystal to glow with a brilliant light, his body filling with its energy, and with a quick flick of his wrist, his sword flew through the black walls of the creature's mouth, impaling itself in the eye of the pony-like creature.

The monster cried out, the walls now pulsating rapidly as they began oozing apart and fading away.

With the energy of the Crystal, Eight managed to stand, glaring at the creature's true body as is melted to the floor and faded away into dust.

Violet stared, frozen in place, watching Eight as the monster that encompassed him turned to nothing, leaving the floor cleared, covered in documents and papers. "Eight..." Without a moment to wait, she dashed to Eight, wrapping her hooves around Eight tightly in a hug. "You're okay!"

Eight's glared slowly faded before he let out a sigh, hugging her back. "Thanks to you."

The document on the floor all read different titles, but one stuck out. 'Research on Darksiders'

"I won't let myself be Liam's mistake." Eight whispered, squeezing Violet against him before he found himself reading the report. "When a person or creature passes through the walls of the universe, they must give up something apart of themselves as a price, which will be given its own body, creating a new being we've dubbed 'The Darksider'."

Chapter 5

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Chapter 3

Softly, Eight trotted through the Library halls, lost in his head as he stared down at the void Crystal.

"Channel magic." Lifting his gaze, he looking through the nearly pitch-black hallway. "What other kinds of magic?" As he looked around, a thought had popped into his head. Perhaps he could do light magic. Closing his eyes, he found himself trying to focus on the Crystal, trying to tell it to light. There was a noticeable feeling inside his body as he did so, something akin to a slow river running through him, but it seemed there was a snag in the stream, as the crystal continued to do absolutely nothing around his neck aside from sway.

Suddenly, however, the sound of a distant shuffling echoed through the halls, breaking Eight's focus.

Eight had learned his lesson to not make too much noise and swiftly pressed himself against the wall, sliding along it towards the sound. Slowly, he peered through an open doorway, into another large study, like the room before, only this one with its tables broken and shattered.

In the middle of the room sat a group of sleeping Shadow dogs, the area directly around them bathed in pitch black. "So, that's a defense mechanism, I guess?" Eight whispered, before leaning out and sneaking past the doorway. He knew better at this point that approaching was a death sentence, especially without a weapon. As he moved further down the hall, he couldn't help but think back to Teia and what she said.

'A castle, and a friend?' Eight recalled, staying close to the wall before looking between two hallways that breached off from this one. This place was bigger than expected. "First, I need a weapon, if I'm to follow any more info from her." He whispered to himself, deciding to take the right path.

Room after room, hallway after branching hallway, Eight found himself lost deep in the dark Library, only occasionally stepping into a few empty rooms. Each room on this floor looked strikingly similar, aside from a few details, and unfortunately, he had very little luck finding a map, if there was one.

With an annoyed sigh, Eight stepping into another copy of the same study room before beginning to search, pulling out the violet journal he'd almost forgotten he had before pulling it open. "This is a library, so there is sure to be a pencil around here somewhere."

A soft and sudden gasp quickly caught Eight's attention as he turned to the doorway. For a moment he paused, taking a deep breath through his soft breath, before finally gaining some confidence. "H-Hello?" Inching towards the door, he slowly leaned to the side, trying to look out. To his surprise, he found his eyes meeting someone else's for a brief moment. And apparently, they noticed, as they suddenly jumped back, running down the hallway.

"Wait!" Quiet was out as he ran after the other pony, turning into the hallway just as they rounded the corner. "Wait, I'm not gonna hurt you!" He couldn't see much in the dark hallway as he gave chase, trying his best not to trip on the many scattered pages on the floor. The noise they were making wasn't going unnoticed as he saw a few shadow dogs look out from the study rooms. This floor was quickly becoming a death trap when he felt a sudden jolt against his body.

The other pony had apparently stopped and bucked him backward, down a set of stairs he hadn't noticed.

With a groan, Eight looked up the stairs, spotting a fearful young mare with a messy main, shaking in place. Without light, it was hard to make out the color, but he could tell the mare was bruised and had scratched on her. "I wasn't... Gonna hurt you..." were the only words Eight could say through his exhausted breaths.

The mare didn't say anything, a look of fear still on her face.

For a moment, the two stared at each other, before the mare turned in horror, before bolting down the hallway, only for the shadow dogs to rush past after her.

"Oh, crap." Eight muttered as a few took notice of Eight and began jumping at him. Rolling to the side, out of the way, Eight quickly lept down the rest of the stairway, as the creatures slammed headfirst into the wall of the stairway, one of them actually managing to snap its own neck and fade into dust with the force of its jump. As he landed on the first floor, Eight dashed down the halls before quickly sliding into a nearby room, slamming the door closed behind him, only to grab a nearby bookshelf, bringing it down in front of it, the books on it falling to the floor.

It didn't even take a moment before the Shadow Dogs began clawing at the door, tearing chunks away.

Without a second to lose, Eight looked over the rest of the room.

The room was a full-on book-filled library, with towering bookshelves that touched the ceiling. On the other end of the room, however, was a fireplace, built into the wall. Above it was an ornate decorative shield with two swords hanging behind it. Unfortunately, it was out of reach.

Eight panicked, the dogs halfway through the door, and quickly he ran over to the bookcase next to the fireplace before trying to climb up. He pulled off books from the shelf as he climbed, only to find himself slipping and falling back to the ground. "Dammit..." Eight gasped, trying to catch his breath, but he knew he didn't have time.

'I was levitating it using the Void Crystal' Eight thought back suddenly, the fear inside him not dying down. It was either do or die now, and Eight didn't have time to decide. Quickly climbing to his hooves, Eight closed his eyes, still hearing the door break behind him. He tried not to focus on that, instead, forcing all his thoughts on one of the swords. "Please..." Eight whispered, trying to beg the Crystal to listen. Again, that feeling filled his body but still, nothing happened. "Please, I don't want to die here..." Eight tried reasoning with it, then tried pleading, he tried everything before he sighed. "I can't let that mare die, I have to protect myself, but more importantly..." Eight thought back to that mare again, the image of her fearful face burned into his mind. "I want to protect her. Others are more important than me." Taking a deep breath, Eight focused everything on the Crystal, another realization hitting him. Quickly as much energy as he could muster, he suddenly pushed against the feeling in his body. "I said lift!" Eight shouted, the energy inside himself suddenly imploding inside him, the crystal bursting to life with a brilliant glow. He can't reason with a crystal, but sure as hell can tell it what to do. Opening his eyes, Eight ordered the sword up, a magic aura surrounding one of the blades just as one of the shadow dogs burrowed through the door and shelf.

Thinking fast, Eight quickly pivoted in place, the sword-swinging around him, slicing cleanly through the creature. It slowly turned to dark ash in the air as the sword floated to Eight's side, ready for his command. "Let's get this over with."

Suddenly, the door and shelf exploded into chunks of wood as three shadow dogs lept into the room, two landing on the ground, as the other made an attempt to slash at Eight.

With a quick motion, Eight ducked and slid under it in the Air, slashing at its head, before it too turned to ash.

The other creatures didn't even pause as Eight ran closer to them, quickly blocking one's attempted slash before kicking the other in one swift motion. It quickly bounced off the wall, before Eight sent the one he blocked into another wall, and in an instant, slashed his sword back at the other, decapitating it. The other creature growled as it landed before letting out that familiar cry, but this time, Eight was ready, leaping at it before stabbing directly down its throat.

The creature's cry quickly died as it did too, the dark crystal inside it dropping to the floor as the rest turned to dust.

Panting, Eight just stood there, feeling his energy being channeled into the crystal, which held the sword. It all felt natural to him. "Well... That wasn't as hard as I thought." With a look of resolve, he turned to the door, glaring into the hall. "I'll be there soon."

As Eight galloped down the hall and up the stairs, he could hear more of those creatures jumping and clawing at a door, the mare's whimpers echoing along with it. "Hey!" Eight shouted, stepping into the hallway, his sword at the ready, as he finally spotted the door they had been clawing at.

All the creatures quickly turned to face him, before they slowly began approaching. Just then, another moved out of another hallway behind him, suddenly slashing and knocking him forward into the bigger group.

Thinking quickly, Eight flipped back, dragging his sword above him before planting his forehoof down, using his hind hoof to slash at two of the creatures, killing two before curling into the air, rolling onto the ground. Without another moment, he pushed himself to his hooves, levitating his sword to his side as he glared at the two remaining creatures, one getting ready to pounce while the other ground its teeth.

Just then, it let out a powerful cry, which echoed through the halls, stunning Eight for a moment, as the other finally pounced, its jaw open wide. Without a moment to lose, Eight fell to the side, slashing his sword effortlessly through the jaw then the body of the creature, as he hit the door where he could hear that mare's cries, making him pause a moment. Softly, Eight pressed his head against the door, not noticing the creature readying another attack. He found himself whispering into the door. "It's okay. I'm here to protect you. Don't worry." With that, Eight found his resolve again, pushing himself off the wall, and readying himself.

That's when the shadow dog shot out a sudden, powerful burst of red fluid at him, which hit his sword as he blocked.

He only shut his eyes for a moment, but by the time he reopened them, the sword was melted in half at the blade. With a sigh, he dropped it to the ground, preying he could replicate that levitating later before glaring into the creature's eyes.

Both of them were ready to attack each other when the creature began slashing towards Eight, cutting into his arm, before he used his arm to backhand the creature, sending it into a wall.

However, it quickly turned in the air, leaping back at him, before biting into his shoulder.

Struggling, Eight quickly rammed it into the wall, his shoulder burning with pain as the creature dropped. Taking a deep breath, a familiar plan crossed Eight's mind, before he kicking the shadow creature away, it sliding to a stop under a nearby bookshelf.

It growled and hissed, but Eight stood his ground focusing on the Crystal again. Just as the creature was ready to pounce, Eight yanked at the bookshelf with the magic, sending it down on the creature, before he quickly jumped up, slamming his hooves into it, crushing the creature perfectly under the bookshelf. Its dying cries echoed through the halls, only to be replaced by the mare's fearful cries.

With a sigh of exhaustion and relief, Eight stepped down off the broken shelf before moving towards the door, his limp returning to join the pain in his arm. "It's okay..." Softly, Eight pressed himself against the door, reaching for the knob, turning it slowly. "I won't... Hurt you..." As he pushed into the door, a toppled bookshelf sliding to the side he did, he found the mare curled up, crying in the corner of a smaller study.

She didn't say anything or do anything, only cried and crowed, not even facing Eight.

"They're gone..." A surge of exhaustion hit Eight as he moved closer before he sat just behind her, cautiously reaching his hoof out, just as we were on the brink of passing out.

Suddenly, however, the mare turned, hugging Eight and crying against him, not letting him go. She must have been alone for a long time.

Eight couldn't think of anything as he hugged the unknown mare back before gradually drifting unconscious.

"Who are you?" The soft, female voice echoed around Eight, the black void around him rippling like water.

He could barely stir, his body feeling heavy.

"You're a... Pegasus?" Another male voice had said, one Eight didn't recognize, but something felt familiar about it. "My name... Is..."

Softly, Eight let out a breath, the void around him fading away. "Lia—?"

"Are you... Awake?" Someone with a soft, gentle voice asked, her voice slightly quivering.

It was enough, however, to pull Eight from his dream. Softly, he opened his eyes, finding himself laying on the wooden floor of the first-floor library, staring into the fireplace, where a soft fire burned through the torn books inside it.

Next to it, however, sat that mare from before— a unicorn with red hair, with pink stripes in it. Her Violet eyes glistened in the light as she sat curled up next to the flame.

"You... You're okay?" Was all Eight could muster as he closed his eyes again, taking a deep breath. His body was sore and aching, so much that he didn't even want to lift his head.

"Y-Yes..." The mare's voice was quivering slightly as she spoke. "Thanks to you."

Again, Eight opened his eyes, seeing her looking at her hooves.

"I'm sorry..." Her voice didn't stop quivering, clearly on the edge of tears. "I was so scared... I wish I didn't... I... I wish I could've helped..."

"Don't be sorry." Eight breathed out. "It's... Okay... I get it. You were frightened, and there's no shame in that."

The words caught the mare's attention as she stared at Eight.

"What matters is that you're okay." Eight looked back at the more, struggling, for the first time, to lift himself.

The mare quickly uncurled and moved to Eight, grabbing him and helping him up. "But you... Don't even know me."

"Doesn't matter." Eight finally managed to sit up, his body screaming in pain at him, but he kept himself up.

The mare remained silent, sitting quietly next to him, not able to respond.

It was Eight who finally broke the silence.

"Speaking of which," turning to the mare, Eight gave his best smile. "Do you have a name?"

The question surprised her before she looked away, clearly thinking, before letting out a sigh. "Violet... I'd like to be called Violet."

With a soft smile, Eight nodded shakily. "It's nice to meet you, Violet. My name is..." He paused, his given name dying on his lips. Did he really want to keep using that name? But, what else would he be called? With a sigh, he spoke. "My name is Eight."

"Oh, uh," Violet seemed to notice his reluctance, nervously pausing a moment. "It's nice to meet you, uh, Eight."

The room fell nearly silent, the fire being the only sound, as the two sat there, Eight trying to catch his breath and work up the strength to move.

Violet was too nervous to say anything. She could barely object to his attempts to move. "You really... Don't have to." She finally whispered. "The... Library was nearly cleared by you... Yesterday." She seemed to wince a little at her words. "You need to rest..."

Eight turned to her, frowning but understanding. He could tell how regretful she felt about not being able to help. The least he could do was listen. "Are you sure?" Still, he couldn't help but worry. "I don't want to put you in danger."

Violet paused, looking to her hooves again. "It's fine..." It was clear she was scared, but she put on a brave face, despite her shaking.

"Besides," The sudden voice of Teia echoed through the hall, startling Violet and making Eight Sigh. "You haven't gotten the thing you need to find here."

"Teia, please, be more gentle." Eight said, pushing himself to Violet, trying to calm her. "It's okay, she's friendly." He whispered to Violet before turning to Teia slightly.

"Oh, sorry." Stepping out of the darkness, Teia cautiously approached them. "Oh wow, you don't look too good."

Eight sighed again, closing his eyes in annoyance. "Now what are you going on about?"

"Oh! Right, gotta stay on topic." Coughing into her hoof, she then quickly adjusted her bow atop her head. "Like I was saying, you can't leave without getting the thing I sent you here to get."

"You didn't mention that to me at all." At this point, Eight was getting used to her lack of instruction, and quickly moved on. "So, what am I supposed to get?"

Teia blinked before lowering her head. "Sorry about that. Instructions are hard to make." Quickly, however, she lifted herself back up. "So, this library holds a very specific set of information that you wouldn't be able to find yourself. Info I, unfortunately, can't give you, as per my rules." Taking a deep breath, Teia turned, moving back towards the doorway, which still sat in absolute ruin after yesterday's fight. "Information related to Darksiders."

Eight's ears perked before he opened his eyes again, only to see Teia had already walked out.

"Darksiders?" Finally, Violet managed to speak, managing to calm herself.

"Something she mentioned before, to me." Eight muttered. He was a Darksider, according to her, and now, he could get answers here.

Violet just stared at Eight, worry in her eyes.

"It's okay. I'll rest here before I do anything." He softly turned and smiled at her, to the best of his ability.

It took a moment but eventually, she smiled lightly back, worry still in her eyes.

Gradually, Eight pushed himself closer to the fire, with Violet's help, feeling the warmth of it.

For a long moment, she sat next to him, clearly distracted, before she stood up. "I-I'll be right back. I know there are some blankets around here."

Eight nodded to her. "Promise to be right back?"

She stood silent for a moment before nodding too. "Promise." With that, she turned, nervously heading to the door, yet she looked determined.

As she exited, Eight noticed something, laying out on the floor next to him. It was the Violet Journal, sitting open on the first blank page. "I guess she must've opened it." Eight whispered.