The Carnival of the Damned

The crowds murmured with curiosity at the strange appearance of the Lord and the accompanying guards in the midst of the carnival. So peculiar was the sight that a fair sized group had gathered by the time Dimitri sought to push his way through to it's center.

"Ah, Excuse me. Pardon me!" He moved as quickly as he could, finally breaking through to see the Lord scowling down at Hazel. The little filly stood her ground well, fending off his inquiries with roundabout responses.

"I shall ask you one more time, child. Where is she?" The crimson unicorn's eyes glared down into the young witch's, yet she would not be intimidated.

"And I'll tell you one more time. You can't just barge in without paying. Admission costs five bits per pony, and that doesn't include rides or games."

Luferius stamped a hoof down, glowering angrily. "How dare you defy Lord Blood! You shall pay, insolent brat!"

"You pay first! Five bits each!" The top of her hat did not even come close to comparing with Luferius' height, yet her defiance readily made up for the difference. They all glared one at the other as Dimitri moved to stand between them, grinning nervously as he addressed the royalty.

"Ah! Lord Blood! So you have decided to join us after all. I cannot tell you how happy this makes me." At a single nod from their ruler, the guard's immediately flanked Dimitri on both sides, keeping a close eye as the gypsy attempted to back away. "N-No need for such pleasantries, my friend. After all, you are my guest here." He have a nervous chuckle as Blood moved to stand before him.

"Where is she, Dimitri?"

"She? Who? Hazel? She is right here!" He gestured to the orange filly close by, who gave a mocking wave in return.

"I am not in the mood for your games. Tell me, where is Rose? I know she is here."

"Oh! Miss Rose! Of course. I saw her not too long ago, actually. She was wandering near the game booths, I think. Your friend, she wanders a lot. You should warn her not to do that so much. It is a bad habit. First you wander, then before you know it-"

"Enough of your rambling, Dimitri!" Blood hissed. "Where. Is. She?" He loomed menacingly forward, the guards securing the gypsy still.

"I-I do not know. But what I do know is that she is most certainly, without a doubt, NOT in the Creature Emporium. "

The Lord glanced to Luferius. "Check there at once." The guard saluted and left with a few of his men trailing after him.

Dimitri sighed. "Why is it that never seems to work for me the way I want it to?" He shrugged, the guard's tightening their hold on him as a few others moved to disperse the surrounding crowds that had come to watch the spectacle. Ancient Blood watched for a few minutes as the crowds slowly dissolved into a few curious ponies before turning back to the gypsy.

"I swear to you, if you have harmed a single hair upon her head..."

"Ah! No,no. Believe you me, sir., I have done absolutely nothing. No harm at all! I swear to you on the grave of my mother!"

Ancient Blood continued to glare down at the other, searching his expression for any signs of lies or deceit. Dimitri remained calm under the piercing gaze, his grin widening even further.

"You have pretty eyes. I bet I could sell them in a jar for good profit. What say you?"

A low snarl from Blood in response as he raised a hoof to strike the stallion. Dimitri cringed in preparation for the blow, yet it never came. He slowly glanced back up at the Lord, whose gaze seemed far away. An expression of alarm and fear mingled in his eyes as his guards all turned to sniff the surrounding air.

"...her blood..." Without another word Ancient Blood dashed in the direction of the Creature Emporium, the remainder of the guards close behind. The bewildered gypsy watched them depart, a faint smile lingering on his bemused lips.

"...Oops..."

......

"H-How..." Rose fought to keep her voice calm, yet her wide eyes and trembling hooves betrayed her fear of the unnatural horror standing in front of her. Slowly the bits of torn flesh began it's mending process until not a single scratch could be perceived on Mortis' throat. He loomed over her, still grinning at the terrified mare.

"The darker magics of necromancy, resurrection of flesh and bone for the sole purpose of servitude to an unholy master. Though 'how' should be the last of your worries. As for 'why' you were brought here, I need your blood, plain and simple. Blood that can give life to lifeless land surely must also possess the strength to do the same for the dead. I wish to use it to bring about the rise of an army. Enough power to overthrow the current monarchy and allow me to usurp the throne. And to think, it will all be thanks to you." He raised the small dagger once more, grazing the cheek where her blood still trickled down from the first wound.

Paralyzed by fear as she was, this fresh pain had enough effect to cause her to move away and make a mad dash for the Emporium's exit.

"Ah-Ah! Not so fast!" His voice held a taunting warning within it's venomous tone, though he did not move from his spot. "You may wish to examine those cages a little more closely before rushing past them so carelessly." The nature of his threat caused her to look at the cage closest to her, where a single strand of bright red string was attached to the steel door's latch.

"String?" Hardly an item to pose any real danger. She turned away from this only to become aware of countless similar strings hanging down from the lofty heights of the Emporium and connecting to each and every cage in the enclosed space. "Wh-what is this?!" She gingerly stepped backwards, the strands nearly everywhere she turned.

Mortis grinned, the dagger he held inching closer to one of the threads. "Ah, you see them now? Do you recall a similar display inside of Fayt's chamber? These, my dear, are the aptly named 'Strings of Fate'. You'll find them strewn all about the carnival, attached to near anything and everything on the grounds. Still, they remain invisible to most, save those made aware of their presence. They seem so frail, don't they? So very inconsequential. Yet to break even one, to sever even a single strand, would be to end the very life of the one linked to it. You wear such a string as well, Miss Rose." He gestured to the area above her heart, and she lowered her gaze to look as well.

Just as Mortis had said, a single strand of thread protruded from the area leading up to disappear into the tangled web of other identical strands. She carefully moved her hoof to touch the strange thread, yet it passed through as though the string were not even there to begin with.

"You may have been made aware of your string, yet only a small few have the power to touch and have an effect on the mortal coil."

"Th-then you have one as well!"

The stallion laughed bitterly. "Ha! Hardly!" He pointed a hoof to the small frayed end of string protruding from his own chest. "We have already established that I am not among the living. My string was cut long ago."

She backed away, cringing at the remembrance of his display of death. "Th-then why do you do this? What is the purpose in continuing your existence? Why not just move on to your eternal rest? You say you need my blood, what is the purpose in that? You want life for an army of dead? What purpose is there in it? Will you kill all others only to add on until nothing is left?" She continued moving backwards despite the warning of the strings; sheer panic breaking into her voice. "I cannot let you do that. I...I will not let you have it!" Without another word she dashed from the Emporium, Mortis glared darkly after her.

"If I cannot have it, then I shall take it!" The hovering dagger caught the end of a string, pulling it carefully upward as a corresponding cage door fell open. From it's dark interior writhed a shadowy figure, a horrifying snarl ripping free from the jaws of the hideous beat inside. It tore away from the enclosure to reveal a hulking canine with bristling black fur. The whole appearance and attitude of the creature was that of a blackened wolf, monstrous in it's size. A hellhound. It's dagger-like teeth showed readily over the drawn back lips as the being glanced around the area. The necromancer simply watched as the hellhound sniffing the air at the scent of the mare's blood. The red eyes of the beast gleamed as it reared it's head back to unleash a soul chilling howl before bolting away in pursuit of it's prey.

Seeing his purpose completed for the moment, Mortis vanished into the night to await the result.

....