The Carnival of the Damned

A low rumbling growl echoed Blood's mingling despair and anger as he shut the door and stole back out into the darkened hall. His disappointment at Rose's untimely disappearance stabbed at his dead heart, and he opened his mouth to heave a sigh before drawing in additional breath. He began to call to Apothecarium as a resounding crash of shattering glass greeted his summons. Shards rained down, remnants of a nearby window as an inky black figure lunged to slam the roughly against the far stone wall.

Ancient Blood winced at the suddenness of the attack, his head hitting the stone as result of being caught off guard. Soon enough however, the scent of the assailant caused his eyes to narrow in immediate recognition. He took the offensive at once, throwing the intruder from him as though discarding a worn coat. He followed this up, pinning the other to the opposite side of the hall with a hoof to the throat as he glowered down at the familiar pegasus.

"You! Returned once again, have you? For what?! Have you missed the chains that much? Perhaps you have decided upon a death wish for me to fulfill!" Rose's unexplained departure was enough in itself to spark the unicorn's fury, yet Ryn's return to the castle directly afterwards had kindled the flame to a raging fire of burning hatred.

Kuromaru did not respond to the inquiries, pushing away Blood's hoof to better take up a defensive posture as they both glared in turn. Finally, Ryn stamped a hoof. "You know why I'm here. I know you took her. Now tell me where she is, or I'll do the same to you as I did to that hellhound."

Blood laughed harshly. "Are 'you' threatening 'me'? You dare to even assume that you stand a chance against me in combat? Hah! You are more a fool than I had thought! I shall prove it with your death." The crimson Lord took up a warring stance in the narrow passage-way, horn leveled against the other as a blade would be held in combat. "Come then! Fight me and test your resolve!" He lunged, horn slashing at the exposed throat of the pegasus.

Ryn moved away to bring his hoof in a kick to the vampire's shoulder. This was narrowly avoided, each exchanging blow for blow as the struggle led further down the hall.

"You were fool enough to come here at the very beginning. Anypony else would have at least the smallest iota of intelligence enough to avoid this land at all costs, as well as all who inhabit it." Blood let out a snarl as the pegasus flew up to avoid a strike and land a blow to the Lord's side. The unicorn buckled, retaliating with a magical blast that propelled Ryn into the high ceiling before depositing him on the ground below. The stallion struggled to remain upright, the stone archway above crumbling with the arcane spell and nearly falling on top of him.

"I came to help a friend. How many times do I have to repeat myself?!" He rolled out of the way of another beam of magic as Blood continued his barrage.

"You should have watched her more closely in the first place! I have returned her to the Everfree for her own protection. Safety from this realm, land and creatures. If I had known that my efforts were to be proven pointless, then I-"

"You'd what?" Ryn mocked as he ducked under another ray. "You'd have kept her here? With you? Ha!" He scoffed. "That sounds like a far worse fate if you ask me!"

"I DIDN'T ask you!" Blood hissed as he lunged at Ryn, both crashing against a nearby stair railing before plummeting headlong to the landing below.

"A-Ah! Lord Blood!" The commotion had come to land in the Great Hall, Apothecarium rushing over to the scene in concern. Close behind him stood the figure of a petite mare, clothed in green rags and jingling bangles. She observed the three quietly, combatants returning to their feet while keeping a firm glare on the other.

Blood dusted himself off as he glared at Ryn. "Leave my home immediately, lest I summon the guards to forcibly remove you piece by piece." His anger had dissipated for the moment, and he was loathe to fight in the presence of visitors.

"Fine. I'll go, but I'm taking Rose with me." Ryn snorted, firmly planting his hooves on the marble floor in a show of his stubbornness.

"Do you not get it?!" The Lord turned on the pegasus, letting the lurid fire of his eyes blaze forth in open display. "She's gone! Your trip is in vain! You have only succeeded in wasting your time and mine!" He roared loudly, deep-rooted emotion spilling over like venom in his heart-broken words. He turned away to keep his expression from view as Ryn stared in disbelief.

"What?! Oh, this is great! Wonderful! You say I can't protect her, but you can't watch her for five minutes without screwing up! In your own home no less! She's in as much danger out there as she was in here apparently, and now there's no telling where she's gone off to!" A long string of curses punctuated his tirade as the pegasus paced back and forth over the floor of the front hall. Only Apothecarium noticed the quiet mare's mouth open as though she hoped to interject a sentence somewhere.

"U-Umm..."

"If you feel that way, then please remove yourself from my home at once! I shall summon the guards and search the land myself if I must. We will find her without fail."

Ryn laughed mirthlessly at Blood's statement. "Guards? She's not an escaped criminal, for cryin' out loud."

"Uh..I-if you'd excuse me..."

"Of course not!" Blood continued, not heeding the soft spoken guest. "She means more to me than the whole of this kingdom. I will give all to see that she is safe."

The pegasus' lip curled in disgust. "Ugh...don't tell me. You love her, am I right? Fat chance, parasite. I'll let hell freeze over before-"

"My Lord!" The two turned to Apothecarium, the pale unicorn's eyes wide as he stood next to the mare. "Th-this pony says that she knows where Miss Rose is!" He gave a gentle nudge to the mare, pushing her forward as Blood stepped closer to appraise the guest. She trembled under his gaze, cringing as he spoke.

"Who are you? What is your purpose in my land? You claim to know Rose's whereabouts, yet how can I trust this.?"

"S-Sir, I am Roma, a member of the carnival troupe. I-" She was cut off as Blood raised a hoof, guards immediately swarming around the mare.

Ryn lost no chance, leaping between the royal guards and the gypsy. "Hear her out, Blood! Will you really risk this chance to learn Rose's location?"

Blood glared silently for a few moments, finally dismissing the guards, who looked to each other in confusion before returning to their posts. The Lord waited until the last had exited the hall before stepping closer to glare at the two. "You had best start explaining yourself, Miss Roma. Why travel here? Why aid us when the whole of your troupe wishes to thwart our endeavors?"

She bowed respectfully, relieved at Ryn's protective action. "L-Lord Blood, please, I bear no ill will to you our your kingdom. I need your help sir. We all do. The whole of our carnival, and my brother as well."

"Brother?" Apothecarium repeated this last word, leading Roma to sit in a nearby chair. She did so, heaving a sigh as she sank against the cushion.

"Yes, sir. Dimitri. He is my brother, and we are all in terrible danger."

...

Stepping over a fallen branch, Rose cautiously made her way through the maze of dead trees. The darkened silhouette of the castle could just be distinguished far behind her, darkness looming out in front. Her strange meeting with Mortis had not given any clear direction as to where she was to meet him, or even how he could be found in the vast land that was night. The stinging of the poisoned wound did not help in the slightest, making careful thought near impossible in the shadows of the dead trees. The mare sighed, wavering in her resolve. How her heart yearned to return to the castle's chamber and the relative safety in could provide in comparison with the untamed and sinister landscape that now surrounded her.

She moved to take a step backward, yet the snapping of a twig a few feet to her left prompted a quick turn in that direction. Through the thick underbrush, the glow of a lantern accompanied a familiar top hat that was bobbing in her direction. The owner of these looked up at her, grinning ear to ear as he offered a bow.

"Oh! We meet again! How fortunate for me! Though, not so fortunate for you." The gypsy Dimitri chuckled heartily as she glowered in response.

"Dimitri...what are you doing here? Haven't you caused enough harm?" A stabbing pain seared through her cheek, causing the unicorn to wince as the keen eyes of the stallion looked on in interest.

"Actually, I have come looking for you, Miss Rose." He tipped his hat, bowing as he continued. "I am to serve as your escort, and take you to Sir Mortis. He is expecting you soon, and I doubt he would want you...how you say...'damaged' during the delivery. After all, these woods are full of so many horrible creatures. Werewolves...banshees...maybe a hellhound or two..."

Rose's cheeks flushed red with anger at the realization of where Dimitri's loyalties were connected. She stamped a hoof, not caring for the ever increasing pain caused by the scar. "You...you parasite! Siding with Mortis all this time!"

The stallion backed away with an expression of mock hurt. "Now, now... Don't get your petals all ruffled. Besides, is it not better to be a flea on the back of a healthy dog, than the benefactor of such a weak and wilting flower?" As though on cue, the mark on the mare's cheek stung even deeper than it had until that point. Such was the pain, that her legs buckled beneath her, and Rose had to use all of her effort just to remain upright. Dimitri paled slightly at this, hurrying forward to help support her weight and keep her balanced. "Now then, I suggest we hold off any more arguing, at least until a better time. Mortis is waiting, and I'm pretty certain that you want this pain ended as quickly as possible, yes?"

As loathe as she was to admit it, Rose knew Dimitri was right. She nodded solemnly, the pain ebbing for the moment and she stumbled away from his support and sighed.

"...Lead on, Dimitri."

He grinned, removing his hat to bow before picking up the lantern and gesturing to a small side path. Rose followed in silence, allowing him to lead her deeper into the ever darkening forest.