The Carnival of the Damned

The lights and sound from the crowded carnival assaulted Rose's senses from every direction. Eager guests wandered about, and Dimitri was nowhere to be found. The mare heaved a sigh as she peeked into another darkened tent in vain, looking about to determine her newest position. To her far left she could just spot the top of the Carousel of the Dead, the skeletal horses of which still caused a cold shiver to run through her. Far off to the right stood the many game booths, a moan of despair rising up as yet another customer failed to win a prize from the wooden shelves.

She stepped forward to begin a search of the area ahead when a trill laugh made her stop in her tracks. She paled as a familiar orange filly leaped into view from a nearby tent, chattering away with a petite cream colored mare. They seemed quite engrossed in their conversation as Rose slowly stepped backwards to conceal herself in the entrance of a shadowy tent while they passed.

"The witch from the Everfree..." The large hat had been a giveaway of the filly's identity and though Rose did not recognize the other, she was unwilling to take chances. Luck seemed to be with her, for they both passed without incident. The mare gave a sigh of relief, sinking against the tent's canvas to give her heart a moment of peace.

"Oh? Is someone there?" A deep voice echoed from the tent's shadows, startling Rose. She quickly returned to her hooves to face it's owner. The tent's interior was consumed with shadows, making it difficult for her to discern much of anything. She strained her eyes to search the space.

"F-Forgive me. I did not mean to intrude..."

"Nonsense," the voice answered soothingly. "Come in, my dear. All guests are welcome here. Please, come closer so that I may better see you."

She hesitantly stepped forward, her hooves feeling strangely heavy with the wight of unconscious fear as her eyes began to adjust to the unusual lighting of some glowing objects nearby. A pale stallion lounged upon a dark settee directly in front of her. He was robed in a tattered cloak, the hood of which was drawn over his inky mane. The mare drew close enough to discern a single worn bandage over the strange pony's eyes, perhaps an injury from long ago.

"Ah! Here you are. My, to whom do I owe the pleasure of such a lovely visitor? Greetings dear child, and welcome to the Chamber of Fayt. Card readings, fortunes, your future revealed. Might I interest you in a small telling? There are questions lingering about you. I can sense them in the air. Please don't be shy. Have a seat." He gestured to the small seat before him, yet Rose stepped backwards, bowing apologetically as her eyes continued scanning the strange room and it's furnishings. From this closer vantage point, she could see that the emeralds of the settee were the source of light here, as well as the large gem serving as a clasp on the stallion's cloak. Each radiated with an eerie green glow against the shadows of the tent. Beyond this, many red strings dangled from the ceiling and twisted into large webs beyond the lounging pony.

"I-I'm sorry sir, but I must decline. I was searching for somepony and-"

"All the more reason for you to stay. I wish to help you find that which you are seeking so desperately. I sense a strange aura from you, child. You are not from this land. Brought here by another...the scent of roses, and a music box..."

Rose stiffened, chilled by the words of the fortune teller. Her silence caused the other to grin.

"Then I am correct, Miss Rose?"

"H-How do you know my name?" She slowly lowered herself into the opposite seat as he continued.

"Oh, I know much more than that, my dear flower. Your failing health as a foal, the rose of another realm, a castle of blood and sacrifice. You have been through so much. Such pain, such heartache, and yet you still wear his crest close to your heart..."

She gasped, looking down to the pendant secured across her throat.

"Ah! I see! So you loved him..." A glimmer behind the bandaged eyes. "I have seen your past, spoken your present, yet the future must still come to pass. There is a greater sacrifice to be made. Blood for bones, and the rise of a new power. This is not the final chapter. There must be life eternal for the army of death."

Rose's eyes widened as her heart beat quickened with fear. She stumbled from the chair, scrambling to flee the dark tent. Fayt sat still, smirking at the terrified mare's hasty departure. Three cards lay face down on the table in front of him. He flipped the first one, his smile widening even more.

"The Hanged Mare...vulnerability and sacrifice...quite fitting, wouldn't you agree, Mortis?" Fayt didn't need to turn around as the shadows behind him shifted to reveal the unicorn close by.

"Use caution in your actions, Fayt, and do not frighten her so carelessly. I need her heart still beating for now." Without another word, the shadows engulfed him once more to leave the chamber in darkness...

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