The Apprentice

                                            The Apprentice, By Ferrum Requiem.

Prologue

   I flashported to one of the caves, nearly escaping death. I then ran inside, hoping for a minute of rest. After I settled down on the moist rock floor, I clenched the deep gash in my left arm, and gasped from the pain.

   "Damn, the bleeding wont stop." I grunted through gritting teeth. "Oh come on, the bone is still showing!"

   Fearing the worst, I thought to myself. "I have to do it again."

   While wincing, I calmed myself, and my rapid breathing. I then focused on the healing spell that Twilight had taught me.

"Healing spells that are cast on ones self, more than a few times, tend to drain your strength. So, be careful."

   Twilight's voice echoed from my past memories. I feared that if she were there, she would have been upset at me, as that was my fourth cast since Pinkamena had given me that laceration from hell.

   Thinking about Pinkie, and Twilight, made my eyes burn again.

   "How did this happen?" I then whispered harshly through gritted teeth.

"I don't understand, I knew it was coming, but I couldn't stop it, damn it!"

   Tears of anger were welling up in my eyes. "As if this cave could give me an answer."

   I thought to myself, while closing my burning eyes.

"How did my friends become monsters like that? What connection am I missing?"

   I felt as though my mind was starting to crack.

"How could I let it all go so wrong? I thought I had it, that I could stop it!"

"Some savior." I admonished myself, as my thoughts were full of self judgement.

"You just thought it a cast and a flashport, but look at you now! Sitting here, feeling sorry for yourself, instead of thinking of a way out of here. If I die here, then I will have let my friends down, and with them all of Equestria."

   I sank into the wall, while hoping for the spell to take effect. "This has really gotten out of hand."

   "Alright just what are YOU babbling on about?"  The Voice started laughing.

   "Sure Pinkamena tried to kill you, but did you really have to kill her back? Well I suppose if you had not, you would be a dead taxidermy statue, just like Rainbow Dash."

   A mix of shame and disgust came over me from hearing his words.

   "Even though you're still a powder puff, it's good to know you're getting some of your old back bone back, hhahaha! And really, what do you plan on doing now, with your arm all diced up like that?" More laughter sounded inside my head.

   "My, my, that really looks like it hurts, but you like pain, don't you Argyle? I mean, you just inflict it so well on others."

   I gritted my teeth in rising annoyance, as more chuckling sounded in the gape of my mind.

"And tell me, what was so good about the Elements of Harmony anyway?" The disembodied voice cursed. "Elements of Garbage if you ask me!"

   "You can say whatever you want about me, but don't. You. Ever. Let me hear you down the Elements of Harmony ever again, you annoying fuck!" I yelled into the nothing in that cave.

   "Calm down dandelion lover, all I am trying to say is, you are the only one who can stop the darkness now. So stop moping, and think of a way to remember your solution to this shit storm already, damn it! I am on a timed schedule, and I have to make my deadline."

   "Okay, whatever!" I yelled. "Just shut it, and let me think. Now, when did all this start?"

   "Whoa, whoa there, what are you doing? I didn't mean reflect on your whole life, I said remember!"

   "I have to retrace all my steps to make sure I did not miss anything, and besides, I am not going anywhere with this injury."

   "Alright then sprinkle fairy, we will do this your way, for now." The voice said in a low dark tone.

   I was more annoyed then ever. "We have always done things my way, all you do is talk!"

   I rolled my eyes in discust while letting the subject down, then I delved into my past.

   I began thinking back, to when Ponyville was such a peaceful place, and back to how I got to Equestria. I had to figure out what I was missing. I needed to trace back every step, and restart from the beginning. I rested my head back against the smooth cave wall, than forced myself into my thoughts.

                                                                ***

   I was so excited! Although 19, I rarely ever got to stay home alone, as my family were pretty protective of me. At that time my parents, and my sister, were away from home for a full week. I had the house to myself, for the first time ever.

   Sometimes, whenever I was alone, I would play the board game Risk against myself. As strange as it may have sounded to most, I found it pleasing. In my experience at the time, I had only met a few people who liked to play Risk, and I had yet to meet anyone who enjoyed playing it by themselves.

   Since I was a kid, I had always considered playing against ones self a palpable time killer. Consequently, my family aways teased me, saying it was weird, or a strange way to pass the time; however, I take the words weird, or strange, as complements.

   After a few rounds of continent subjugating, and the resulting world domination, I heard something strange upstairs. At first I payed little attention to the noise, as It was hard to hear it through the metal blasting from my ipod, but soon I noticed the thumps were not unlike footsteps. While continuing to ignore the bumps up stairs, I decided to clean up the board game.

   "Father into your hands, I commend my spirit." I sang in a very low volume, "Father into your hands, why have you forsaken me?" Oh, my ipod was filled with pretty much any song you could want. It's a damned musical library.

   After putting away the board game, and after finishing my Chop Suey, I heard a soft chuckle of a child. It was strangely ... displaced somehow: I could not tell its origin at first, as I had to listen a few times to figure out it was coming from upstairs.

   Thinking about the chukling more then the footsteps, I thought about grabbing a knife from the kitchen to take with me and investigate, yet, I desided against that.

"If I need a deadly weapon, I will just retreat to my room and get my pistol."

   As I made my way up the stairs, the noise got louder with each step up. After my last step up, I was facing the upstairs hallway, the laughter then stopped. I looked around, but I saw nothing. I turned the right corner, nothing. I even looked in all the rooms, and still found nothing amiss.

   Frowning, I mumbled to myself. "Just what the hell is-" but I was cut short by a hollow voice, that whispered to me from behind.

   "Looking for me?"

   I spun around gasping, only to face an empty hallway.

   Now, I had watched ghost hunters before, and frankly, I thought they were scam artists, but that sent a soul freezing chill down my spine.

   Again I heard that hollow voice. "Hehehe, no silly, I AM OVER HERE!" That time it had volume, and it pierced into my ears.

   Having had quite enough, I stormed after the voice, ready to knock out some lights, but nothing could have prepared me for what was about to happen.

   As I turned the hallway corner to face the stairwell, I stopped in horror at what was then in front of me. It was a girl, standing on the very top stair, facing me. I was then unable, and unwilling to move, as I took her appearance in.

   She was covered from head to toe in red, her torn dirty dress was covered in a dull crimson. Her hair's natural dark colour was staind a blood red, and its ends were matted by coagulation. Her eyes were hardly visible through the matted hair covering her face.

   "Are you alright?!" I managed to choke out, but she remained still, and silent as the dead.

   "Are you hurt? How did you get into my home?" Still, she gave no answer. I took a step forward, ignoring my body's screams to run.

   She remained still, and ever silent. I broke the silence again, one more time. "What do you want?" I had finished my second step towards her.

   She lifted her head up to meet me at eye level. "The ponies are boring."

   My heart skipped a beat. Her voice was violent, and not at all befitting a young girl's voice.

   "They break too easy, but you look tougher then the ponies, heh ... hehehe ... hehe."

   My eyes were then wider than a full moon. I began to think that "she" was not the right word, but "it" was far more befitting.

   With my heart pounding in my throat, I got a peek at its eyes. The pupils were a void of black, soulless, and lifeless, yet the irises glowed a crimson red.

   I spoke weakly, while I took a few steps back. "What?... Ponies -" it interrupted me.

   "Yes the ponies, they will die too quickly, so they're, as aways, little fun. But you ... YOU look like you would be FUN! Well, hopefully, at least, as fun as you use to be."

"Pistol!" That was all I thought at that moment.

  I spun around, then stormed down the hallway towards my room. I slammed and locked the door after making it inside. It started to claw at its frame, its nails were grinding on the door, like teeth on bone.

   "Where is my Tokarev?!" I yelled franticly, while turning and searching for what I thought was going to be my saving grace.

   "There!" I darted over to my bed's left side to grab it, but I froze when I smelled something ... smoky.

"Fire?!" I thought, then I screamed out while coughing. "The fucking house is on fire now?!" It was getting harder to breathe.

    "How?! I just came from that hallway!" Confusion was taking its toll.

    "Damn it!" I yelled While grabbing my pistol holster, from under my decorative bed pillow.

    Then it came bursting through my door, with a wave of blistering heat swirling behind it. The typhoon of flames began consuming my outer bed room, while slowly creeping along behind the girl, as she started walking towards me at a sloths pace.

    Gasping from the sight, I ran for my room window. The creature then spoke to me, while I was desperately trying to unlock the window's latch.

   "Hopefulness is it? Good, your going to need that." It said with a sickening grin on its soulless face. "Oh, you can try to get away. As trifling as it will be, they all will try to get away, even the dandelion suckers will try."

  She raised her arms. "But, all will eventually ... DIE!" The inferno raised in responce, consuming nearly my whole room. It flooded around her and myself, blocking the window, and my hopes for escape.

   My instincts then started taking me over, as my body stood firm, ready to face death head on. "Not if my Russian friend here has his words with you!"

   It looked at me unimpressed. "You have no friends here Argyle! Not in this world at least ... he ... hehe."

"How the ... it knows my name?!"

  With the inferno raging in from all angles, she surged forward at me laughing manicly, like a posessed banshe.

   "We have come for you Argyle Orion! It is time to welcome you back home!"

   As I drew my pistol, and leveling it while screaming, the world stopped... I stopped, like god hit the pause button.

   Before it reached me, and before the inferno heartbeats away could consume me, the world went dark. I sank into it knowingly, yet forgeting time. I remember feeling like a viscus liquid stretching though a sieve. I was flying without moving, yet I covered more distance it seemed then logicly, or humanly, possible.

   I saw a light drawing me in, it was so warm, and so ... beautiful.