Everything Ends...

by Harold_Genhi

Chapter 5: Rising Six

Birds chirped as a ray of sunlight hit my closed eyelids. I open them to find that I had fallen asleep on the floor in the study. Eyn wasn’t in the room anymore, nor did I feel his presence in my life. I cock my head back to my flank to see the scar on my flank. I hated it before, but now it only invokes thoughts of sadness and pity for an alicorn that lost everything. Worst of all, is knowing that he was going to lose more, his eyesight, horn, and leg. I no longer feared him. I no longer wished to stop him from whatever he had planned. I looked around the room with an absentminded swivel. The first item that caught my eye was my cello, something that I needed to touch, something I needed to hear sing to me.

I lift my bow and take my stand, sliding the bow across the string. A deep tone filled the room as the notes to my song came back to me. I perform the song with the highest degree of form and expression in it, leaning into the more powerful strokes. My eyes remain shut as the images of Eyn’s friends look at him, their smiles fading to that of dismissal. He runs to Luna, the large gates closing in around him. Heart quickens, strokes increase, and intensity rises. The doors slam and the bow slips from my hoof capturing the tragic story. Managing not to drop the bow, I reset it on my hoof, letting the silence sink into the room.

A soft flitter of the high strings creates the sensation of tears falling on the strings, a heart wrenching sadness of love lost, the draining of a broken heart. My motions dissolve from fluidity to broken jerks, the mood changing once again to rage. The song flip-flops between sadness and angry, mimicking Eyn’s broken psyche or whatever was talking to him. My eyes slowly open as a realization began to creep up my hooves and into my spine. The music slowed, but it played in my mind, finishing the piece, just as Eyn had finished my sentences.

“No…” I gallop over to the sheet music and listen to the tune simply by staring at the notes.

Tones and rhythms mimicked the memories in which Eyn had showed me. More surprising is when his mind began exhibiting two different tones as if he had split into two different ponies the same time as my song splits to include Vinyl’s melodies.

“You sneaky alicorn…” I shake my head, placing both hooves on each side of the desk, shaking my head.

“You’re up early… playing too.” Vinyl yawns as she enters the room.

I can’t tell if her hair is styled or if she has bed head, but her eyes are still squinted with sleep. She jumps onto one of the beanbag chairs she had tossed into the corner a few weeks before.

“What was your inspiration for the opening of our piece?” I ask, staring at her section of the music.

Her head perks up slightly before settling back onto the side of her seat. “Rebellion. You had this classy, prim, and proper tone about you that ended strangely tragically. I wanted your tones to rise back into the fray with a bit of a rebellious build up of thought.”

Puzzle pieces clicked into place, the image of the puzzle growing into a concrete pattern. Alicorn of inspiration, of course he could make me write anything he wanted. I want to scrap it as I stare at it, but slowly a realization falls over my eyes. He didn’t write it just as he didn’t force Luna to gain a cutie mark in raising the moon. He gave them a purpose and focus to work with. Everything that those created was their own creation.

“Coincidence?” I ask, aloud, to myself.

“What?” Vinyl groaned, turning onto her back, her legs straight up in the air like a dog wanting for her belly to be scratched.

“I’ve been having visions of Eyn’s life, different moments in his life.” I start. “I can’t hate him. I can’t blame him. He lost everything.” I continue.

“Of course he lost everything. He became evil and was banished to the Everfree. Then he used us to escape from his prison so he can haunt your dreams and carve ugly scars into your body.” Vinyl’s voice grew in anger.

“He means well. He has to mean well.” I stare at her.

“Is this like Stocks-holm Syndrome?” The white unicorn caught a wave of energy as she tossed back to stare at my upright.

“He was the old holder of the Element of Kindness. He could make ponies kill themselves, but he doesn’t. Instead he gives ponies like us inspiration to keep our careers afloat. He’s planned it all.” I raise my eyebrows.

“You are thinking too much about him, Tavi. He is an old and broken alicorn. If he comes to hurt Celestia or Luna, they will quickly put him down.” She hit her hoof against the other.

“I don’t see him trying to hurt, Luna. He loved her in his youth. As for Celestia…” I nod reluctantly. “He may want her dead.”

“Exactly. The Eyn that deserved the Element of Kindness died one thousand years ago at the bottom of a crater.”

“Why are you acting this way? Eyn’s hurting and you hold him in a more contemptuous view?”

“Listen to yourself, Tavi, Eyn this, Eyn that. What about us? We had our time together only a few times. We even managed to have a night of drunken festivities and a bath together, but you seem more focused on Eyn. When you said he had died, I hoped it was true… sort of.” The last part seemed to break her character. “Listen, I’m not trying to sound cruel, but I don’t trust a pony who carves his mark into my marefriend’s flank as if it were a brand. The icing on the cake being his ability to constantly invade your head and control you.”

“Control me? He doesn’t control me.” I am offended.

“I left here early, trying to get us an early breakfast. Seeing that you weren’t in bed, I searched around and found you staring out the window, blank expression on your face, your eyes glazed over with his white blind eyes. I tried. I tried to ignore it, but when I arrive at the bakery they ask me why you were acting so weird. I questioned them and they say that you came into their bakery with the same glazed appearance. They asked about you eyes, but you left without a word. He is walking you around tone, making you stare at random things.” Vinyl’s voice evolved from anger to worry. “Eyn doesn’t mean well. If he did, he wouldn’t have to use you as a thrall.”

“He was helping me get home.” I retort.

“Did he tell you to say that? Hay, he might be indirectly controlling me. You seem to think that way with our concert now. I just don’t like feeling like I am pawn in something that isn’t our fight.” Vinyl admitted, her tone falling to a soft sigh.

After a long pause I ask. “So you don’t want to have the concert?”

She laughs. “Are you kidding me? Playing my music for the Princesses and getting top billing. You can count me in. I just want you to be safe when dealing with Eyn. I don’t want to lose you again. Now, enough with this crappy sappy stuff and lets get to harmonizing this orchestral remix.” She clops her hooves together. “Bring your stuff upstairs and lets see what we can come up with.”

We take only a few minutes to carry my cello up the stairs and into her room. Miscellaneous lights and varying inventions Vinyl had created scattered the room. Wires of varying colors littered the floor, hooked into various machines and amps. I knew she would take hours of days, locking herself in her room. I know am allowed to see her various inventions, the most notable being a collection of various large squares and a camera that had its guts ripped out and a tentacle line of wires leading into it.

“Check this.” She says, jumping over a toolbox.

She opens presses a button and the camera comes to life. I listen to the room hum with life. I also notice other cameras hooked onto different corners of the room. Vinyl smirks and looks around the room as if it were filling with her favorite form of energy. The large squares blink with light before revealing a larger image of the back of Vinyl’s head, me standing over her shoulder.

“You like?” She smirks, peering into the camera, the image being tossed onto the larger square, though it was broken, like much of the image was still missing. The other squares, like puzzle pieces held the other parts of the camera’s image. “Live feeds and an extended backdrop projector with…” She trails off, jumping toward another section of the room. The screen distorted and flashed. “…Varying effects of pure awesomeness.” Vinyl chuckles at her inventions.

“How did you make all of this?” The greatest scientists of Equestria would be jealous at Vinyl’s ingenuity.

“It all came to me in a dream…” She laughs. “If you build it, they will have their socks blown from their hooves!” She smirks.

I didn’t want to remind her that this was probably Eyn’s idea and that he had influenced her in her dreams, though no pony would have been able to piece such an idea together except Vinyl. Sometimes I felt she was borderline insane, but it was fitting to her character.

“This is impressive, Vinyl. I’m sure Canterlot will never forget this concert.” I look at my dusty cello. “I’m sure once I give the old girl a polish that she will outshine your giant… squares.” A grin cracks on the side of my mouth.

“Bring it on, snooty hooves.” She winks at me. I can’t help, but smile.

I pull out my bow and point it at her. “Then let us begin, Ms. Scratch.”

“Please, it’s DJ PON3.” Her head phones snapped over her ears as her glasses slid into place.

Our different styles clash quickly though it immediately converts into the harmonic explosion that we had grown to love. The tensions of the morning quickly faded as I played my heart out, Vinyl falling straight in key as I fell in rhythm with her. Even the most musically trained pony’s ear would not be able to pick out which of us was the leader of the piece. I admit, I couldn’t tell.

We arrive at the apex of my build. I let the bow slip as it did this morning. The seeming fault in style broke a perfection transition to the pulsing distortion that Vinyl created. Cracking an eye, Vinyl nods to me with a grin that exemplifies her approval of my improvisation, and as a means of showing me up, she blasted her own improvisation. The build of her part exploded with character, a strange rage, and a blast of rebellion. I grab the chance and hold a long, high note of fear and worry that remained overshadowed by Vinyl blaring bass.

The rest of the practice grinds out to the finish. We stop at once, the room falling in silence, though my head screamed with applause. I could feel the heat of the stage lights glaring on my brow as I hold my ground, finally opening my eyes to view the roaring crowd, bowing to their appreciation and generosity. I’d be in my rightful place as the grand cellist of Canterlot’s 8th Symphony with this blast of advertisement of my skill. I could even see Vinyl’s career gaining a large boost with enough sponsors to upgrade the house though I could see her blowing it on booze and alcohol as a means of celebrating. It was the few moments when being a strong earth pony came in handy for carrying Vinyl back to the house when she would pass out.

“Wow…” Vinyl broke the silence. “I think we have something here, Tavi.”

“Then we will have to thank our fairy tale inspiration friend.” I smirk.

“I admit he isn’t that bad of a pony, but that doesn’t make him a pal. He helped you, saved your life, and is now fast-tracking our careers.” Vinyl pauses for a second. “But he wants something out of this. He isn’t one to just do all of these good deeds without planning something.”

I didn’t want to admit that she was probably right. I had seen how Eyn would only give without any reward to himself, but the last images I had of him, he seemed to have been striving for one. The only thing he had ever wanted for himself, something that he wasn’t going to let go, or stop fighting for. His intentions felt sincere and good though something never clicked with his actions. The doorbell echoed through the house.

“I’ll get it.” I tell Vinyl, setting my cello off to the side.

Trotting to the front door, I brush my hair to be a bit more presentable. I open the door. For only brief second I see only a large blue hat, but right as I blink I find it is only Lyra. My heart skips a beat as I try to collect my thoughts. I knew I had seen a large blue hat, and I had seen that hat before.

“Sup, Octavia?” Lyra asks.

Bonbon walks into view, following Lyra as they enter my house. As I am closing the door I hear distant yelling. I poke my head out to see a gray pegasus with golden hair carrying shaking and frightened brown ball. Ditsy lands in front of the door, laughing hysterically. The brown ball unfolds into Doctor Whooves, beads of sweat resting on his brow.

“Are we back on the ground?” He turns around and faces the ground. “Oh sweet Celestia…” The earth pony begins kissing the ground. “Thank you…”

“You are such a goofy pony, Doctor.” She nuzzles his nose. “I thought you enjoyed flying when you were me and I you.”

“Where did you get that crazy thought? Was it between me yelling ‘help me’?” The Doctor questioned. “Oh, Octavia. It is a pleasure to meet you. We were down the street some ways and heard the rattling of glass. Ditsy said it had to be Vinyl trying to change the molecular structure of a muffin.” He shakes his head.

He opens the bag over back. A young unicorn head poked out, jumping down to the ground.

“Hello Lady Octavia.” Dinky spoke.

“You can just call me Octavia. No lady required.”

“I thought you were a special somepony with DJ PON3.”

My face grows in heat. “What does that have to do with anything?” I ask, chuckling defensively.

“You said ‘no lady required, yet you have Vinyl.” Dinky smirks.

“My, what a clever pony you have.” I found such a statement to be adorable and appealing. I figured since I wouldn’t be having a filly or colt of my own, or at least, not with Vinyl, that I would have to settle with Dinky. I would be able to keep up with my busy lifestyle and maintain a decent sanity level without having a kid here permanently.

“She is quite the bundle of joy. She gets in all kinds of trouble just like her mother.” As if on cue, I hear something fall inside of the house.

“My bad…” Ditsy says.

“Lyra and Bonbon are already here so come on in. It is nice to be with friends.” With the knowledge that Eyn had shown me, I could feel the strange sensations that began to fill my as what apparently were the other elements in my presence. I didn’t know which Elements the others were, I just knew that I was kindness, Vinyl was loyalty, and Ditsy was laughter. Bonbon, Lyra, and Doctor were still questionable, though I assumed Lyra would be magic.

The ponies enter my house and crowd into the living area. Vinyl had jumped down the stairs and joined the turmoil of the small crowd. We didn’t have any food to cook up or hoof out. I stare at Lyra thoughtfully. The blink of the blue hat had me questioning if Eyn had tried to push another blink of memory back into my head or if he was trying to tell me something about Lyra. I didn’t know much about her life. I had never asked her about it, nor how Bonbon and Lyra even met.

“This is like a party.” Lyra exclaimed, looking around the room. “The gang is all here.”

“Yeah, but why are you here? The concert isn’t for two days.” Vinyl questioned.

“We came to wish you luck, of course. Hang out for a bit. We don’t get to hang out much, and Bonbon’s Bonbon Shop is closed for a few days so work has ended.” Lyra beams.

“You barely work as it is.” Bonbon chimes.

“I play the waiting music and help transfer your cookie sheets. I even clean up at closing.”

“I know you do.” She smiles and flips her tail onto Lyra’s back causing her to blush.

“So you want to go do something as you wait for the concert?” I ask.

“We just wanted to have a nice day with out friends. We don’t hang out enough as it is.” Lyra explains.

“Woo-hoo!” Ditsy hoof pumps the sky. “Muffin eating contest, loser pays.”

“Yeah! None of you can beat mother.” Dinky giggles.

Ditsy picked her daughter up and laughed with her, spinning into the air.

Imagining the Elements of Harmony in each of us unsettles me. I had witness to Rarity and her friends activating the power of friendship, six friends with the power to stop disharmony, the same as us, six friends.

“What a horrible scar.” Bonbon points out.

I had hoped that no pony would have noticed it. I should have covered it up, but it would have only drawn more attention to it.

“Yeah…” I sigh.

“Have you been to the spa to have it worked on?”

“No.” I could see where the conversation was going.

“Spa group date?” Bonbon giggles.

The room roared with approval except for me. The scar is an embarrassment, something where the attention to my character vanishes and attention on my body becomes prevalent. I dislike such a trait. It was the main reason I dumped the countless suitors that showed up back stage after my performances. Turns out that my stance as I hold my cello gives a nice contour of my fit body. The dirtiest ponies I have found have been from the ritzy shows in the upper crust concerts of various cities. When I sit in at Vinyl’s DJ concerts, I had my fair share of what the high class would refer to as dirt. Instead of commenting on my ‘rocking body’ most would talk about the music and learn about my tastes. It was one of the first instances that made me appreciate the underground more than the upper crowd, though my music wasn’t popular among the lower ponies.

I held myself high in the realm of self-image. I know I am attractive. I know that I have a series of stallions see me as a challenge to conquer. I enjoy their futile efforts and find their hopeless attraction to be a boost to my ego. Recently, I have found an appreciation for watching their faces when I say that I am already seeing a pony, one that can sate my taste for action. Their minds carry them into the gutter while I see the club scene.

“You want to go, Octavia?” Bonbon asks.

“Of course. I might as well try to get this mark removed from my body. Best to look my best on our big day.” I wink to Vinyl. She grins and chuckles slightly.

Our trip to the spa is short with random chatter from Lyra and Bonbon. Dinky hums a tune as her mother joins her. Doctor joins eventually. I walk beside Vinyl, but we do not talk to each other, there wasn’t much to talk about. Vinyl is okay with the spa, even envious of some of the hairstyles that the owners can concoct like Cloudchaser’s new hairstyle.

“Do you think they could give me that hairstyle?” Vinyl asks me.

“Wouldn’t you be then following Cloudchaser?”

Vinyl walks in silence. “Yeah…”

“Then she would be cooler than you and we wouldn’t want that now would we?” I explain.

“My hair is cooler anyway. Nothing can beat this!” Vinyl’s tone changes quickly as she shakes her head, her mane moving as if lightning were coursing through it.

The corners of my mouth lift at her change of heart. The spa workers are quick to get us into the back. Lyra and Bonbon immediately ease their way into the hot tub. Some of the staff guide Ditsy to a table and begin giving her a hooficure. Dinky jumps into the table beside her and wiggles her small hooves at the working ponies. Doctor looks around at the spa. From my knowledge, this had been the first time he had been inside of the spa. Two workers pushed him along, closing the door to the sauna.

Vinyl and I trot to the curative therapies where a lone unicorn sits staring at a magazine. The glasses rest precariously on her nose as she dozes in and out of consciousness.

“Excuse me?” I try to catch her as she is awake, but she doesn’t respond off-hand. “Excuse me, miss?” I try to keep my temper under control.

“Oh, yes.” She nearly knocks the glasses from her face as her attention clicks onto me. “What can I do for you?”

“Yes I have these nasty scars that I would like removed as quickly as you can manage. I have a very important concert to give to the Princesses in two days.”

“Let’s see it, deary.” Her mood lightens instantly. I question if it is part of their contract to remain cheery.

I walk to the side, lifting my hind leg to show her the yin yang carving. Her eyes widen slightly at the damage, but she takes it in strife. “This one will be difficult. Please come into the back.” She walks behind the curtains to the spa. It is a room that I have never been inside.

“I’ll be out here having my hair smoothed and electrified. I need to get these highlights improved on and a hooficure. Relax, Tavi.” She smiles and trots off to hot tub to soak first.

“Thanks, Vinyl.” I whisper under my breath before turning to the curtain. “Here we go…”

The curtain slides past my flanks as I enter the dark room. Inside a few curtains were burning as a large pool of pink liquid bubbled in the middle.

“Step inside. We will have to begin immediately to get these buffed out before your concert.” Her back was facing me, but I did what I was told and stepped slowly into the soothing liquid.

The muscles in my body relax quickly at the same time it felt as it constricted my breathing. I stare at the therapist and she mixes a few more herbs, hitting it with some magic before tossing it into the pool. The color changed to a pleasant blue. I instantly began to feel the scars burn and tingle.

“Now you just have to relax and those nasty scars wi-“ her voice stopped mid sentence.

I turn back to her and saw her mouth hung open, but she didn’t move. Her mouth slowly closes and her head falls down to meet my eyes.

“You can remove the physical scars, but my mark will remain.” Eyn’s voice spoke in unison with the unlucky therapist’s.

“Then it won’t matter if I have them healed up… Why go through the trouble of possessing another pony just to tell me something like that?” I question.

“I didn’t want any loose ends, or witnesses. A trained therapist such as this pony would catch on to my plan immediately.”

“What are you doing?” I no longer fear the strange alicorn.

“Fixing a wrong that I have committed against you.” The ghostly image of Eyn traces itself around the controlled therapist.

He lowers his horn into the pool, just touching the liquid causing it to turn a pure white. I instantly feel my flank sear with pain. I hoof at the exit steps, but a magical force grips me and pulls me further into the liquid. I try to scream out, but a vice holds my mouth down. I squirm with my legs, but I can’t feel any escape. Tears fill my eyes as the constricting magic tightens my lungs. I try to look around the room, but an intense amount of airflow filled the room, extinguishing the candles.

“I am so sorry… Please forgive me.” Eyn says.

The pain becomes too much. Even with my mouth roped shut, I scream and try to squirm harder. Tears of pain fall from my face. Pins and needles stabbed into my flank followed closely by knives, swords, pikes, and spears. My heart raced from the pain. I try to find solace in the last good memory I had.

“Relax, Tavi.” I hear Vinyl repeat in my head.

I try my best to relax given the pain in hopes that I would forget about it. It is a long shot idea, but there is nothing else at my disposal. My legs slowly stop kicking before I feel the pain disappear. I open my eyes to find the liquid had turned back into the pink foam. The therapist was laying on the edge of the pool, her head draped over the edge. Her chest still moved with breath, sending a wave of relief through my body at the same that I can finally breathe.

I climb out of the pool, my flank soar from the pain. I limp out until I am free from the warm grasp of the pool. I look at my flank and see that the skin had restored along with all the fur returning. The scars are completely gone.

I breathe slowly, trying to slow my heart so that I could question Eyn’s counter-intuitive actions. He carves the symbol in me only to heal it instantly here? Was it a lesson in pain? Was it a lesson about the pain he felt? He sounded genuinely sorry for my suffering. I try to toss all of the questions into the back of my mind and stretch out my leg so as not to show the limp. I try not to think about it. I take what I got.

Walking through the curtains, I squint at the brighter lights of the main room. As my vision adjusts, I see that I am outside, standing at the gates of the castle.

“Open up! I have to speak with the King and Queen!” Eyn yells up at the guards.

“Under royal order you are now considered a commoner. All requests must be delivered through magic letters addressed to Princess Celestia or Princess Luna.” The guard yelled back. “I’m sorry, Eyn. I wish I could give you some sort of leniency…”

“Can you tell the King and Queen that the griffins are coming? This is urgent.” Eyn yells back.

A pause breaks from the guard who stares down at Eyn. “If I lose my job…” He gallops off toward the castle.

Eyn stood at the bottom of the gate, staring at the intricate designs on it. Seconds evolved into minutes before the gate creaked open, only slightly. The guard poked his head out, looking around before stepping aside, letting Eyn into the castle courtyard.

“They will see you.” The guard bowed his head.

“Thank you. You are a kind friend. I would not ask this of you if it wasn’t important.” Eyn bowed to him. The guard stiffened and shifted his legs uneasily.

“Now, now. I am just a guard. Someone of your stature shouldn’t be bowing to me. It should be me bowing to you.” The guard spoke stiffly.

“I am only a commoner because of the agreement Celestia made. You are of higher rank than me.” Eyn and the guard walked together to the stairs leading to the main hall.

“I think that such a distinction was poorly agreed upon. My Princesses gave in too much in that agreement.” His voice hushed.

“Such words are treasonous in nature. Best to keep such opinions to yourself… no matter how true they are.” Eyn’s countenance tightened as they climbed the last flight of decorative stairs. Their hooves clopped off of the fine white marble floors. Nothing felt different with his gait as he approached the main chamber in a comfortable stride. The doors opened without fault, a flowing rainbow mane walked out.

“Eyn Spyyr, back already?” her voice shook slightly.

“Am I inconveniencing you?” He asked genuinely with a hint of bitter resentment.

“No. I was just bidding farewell to my parents.” It was the first moment that Eyn saw her eyes was wet with tears.

Eyn’s bitterness evaporated. “Farewell? I thought they…?” Eyn watched her eyes fall away as he spoke. His heart snagged his lungs. “How?”

“It was just their time… I felt them evaporate in my hooves. They’ve passed on.” Celestia spoke.

Part of Eyn smiled with the just desserts. If his family had to die, then it would have been fair for the one who condemned him to a life of common, removing the last bit of power he had. No control in their loss and forced to accept it, but this part wasn’t content with her just losing her parents, he wanted her to have her power stripped and see how she felt. Another side of Eyn rose up and drove the thoughts from his head.

“I’m so sorry, Celestia… I know how you feel. I give my greatest condolences.” Eyn bowed his head to her.

“You are too kind as an alicorn to bow to me. I’ve only shown myself to make poor decisions, but that will change.” Her stance tightened and she stood tall. “I will make my parents proud of me.”

“Eyn?” The gray alicorn heard Luna’s voice from within the castle with her hooves clopping to the door.

“Luna, this isn’t your business.” The doors shut behind her. Eyn raised his hoof to the door and stared at Celestia in shock. “Now explain yourself.”

“I…” Eyn dragged out feeling the rage returning. “The griffins are approaching for a sneak attack. They have taken refuge within the blinding barrier of the Everfree’s Canopy.”

“This doesn’t have to deal with your discrimination or revenge against the griffin race does it?” Celestia asked.

“What? No. Yes, I don’t trust them, but it’s rooted in truth. They are going to attack while we believe peace has been won, maybe even taking the death of your parents as a distracting factor.” Eyn explained.

Celestia listened and nodded before turning to him. “During my meeting with the King of the Griffins he told me what his troops saw you doing to their people. I should toss you in the dungeon for such barbaric behavior. I couldn’t believe it when I heard that you had been the one committing these atrocities, but only one pony in Equestria can make any other living creature do that, and that is you and your psychological magic. I let you off easy, sparing your life and giving you freedom, but this only puts into question your reliability of your element. You were not kind to those griffins. You were brutal, mean, and cruel. If you are trying to cause another war between the griffins so that you can get revenge for your parents, then I may reconsider my generosity in sparing you. I will trust you as a friend and send out a scouting party to check. If they find nothing, you will hear from my guards.” Celestia turned and opened the door.

“Eyn!” Luna yelled from the door opening.

“Luna, I l-“ The door shut quickly. Eyn pressed his head against the door. “Love you…”

No rage remained. Instead, heartbreak only existed. A harsh reality of the barrier built between the two ground itself into his lungs as he tried to hold back tears. Nodding with a sense of accomplishment. He left the castle grounds without another word, the gate dissolving into darkness as I was tossed back into Eyn’s empty mind. I awaited the pinhole of the next section to his story. I hummed my song, trying to ignore the constriction of not having a body. I hummed it loudly. Loud enough that I barely realized that Eyn was humming it with me, his heart thumping with fear. Locked with constricting chains hanging in a room of pure darkness. I could feel dry tears on his cheek and a tightened feeling around the horn on his head. A bright light filled the room, blinding Eyn as he turned away from it.

“You shouldn’t have created those Elements, Eyn. You should have been the first to realize that with every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” The blurry form of a griffin enters the room, but something is off.

Eyn had spoke to the King before, but this wasn’t the dialect or words of the King. It was far darker and crueler than the more intelligent words of the King.

“You should have listened to me. You should have stopped resisting me. Then again, I have to thank you for getting me close to this power griffin.

Eyn’s head jerked up quickly. “You…”

“Is it hard to recognize your own voice or your own thoughts when they are being projected through another?” The voice cracked with laughter. “He came to me and promised me more than just the Northern Fields. I couldn’t argue with such a deal, and now he helped me get you.” The King’s voice returned before the darkness returned to his eyes. “I am King Cruel. You and that brilliant scientist created all six of us.”

“Six?” Eyn’s voice stammered.

“Six good and six bad, the ultimate universal harmony. Then again, my colleagues and I believe that such a balance can be broken. All it takes is the death of the other holders. Discord should be taking care of the city’s defenses now.” His laughter dripped with venom. “I’m sure you would like to have your beloved Luna’s body given to you after we are done.”

Comments

[ThePhantomAssassin]

That's one epic cliff hanger you left me with. I'm going to enjoy the next chapter!