Images dance before your eyes as you regain consciousness. What happened… where are you…?

You suddenly jerk, the movement snapping you back to attention. Your arms and legs were bound, and you were being dragged along the ground to who knows where.

The train… you were fighting… Ajax… Anger rises within you as you remember his betrayal, the moment that condemned you to death.

The dragging stops and you shift yourself, noticing that all of your equipment including your armour had been stripped from you, making you feel more vulnerable than you ever had before. Heavy breathing commands your attention and you notice an armour-clad changeling approaching. His stature and air of authority leaves little doubt as to who he was, and as he reaches you, the two changelings who were presumably the ones dragging you flitter to his side.

”What do with monkey now?” asks the one on the left nervously. The General sighs, staring you down with his terrifying, soulless eyes. ”You know where to take him. I have loose ends to tie up for now. Don’t make him too comfortable.” The General speaks without a tone of humour or emotion, and the changelings nod anxiously.

As the painful dragging resumes, you finally take in your surroundings. A massive cavern was your current location, dotted with erratic buildings, branching tunnels and what appeared to be… insect nests?

Oh no.

You begin to struggle against your bindings as you realise where these foul beasts had taken you. You were in the Hive, their territory, their domain. A rescue would be difficult… if not impossible… And there remains the problem of your gear. Without it, you would never survive; especially not once you escaped…

Around you, changelings hover, regarding you with pure hatred and fear. You had killed their queen; a quick death does not seem likely… And what would come of you once death’s embrace clutched you once more? Would you return to Lordran? Would you stay dead, and finally find peace from this evil? Nary a worse scenario could you imagine, than one that would separate you from Celestia. She was everything you had fought for, the embodiment of your faith, your hope… she was your sun.

The changelings drag you into a prison-like building, much like the northern asylum to which you had once travelled. The walls were lined with needles of eternal agony; torture tools that would even the despicable Seath would have found repulsive. You are dragged on even further, to the very back of the building. A magical aura surrounds your body, and you are hoisted onto a wall, clamps securing your corporeal flesh in place. The changelings give you a smug look, knowing fine rightly that you were helpless, before leaving you alone. A faint hope is kindled within you as you spy your armour and storage box through the window of another room. It taunted you with its tantalising proximity. If you could just… get these… restraints off!

A scraping from above causes you to look up and you gasp at the sight before you. There above, descending from the shadowy heights was the assassin you had fought in Canterlot!

“Drejtimi…?” you ask incredulously, mouth wide in disbelief. She raises a claw and places it over her lips, and you chide yourself for your carelessness. She descends further, before producing something from a leather-bound pouch, and tossing it down to your open hand. With almost unbelievable luck, you catch your sunlight talisman and grasp it tightly. As soon as you do, the sound of heavy clopping approaches and the General comes into your line of sight.

He approaches steadily, a faint smile on his face. He reaches you and lets out another long, drawn out breath before speaking. ”I am regretful in these present circumstances. You are a most… interesting… individual. By your hooves our undermining of Canterlot and the death of Celestia were prevented. You are… different.” The General speaks slowly, eyes locked on yours.

“What should you do with the talisman? You wouldn’t be able to throw a lightning spear in these bindings. Your light miracle would not blind him… that leaves only one choice…” you think to yourself.

The general resumes his speech. ”But your efforts are only but temporary. Even now, Ajax is preparing to finish off Celestia himself. We shall return, and bring with us a cacophony of chaos, wiping out Canterlot wholly. All of Equestria shall fall soon after. Ah, what a marvellous time to be alive.” You block out the general’s words and grasp the talisman tighter, silently mouthing the correct words, and the General suddenly laughs. “Solaire… there shall be no-one to answer your prayers. Why do you think I am telling you this? Answer me.”

You open an eye as the miracle of disenchantment is cast, with the General thankfully being completely oblivious. “You are telling me this… because I have already lost…” you whisper.

”Aren’t you perceptive? It shall be a shame to break and bend your mind. Such lucidity is a rare sight in this land.” The General begins pacing in front of you. “Yes, it shall be a shame… oh, but where are my manners? My name is Cry. General Mimi Cry.” He chuckles again and a bead of sweat begins to run down your neck.

”Now that we’ve got the formalities out of the way, let’s examine that mind of yours. I was most impressed to hear that you overcame Chrysalis’ mind control yourself. You shall not be as fortunate this time, however…” He strides over to you, his horn glowing. You brace yourself as he charges his horn… He suddenly screams in pain as his horn discharges, sending a bolt of magic ricocheting around the prison. You see him stifle a sob as his horn glows red briefly, before he glares back at you. Without a word, he strikes you in the stomach, causing you to cry out in pain.  ”You insolent cur!” he yells, eyes ablaze with anger. You can’t help but smile at his pain, and he snarls. ”What’s so funny? Is my agony particularly amusing, you fucking monkey?” he yells.

“Mimi… Cry some more.” You chuckle, before his hoof strikes you in the face, the pain sending stars across your vision.  General Cry takes a step back, preparing another hit, before he hesitates.

“Ah… I see what your game is. I won’t fall for it, let me assure you…” He strides off into the room holding your equipment and you relax, if only by a small amount. The sounds of cursing reverberate around the empty building, and with a small semblance of hope, you look up… to be greeted by emptiness. Drejtimi had left you. You were still grateful for her assistance; your mind remained under your own control thanks to her intervention.

After a while of silence, Cry returns from the room, levitating the bottomless box in with him. Despite the obviousness of the fact that the miracle had worn off, he did not try to corrupt your mind again, having learnt a harsh mistake. Carefully and meticulously, he dissects the contents of the box, enraptured by its deceiving dimensions and enthralled by the contents inside. After examining everything else, he finally stumbles upon the tiny dark sprites… your humanities…

“I wouldn’t touch those, if I were you.” You warn, knowing that he would ignore your word.

”Such power… I can feel it; mere inches away… tell me human, how do I unlock it?” he whispers ominously.

“You crush it…” you say hesitantly, fearing both the outcome of this event and your punishment for refusing to answer his question.  He hovers one of the tiny sprites into the air, rears up on his back legs, and slams his front two together upon it. The humanity bursts, spilling its mysterious powers into the air. To your astonishment, the black trail vanishes, instead of seeking its rightful host.

”What is this debauchery? Where did it go!” General Cry exclaims, frantically pawing at the air, and you feel a sense of dread rise within you as the seconds pass by. You had never seen humanity just disappear like that…

Meanwhile…

Deep within the abyss, a great evil slept. It remained silent, unmoving, unwatching; dead to the worlds beyond that of its domain. It was Manus; a primordial human, albeit one that had forsaken all vestiges of its own humanity long ago. It… he existed as a corrupted reminder. A reminder of the danger of the power within all humans, a warning to those who might let their humanity run wild as Manus did.  Up until now, he had been dormant… but suddenly…

The tiny humanity sprite flashed into existence before Manus, and he raised his head slowly. With a deep groan, he began to move once more, inching towards the quivering sprite. He reached out and cradled the sprite with an unusual tenderness, as it flowed through him, becoming part of him, once more activating his primal thirst… Letting out a long, bellowing howl that was heard by no living soul, he picked up his warped catalyst. He focused on the origin of the humanity, preparing himself to transcend the barriers between worlds, preparing to spread the dark of the abyss. Harnessing the power within, Manus dragged himself through the void between worlds, headed straight for a realm unknown to him… Equestria.

A deep rumbling catches the attention of Cry and he takes an instinctual step back. “What in the world… what did you do, Solaire!”

“I did nothing you foul demon! Whatever is going on is by your hand!” you retaliate, unnerved by the increasing tremors.

Suddenly, a momentous roar emanates from outside the building, accompanied by crashing and surprised screams. ”WHAT IN TARTARUS!” the General cries, before running out of the building, leaving you behind. As soon as he leaves, a familiar face slinks out of the shadows.

“You certainly took your time!” you yell as Drejtimi reaches you, releasing you from the wall. ”Fighting Cry in a one on one situation would have got us both killed.” She says bluntly, helping you back onto your unsteady feet. “Come on, let’s get your stuff and get out of here-“ Her words are cut off as the wall of a nearby cell collapses. Something massive was attacking buildings, changelings, everything around it.

“I don’t suppose that creature yonder would assist us in our escape?” you ask with a layer of sarcasm. ”Somehow one does not perceive it to be the friendliest of creatures” Drejtimi replies dryly, gathering your stuff into the bottomless box while you ease your aching body into your armour.

Dismayingly, your trusted sunlight sword and matching shield were missing, due to their untimely theft by Ajax. You secure the bottomless box to your belt and Drejtimi leads you out of the building, into a scene of annihilation. Before you stood a strange demon, with grey skin and piercing red orbs for eyes. Strangely, it reminded you of the 4 Kings of New Londo, who succumbed to the temptation of the Abyss…

”Solaire? Solaire, stop daydreaming! We. Are. Leaving!” Drejtimi yells, and you snap back to attention. “Of course, lead the way!” you reply, following the changeling through the wake of destruction that the demon had left in its path.

As you near it, it turns on you, despite the barrage of magic missiles the remaining changelings were firing upon it. It raises its huge stick, which glows with power, and to your horror you realise that it must be a catalyst. A swarm of dark orbs erupt from the catalyst, some striking the terrified Changelings and wounding them, but some chase after you and your running leader. As the orbs threaten to hit you both, you brace yourself and clutch Drejtimi, angling your back towards the missiles.

“Stay still!” you command as the projectiles connect, burning through your armour and skin. You scream in agony, collapsing to the ground, as Drejtimi roars in frustration. She clasps you by the arms, and without a moments hesitation she takes off, dragging you towards a tunnel that hopefully led to the surface. More missiles streak past you, as Drejtimi struggles with her heavy load, but thankfully, she manages to climb up into the tunnel, protecting you from the concurrent barrages. You lean against the wall of the tunnel, gasping for breath…

Suddenly, General Cry appears by your side, bleeding heavily from a wound on his neck.

“YOU… YOU BROUGHT THIS UPON US!” he screams, his horn glowing. Drejtimi wheels around, caught unaware by the General…

A huge hand grabs General Cry, and he clasps his forelegs round your arm, almost pitching you into the cavern below. He struggles to hold on as you clasp the tunnel wall for support. ”No! This can’t be… Help me!” he cries, his anger overridden by his need for survival.

“I shall help you… into the next life!” you reply, kicking him squarely in the face. He lets out a final scream as the demon drags him back down, and you turn your eyes away from the carnage.

”Come on Solaire! We’re close to the surface! Keep moving!”

“Very well… I’m just going to rest one moment…” you mutter as you collapse to the ground, and as your vision fades, you see Drejtimi rush to your side.

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