CHAPTER 8

Sorry for the delay in getting this one done...helluva last few days. Bunch of drama, stress and internet problems, all conspiring to make my life a living Hell. I must apologize in advance in case this situation arises, but I don't know if I will be able to finish this story like I had hoped. I will attempt to do so...I really will. If a great calamity prevents me from completing this volume and the two that follow, they will be finished by a proxy at my behest.

Anyway, I hope you are all liking the story so far. Enjoy the latest chapter.

We walked the tunnel for at least half an hour before coming to a larger chamber. We rested for a moment as I tried to get my bearings. It's confusing, being underground. On the surface, you can always go off of distant landmarks, or use the sun, moon and stars to orient yourself. Underground, unless you have a compass, you have no idea which direction you're going, and have nothing to guide you except for the darkness of the passage ahead. As we rested, I took stock of what we had to go off of. Two tunnels led off from the room, one going slightly to the right, and the other going left at a sharp angle, almost doubling back.

"What do you think, Drake?" Daring finally asked. "You're the tracker here. Which way do we go now?"

"Well, we've been walking away from the direction we came in...at least that's how it feels. What do you think?"

"I think I'd kill for a map of this cave system right now." The explorer answered.

"Know what you mean. I hate being lost." I said. "But...I think if we take that passage right there..." I motioned to the tunnel to the left. "...that looks like it takes us back in the general direction of the way we entered the cave. Maybe there's a way out that way."

"I hear ya." Daring nodded. "And I think you're right about the direction we've been traveling. Huh. This system doesn't look too complex anyway. If it's a dead end, it'll be easy enough for us to backtrack to here and take the other way."

"Right." I said.

"Are we lost, bub?" Budder asked, sounding worried.

"Only for a little while, angel." I said with a smile. "We're finding the way out right now, okay?" My sister nodded.

"Let's see if we can't get back to the surface world now." I sighed. I started down the left tunnel with Budder and Dash close behind, and Daring Do trailing slightly behind us. We walked for several minutes, and I was at least feeling better about our situation when it occurred to me that from the feel of it, we were walking slightly uphill. I was absentmindedly looking at the crystal on the wall as I walked, when suddenly, I began to think about King Sombra. What had made him evil? He had obviously hidden the journal page for a reason. Maybe he didn't want anypony to see that he once had a good side. Maybe he didn't want to remember himself.

"Do not fight the..." A whisper like a gust of wind sounded in my ears. I got goosebumps, and the hairs on the back of my neck tingled.

"Did you guys hear that?" I asked, stopping in my tracks. The others stopped too, and perked up their ears.

"What?" Dash asked, looking around.

"Somepony said 'Do not fight', or something. I swear I heard it." I explained.

"I didn't hear anything." Daring Do stated. "You think we're being followed?"

"No, I don't think so..." I answered. "I ain't heard anything else...but I keep hearing this whispering coming from somewhere. I've heard it a couple of times now."

"You sure it's not you mind playin' tricks on you?" Daring asked, cocking her head slightly.

"It isn't my mind." I returned sourly.

"Is it a ghost? Maybe?" Budder offered.

"Maybe." I shrugged. "I mean, this place could be haunted or whatever." I glanced around the cave one more time. "I dunno...let's just get outta here, alright?"

"Yeah...that sounds really good right now." My marefriend agreed. "This place is starting to give me the creeps." I took a few steps forward, and froze.

"Your body...is mine..." I heard a voice whisper. It sounded like it was very close, all around me even. I remember thinking that the last thing I needed right now was random ghosts. Then, it was like my legs turned to rubber, and everything suddenly went black.

When I came to, I was laying near the wall of the cave, with two cloaks draped over me. I had a slight headache, and it took me a few moments to remember what had happened before I blacked out. I turned and looked over to see Budder laying next to me, worry on her face. Dash was a short distance away, talking in a hushed voice with Daring Do.

"Bubby?" My sister whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I think so..." I answered. Dashie and Daring hurried over.

"Drake?!" My marefriend exclaimed. "Are you okay? What the hay happened?"

"Yeah...I'm alright now..." I groaned, getting to my hooves. "I think. And I don't know what happened. I was unconscious through most of it."

"You were talking about hearing some kind of whispering." Daring Do explained. "Then all of a sudden, you just collapsed." The treasure hunter reached out with a hoof and pulled my head from side to side. I guessed that her experience had given her a degree of medical knowledge. "You look alright now...how are you feeling?"

"Got a bit of a headache." I admitted.

"You think you can keep going?" She pressed. "We can stop for a while if you need to. I mean, you ain't sandbaggin if you're hurt, you know that."

"Been worse, done more." I shrugged.

"Sure you're okay, bub?" My sister asked again.

"Yeah. I probably need to see a doctor when we get to Canterlot though..." I muttered. I was actually more than a little concerned about what had happened. I knew I wasn't exactly in the peak of health, but I had never passed out for no reason. I didn't want to worry my family or Daring Do, and we still had to escape from the crystal caves. I threw on my saddlebags, and felt the right bag to make sure the horn was still in place. If there was something wrong with me, I wanted to get this mission over as soon as possible and see to it. The last thing I wanted to do was to hurt my sister and my marefriend by doing something stupid like getting dead.

"How long was I out, by the way?" I asked.

"Like twenty minutes." Dashie said softly. "You had us scared to death."

"Sorry guys. Heh...I'll try to stay conscious from now on."

"That's not funny..." My sister whined.

"Sorry...just trying to lighten the mood." I sighed. "Can't waste any more time. We need to get moving..." I said. "I'm pretty sure those cult guys are lookin' for us."

"Sure you're good to go?" Daring asked.

"Yeah." I answered. "And there's no time like the present." I added, turning and beginning to walk down the corridor of crystal. I heard them grab their saddlebags and start trotting after me. I didn't know if it was this assignment getting to me, or whatever it was that caused me to black out, but something was messing with my head.

As I walked, I saw a flash of something in my mind, kind of like when you suddenly remember something from your life. Only, it wasn't from my life. I saw the inside of a palace that I had never seen before, dark and bleak. I saw a chandelier, the flickering candles illuminating a banquet hall. Then, it was over. I wondered to myself why I had daydreamed something like that. I walked further along the passage, and another vision came to me. This time, it was like I was looking down from a tall balcony, onto a mass of ponies. Everything was too blurry to make out details, but there were hundreds of ponies below me. Then, the image passed, and my vision cleared. Had I hit my head when I fell? Was I going crazy?

"How far you think we have to go?" Dashie called from behind me, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh...I dunno...probably about eight hundred meters or so." I answered. "If this leads to the main tunnel, we should find it by then...hopefully." My headache was getting a little worse. In fact, it seemed to be throbbing gently now, a dull, pulsing pain in the back of my head. After another hundred meters or so, another image flashed into my head. I saw ponies wearing metal collars, heavy chains connecting groups of them together as they marched solemnly, their heads down. As soon as it had begun, the dark scene was over. I stopped.

"Drake?" Dashie said softly. "What is it?"

"I...I don't know..." I replied. I felt strange, cold, and like my body was charged with static electricity. "Guys...really...something's wrong." I choked out.

"What?! What is it?" Daring Do exclaimed.

"I don't know, but I don...I don't feel too good." I stated. My chest tightened, constricting, like I couldn't catch my breath.

"Kill them." A voice in my head ordered. Where had that come from? Another vision flashed into my mind's eye. This time, I was standing over Dashie, Budder and Daring Do. My marefriend, my sister, and the adventurer were laying before me on the floor of the cave. They weren't moving. They weren't breathing. I snapped back into reality, and quickly jerked around to face my family, who were standing there, staring at me with fear and concern painted on their faces.

"Drake, what is it?!" Dash demanded, her voice squeaking.

"I saw..." I panted. "I'm seeing...really bad things...like in my mind, I dunno..."

"What do you mean?!" My sister asked, on the verge of panic.

"I dunno...like I'm seeing what somepony else is seein' or something...can't really explain it...OW!" I grabbed my head when a sharp pain shot through my skull. "I ain't feelin' too good..." I stated. My vision began to darken, like I was on the verge of passing out again. "MEDIC!" I shouted instinctively as my legs gave out. Then, darkness.

This isn't looking good at all, is it? What is happening to Drake? Is it what it seems? Can Drake be being possessed by King Sombra? And if so, how? Hopefully, I'll be able to get the next chapter written out and posted soon. Do not be surprised if there is another delay in me getting the next chapter up. I'm having internet outages here, and don't know when service will be 100 percent. Only become concerned if there is a long hiatus. Until I post again, thank you all for reading.

-Drake