The Beauty Within: Part One

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     Daria awoke to - surprise, surprise - ANOTHER gloomy, persistently dark day. She got out of bed and walked to the window, gazing out at the clouds that surrounded the Citadel where she lived. Through the smoky haze, she could just make out the sunrise over Meridell. Daria sighed heavily and began brushing her grey, tangled mane and tail. After she looked at least a LITTLE better than before, she left her room to wander the halls alone… as usual.

      The Uni walked around for a bit before going through a door and finding herself in the middle of a Cellblock Tournament. She lingered by the door, watching the players ponder their next move. Master Vex, who was one of the players, noticed her. His eyes grew wide and in his distraction he made a really STUPID move that cost him the tournament. He stood up and left the dungeons in a fury. Daria giggled softly and slipped out.

      A sudden scream wrenched through the air. There was a sound of pounding footsteps and another scream. Daria quickly hid behind a door as shadows danced in the flickering candlelight. She couldn't see what was screaming, but she knew that there was something terrible happening to it. Rough voices suddenly came from the shadows.

      "Where do you think you're going?" asked one harshly.

      Another joined it. "Yeah, you stay where you are, or I'll run you through!"

      Daria gasped in horror. Surely these weren't the Citadel guards! Then another voice floated towards her, so faint that Daria had to strain to hear.

      "Please, just let me go," it pleaded. "I have a wife, and three children-"

      "Well bully for you, then," the first voice snapped. "Looks like you're going to be home a bit LATE tonight!"

      The second guard laughed cruelly. "Yeah! And the children will cry, boo hoo!" He mimicked the faint, pleading voice.

      Daria couldn't stand it. She leapt out from her hiding place and lunged at the guards (a Krawk and a Techo). They shouted in surprise and anger, but she was too quick for them. She darted around them and led them on a chase throughout the Citadel, ending in the Petpet Arena. As the Angelpi and Kookiths attacked the helpless guards, Daria ran back to the corridor she was in, to find the owner of the faint voice.

      It was a Kacheek, and a trembling one at that. Daria approached him cautiously, and he gasped and backed against the wall. "Please, don't hurt me!" he whimpered.

      Daria was surprised. She took another step closer. "Why do you think I'd hurt you?" she asked in confusion.

      The Kacheek looked at her with complete fear in his mild blue eyes. "Just leave me alone…"

      Daria sighed. "Of course. Because anything as hideous as me MUST be dangerous, right?" The Kacheek kept looking at her, but he didn't deny it. "FINE!" Daria snapped. "You want me to be dangerous? FINE, I'm dangerous!" She made to run at him. He screamed again and fled. Daria didn't follow him; she just went back to her chamber.

      She flopped on her bed with a gusty sigh. Her Drackonack, Spike, was already asleep and snoring… loudly. She looked at him, smiling wryly. "You're not dangerous, are you, Spike?" she asked, stroking his back thoughtfully. "You just look like it." Daria stamped her hoof on the floor. "I HATE the Citadel!" she yelled suddenly, and Spike awoke with a jolt. "I HATE the Citadel, I HATE the clouds, and I hate, I hate, I HATE Darigan!!!!" She lashed out suddenly and tore the mirror off the wall, slamming it to the floor with such force that it shattered.

      All the anger seemed to go out of her at that moment. She sank back onto the bed and Spike looked at her, as if to say, "What did you do that for?" Daria lay back and glared at the ceiling, grinding her sharp teeth.

      "Spike, I don't want to live here anymore," she said to the ceiling, feeling the Drackonack crawling on top of her. "I want to go to Meridell. I want to be normal." She looked down at her dark blue body, felt the twisted horn that sprouted from her forehead. "I could be pretty," she said. "It's just this stupid shadowy place that never, EVER sees the sun. It's made me a monster." She gave a snort of mirthless laughter. "It's made EVERYONE a monster."

      Spike sighed and began to snore again. Daria looked down at her sleeping petpet and smiled. "Well, at least YOU like me," she said, gently lifting him onto a pillow. He curled up tighter and growled softly. Daria stroked him again and rolled over, gazing out at Meridell through the thick clouds. It was in that position she fell asleep.

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     The next morning Daria woke up feeling more lonely and depressed than ever before. She spent most of the day staring moodily out the window and looking down at the shards of glass from the mirror. Even Spike seemed listless… but then again, he slept most of the time anyway.

      Daria eventually left her room and trudged through the corridors. Every so often a guard would go by, including the two guards that attacked the Kacheek yesterday. They both gave her very dirty looks, but Daria hardly noticed… nor did she care. Though she was merely staring at her feet, nobody bumped into the Uni - they just brushed by her, as if she were invisible. "I wish I WAS invisible," she thought bitterly. "Then no one would see how ugly I am, and how 'terrifying'."

      Something swooped through the corridor like a shadow. All the other creatures in the corridor pressed themselves against the wall to avoid being touched. All except Daria. She just kept on walking, and the swooping something tripped over her and fell. She lifted her head and saw LORD DARIGAN himself getting up from the floor. He rose to his feet, his red eyes flashing in utter rage.

      "You," he hissed. "How dare you trip up a superior? And not just any superior, ME! Lord Darigan! The one to whom you owe your very LIFE!"

      Something inside Daria snapped. "Yeah, and some life, isn't it!! I'm a MONSTER, and it's all your fault!!" She stood tall and proud, and her voice echoed in the barren halls. "You're nothing but a meagre, undernourished Korbat with tattered wings! I don't even think you can fly!"

      Everyone else froze in mingled terror and agreement. No one had ever dared to insult Darigan before. This was treason in its highest form. Daria continued, all the hate and rage that she'd been bottling up for years and years was spilling out at this very moment. "You're evil, foul, and repulsive!" Daria shouted. "I hate you and I hate this place!! I wish nothing but terror and sorrow on you, you horrible monster!"

      Her voice died out, leaving a ringing silence. Then there was a slow hiss. "Get out," said Darigan in a voice that was pure menace.

      Daria was momentarily surprised. "What?" she asked.

      "GET OUT!!" Darigan shrieked. Daria turned and ran, with his yells still echoing behind her. She burst into her room and grabbed Spike, who was yowling in fear.

      "Hold on tight, buddy," she said as she opened the window. She got up on the sill, unfurled her draconic wings, and jumped. She flew low over the Citadel city, and headed through the clouds towards Meridell, as Darigan's screams still echoed in the Citadel castle.

      Spike squeaked in terror and hid his face. "It's OK, Spike," Daria called to her petpet. "We're heading down!" The wind whipped her mane back and caused her eyes to water. She closed her eyes and kept flying down. At last a squeal from Spike caused Daria to open her eyes… and scream. They were heading FAST towards the ground and Daria hastily swooped upwards. She soared over King Skarl's castle to the startled screeches of the Crokabeks that roosted there.

      Daria finally landed just beside the Turmaculus, who mumbled something that sounded like "breakfast" and rolled over. Spike climbed onto Daria's back and growled faintly. Daria shivered, and was glad it was nighttime so that she wouldn't be seen. She ran towards Meri Acres Farm, and decided to hide among the hay that night. Maybe she'd be found in the morning.

      Slipping into the cornfield, Daria let Spike down to rest on the soft ground. "It'll be OK, Spike," she said, lying next to the Drackonack. "We're free now."

      Spike nipped her affectionately and snuggled closer to her. "Yeah, I know," Daria said. "You miss having a bed, right? Well, we will. Someone will adopt us, once I'm pretty again." Spike gave a snore in reply, and Daria giggled. "All right. 'Night, boy." She laid her head on the ground and slowly slipped into sleep, dreaming of the day she'd be pretty again.

To be continued...

Author's note: Well, if you're reading this, it means I got into the NT - AGAIN! This is a new series, just for those who hadn't caught on before. I hope you like it. I got the idea randomly on one of my many long and lonely walks home from school. Enjoy!