In my dejected loneliness years ago I found a way to manipulate my dreams. A rather interesting novel had taught me how to manipulate my own mind, allowing me to experience a sort of lucid dreaming. I was able to shape the world around me and decide what happened in dreams. It allowed free will in a dreamscape.
Ever since learning that little trick, the kingdom of dreams had been an escape, a refuge in which I could relax. When I had been trapped on the Moon plotting vengeance and how I would go about retaking Equestria I usually played the plot I created over in my dreams. I believe most of my dreams ended up ending with every single pony in chains and Celestia bowing to me.
Since I was “purified” by the elements my usage of this special ability has increased rather than decreased. Because as it turns out, when you’re a moral, upstanding pony you actually care what others think of you. And when ponies associate your name with Nightmare, well, it can be assumed that you are most likely to be subject to a rather inauspicious time.
So dreams have been an escape for me over this long time. They have been a place where I can pretend that my subjects do not fear me. A place where I can truly speak to them, a way to come out to them.
I attempted to do the same in that fit of sleep. I found that I was unable to, though. Well I was lucid, but I could not control my surroundings as I normally was able too.
I sat, lucid and awake within my dream, attempting to manipulate my surroundings. Absolutely nothing happened. Of course, why should I expect this horrible day to ease up on me? So it looked like I would be subject to whatever dreams that were to plague me.
And it turned out to be quite an ominous dream. I was in a thick, black haze that refused to let up no matter what I attempted. I took a step forward and plummeted about thirty feet. Or maybe it was three...it’s always hard to tell in a dream. Gravity tended to be non-existent in the land of dreams.
I landed on some rather sharp...somethings. I curled my head around to look at the things digging into my skin. The twisting caused the things to dig in a little bit deeper, but I withstood the irritation.
I was laying on a large pile of bones. Specifically pony bones. Also there was pony blood. And pony eyes. Ew...what kind of sick-twisted do I have?
I made myself comfortable in the pit awaiting some further omen to appear. This would not be the first time that I had experienced a bad omen through the realm of dreams. In fact, before I learned to control my own mind as I had, they had been quite common for me.
So I was not exactly frightened by the situation. I learned to deal with a nightmare or two. I just stared up at the top of the large pit I was trapped in, bored to no extent.
I had planned on building a grand and awesome palace this dream, but nope, apparently I just had to experience some kind of warning. Usually they were far too cryptic to decipher anyways. After a few minutes (in real time it was probably about a fraction of a second) I still sat in a the gory pile with no further warning.
“So is that it then? I take it that this means somepony will get hurt then? Well you’re a little late for that brain. I have suffered multiple wounds physically and Rainfall will likely need trauma counseling after the amount of psychological strain she was placed under!” I shouted into the foggy dreamscape.
It took me about a second to realize I was shouting at my own brain. But in all fairness, the thing is capable of quite a serious amount of stupidity. Also, if your anything like me and have learned to control your dreams, killed a demon, experienced a bad omen, and tried to maintain the innocence of somepony who has just witnessed murder, then you would know that your brain is, in fact, secretly a douche-pickle.
So I sat there for the remainder of my dream, in a gory pit of pony parts. Our perception of time is filtered in a dream world, it’s made to seem longer than it truly is. We believe our dreams to last hours upon hours, when in fact, the average dream of a pony lasts approximately four seconds. Or five if you’re lucky.
However, a lot could happen in four seconds. Quite a lot could happen in four seconds, indeed. Especially if I was involved.
The rest of the dream was spent in that state, with no area of change, and I laid uncomfortably on a pile of ossified bone (of course, there really isn’t a bone that’s not ossified is there? I probably should have rephrased that.). Needless to say I was very grumpy. It would be a long Night...or day...or whatever...
I was awoken by Rainfall. “Uh, Princess...do you think you could wake up now? Do you have the energy to go now?” Said the young filly in a kind voice. She nudged me with her hoof.
Unlucky for her I was not a morning pony. “WHO’S BRAIN IS HOST TO THE IDIOCY TO POKETH US!?!” For a moment I let ye olde Royal Canterlot Speech slip out. When I saw who had been the subject of it I immediately regretted my groggy decision.
Rainfall stood for a moment mane and tail blown back in a rather comical way. Her eyes were spinning and she had both of her fore-hooves pressed against her ears. It would have been rather funny had their not been a small trickle of blood flowing from one of her ears. Blood ruins everything.
I was quite well-rested and had regained some energy. I placed my right hoof on Rainfall’s shoulder, wincing at the pain it caused the wound in my shoulder. “Oh dear. I’m quite sorry about that. I’m not used to sleeping in the rough, at least not anymore.” Rainfall stared at me blankly for a moment. “Rainfall?” I asked a tad bit worried.
She stared for a few moments before finally opening her mouth to respond. “WHAT DID YOU SAY???” The force of her yell was not quite as strong as mine, but I thought I saw a few trees sway.
“Dear, you’re speaking rather loudly. How is your hearing? Can you understand anything I’m saying?” I asked Rainfall. I made sure to emphasize every motion of my lip and tongue, hoping that she would at least be able to read them.
Once again I received a blank stare from Rainfall. “WHAT???” She shouted. “WHY ARE YOU WHISPERING???”
“You can’t hear a word I’m saying can you? Just great. Another pony struck deaf. I should just have Celestia employ a law making it illegal to wake me up without ear plugs. You think after the fifty-seventh time I would be used to it.” I face-hoofed at my inability to learn from my mistakes. Well, at least the mistakes I made in the morning.
I mainly wasn’t a morning pony because I was literally not a morning pony. I mean, I am the Princess of the Night, so naturally I am Nocturnal. Still, there seemed to always be some servant who had a hard time remembering that. Really they should consider it fortunate that the only thing that ended up bleeding were their ears.
A hoof brought me out of my self-berating speech. Rainfall was poking me hard in the chest. “Princess, I was only kidding. Just calm down. My hearing is fine. See?” She began showing me her ears.
“Wait, what?” It was more than a bit confusing. Plus- “Your ears are bleeding, though. How could they be bleeding if they aren’t injured?” Unless, of course, the little unicorn had cast some sort of illusion spell. But she seemed to young to be able to utilize magic.
Rainfall gave a nervous chuckle and said, “Well I may or may not have had some tomato juice on me.” She must have seen my look of incredulity. “I mean as a prank! I didn’t want to make you scared, well, maybe a little.”
I could not help but gawk at her. “Well it was in poor taste. I believe I have gone through quite enough in the past twenty-four hours. I do not need knowledge of another deaf pony weighing down on me.”
Rainfall smiled at me deviously. “Another?” Her tone betrayed a slight hint of joviality.
I adopted a somber tone and serious gaze and said, “There is something you must know about me, Rainfall.” She looked to me, curious with what I was about to say. It appears my acting skills were not lost on her.
“I, your faithful ruler, have a secret. A deep dark, terrible secret. One that threatens any and every pony in Equestria.” Her eyes widened. I smiled inwardly. “You see, whenever I am abruptly awakened by another pony I must do something. Something horrible and dark...something that disgusts me.” I adopted the most overly dramatic voice possible, something that would disgust any real actor, but suited my needs quite well. “I must...I must...I must...” I left the phrase trailing off, acting my heart out.
Rainfall’s eyes were dinner plates at this point. After a short silence, which probably seemed a lot longer to her she whispered, “Wh-wha-what do you have to do?” I looked her straight in the eyes and lifted myself to my feet so that I would be looking down upon her. “Princess?”
Using a grave tone I normally reserved for far more grim occasions I began, “I must...seek vengeance!” And with that I curled one of wings over the filly and brought her close. Her shrieks went unheard and unheeded as I viciously tickled her with my wings, causing her to laugh in a rather abundant...abundance.
After a little bit I released her from my retribution. She rolled away from my grasp, in visible hysterics. Her laughter was uncontrollable. She rolled around on the ground for a moment before lying still rather suddenly.
It was about then that I turned around. The bloody and mangled body of Paradise reminded me as to why we were in this clearing. Rainfall and I needed to leave this place soon. Before scavengers and predators caught the scent of food.
Maybe if we found our way to Canterlot quick enough we would be able to get a carriage out to the body in time. It would be helpful to examine the body of an Ethereal creature. Especially one so menacing and mysterious as the Ectoplasmic Phantasm. Before I could even think of that, however, I would need to make sure Rainfall and I made our ways back to the palace.
I would also have to send a medical team and a carriage out to where Rainfall’s mother lay. I had no idea at this point whether she was alive or dead. Hopefully killing Paradise in the physical realm restored her soul back to her body. On the other hand there was an equal chance that upon the death of Paradaise the anchor/host also passed.
Even if Rainfall’s mother was alive she wouldn’t be free to roam. Not immediately at least. She would be questioned as to how she came about a tome that held knowledge of such a summoning spell. Again, this would all have to wait until Rainfall and I were back at the palace.
I turned back to the young filly, who was now lying on the grass in ball, chest rising and falling as she breathed. “Come Rainfall, I do believe it is nigh past time that we left this place.” The little filly gave no response. I frowned. “Rainfall, please rise. We need to leave this place.”
The filly still lay exactly where she was. Her chest rose and fell at a rapid pace. “Rainfall?” My tone was apprehensive and full of concern. “Are you quite alright?” I approached the young filly.
My legs were aching, but I could walk. Well, it was more like inching forward at an agonizing pace than it was walking, but it’s the same difference really. I called out Rainfall’s name tentatively while I moved forward.
There was no response...
I reached the young filly and that is when the sun alerted me to a spot just under Rainfall. There was a small red pool forming under her torso and hooves. I immediately flipped her on her side, fearing the worst.
A large stone pierced the filly’s chest, obviously going quite deep. I wasted no time. I felt my hoof around until I felt a pulse. Not the pulse indicating her life, no, I was looking for the pulse that indicated her magic. It was faint but it was there. I lifted the filly up into my arms, cradling her small form in the crook of my arms.
I lowered my head to the wound, letting the tip of my horn touch where I had felt the pulse of magic. A small spiral of indigo light came from my horn, passing into the filly’s body. It tapped into her much smaller supply of magic.
I let loose a few bursts of magic. The magic a unicorn possesses is just as much an organ as the rest of their being. Similar to how the lungs, heart, etc. are protected by the ribcage, the essential magic of a unicorn is protected by the supply of magic itself.
And the life-force of a pony and their respective magic are directly linked as well. So if I were to feed unicorn magic into Rainfall then that magic would protect itself by preserving the rest of the filly. Meaning that it would keep her from bleeding out. For a short time.
This tactic could not replace actual medical care, however. It would only prolong death until the injured pony could be taken to a hospital. Hopefully if I flew fast enough I could get Rainfall to a proper hospital in time.
However it appeared my efforts were failing. Rainfall’s breathing became more rapid and shallow by the second. She was too young...her magic was not powerful enough to ossify her immune system.
I grunted in effort as I poured more magic into the spell. I could not let Rainfall die! I would not let her die! Even if it meant using the full brunt of my magic on a young filly I would not let my only friend die.
Rainfall’s body twitched. “Princess Luna. I can see mother...” A slow gargle came from the filly’s throat. A bit of blood flowed from her open mouth as she spoke. Her eyelids were drooping as a glazed look came across them. She was smiling.
I opened my eyes surprised by the sudden speech. I had been rather focused on the spell I was performing. “No, do not say that my dear! Do not say that!” Her heartbeat faltered. She was fading away.
Rainfall did not, or perhaps could not, listen to me. Her heartbeat became fainter, slowly dying away. My spell was failing. It was failing and I couldn’t do anything about it! “You will not perish now! Live, damn you!” I poured more power into the spell. The strain it yielded on my exhausted body meant nothing at this point.
Rainfall’s head turned slightly, falling away from the crook of my arm and onto my outer elbow. Her eyes were distant and she had a strange smile on her face. A smile one usually wore when they were reminiscing. Blood dripped freely from her mouth, falling over my coat and pooling on the ground.
“Mother...why do I feel so...cold?” Rainfall’s voice wasn’t even a whisper. It was hollow and meek. I felt as if my horn were about to crack with the pressure I was applying. The beating of her heart became even more faint.
Rainfall’s head slid further down and her heart stopped beating. I desperately applied the spell, but it was no use. Her reserves of magic had been emptied, she had bled out, physically, magically, and spiritually. She had passed on.
“Live! Come now, you have to live Rainfall! Please, just live!” My shouts degraded into sobs as I clutched the young filly, bringing her closer. “We still haven’t concluded our story...” I whispered the words into the young filly’s blood-stained coat.
I sat there, cradling the dead filly. I had not absorbed any liquids in a good twenty hours so the effects of dehydration had taken their toll. My sobs were silent, silent and dry. It physically hurt as the tear ducts in my eyes worked to produce something from nothing.
I cradled Rainfall, not caring of anything else. The inner workings of my mind died away, sorrow taking over as I sat in my daze. I could not bring myself to think, to work out how this happened. In truth, I was not prepared to accept her passing as fact.
The still-flowing blood from the wound hurt my eyes and filled my mouth with the metallic tang of fresh blood, but I was not ready to pull away from Rainfall. I wasn’t prepared to let her go yet. No, I was determined to not let her go.
A slow clap pierced the air. “Bravo. That was a spectacular performance you just put on!” I turned my gaze upward, focusing on the point from which the sound occurred.
Standing on the other side of the clearing, past the corpse of Paradise, was a pallid white unicorn with a mangy coat and gaunt features. Her azure mane was unkempt and hung low, clumps of dirt and twigs throughout it. She might have been attractive had she been better groomed.
For a second I was silent. I was processing this new arrival as well as shoving away my grief (momentarily). She seemed familiar but my mind was having an issue pinpointing who she might be. For a second my mind was blank.
Then it clicked. This was Rainfall’s mother. This was the mare I had seen lying in the grove. She was the one who had performed the ritual, the one who had started all of this. She had also been the anchor for Paradise, the medium who kept the creature bound to this realm.
“I forgot how good it felt to kill something intelligent. That rush, followed by the warm, pleasant knowledge that you single-handedly ended another’s future. You took away everything they were and everything they ever would be. What a great feel-” The mare stood on her hind-legs, waving her front-hooves around for emphasis.
She stumbled a bit however, and ended up standing on all fours. “Ugh. This body is so clumsy! And malnourished. Next time I’ll invest in a better anchor, preferably one with less baggage.” What I assumed to be Paradise made a rather rude gesture towards Rainfall and I. I remained silent, simply cradling the filly and staring at the possessed mare.
Paradise took my silence as a flag to continue. “As I was saying before,” continued Paradise, “Murder has such a wonderfully relaxing effect on the mind. Especially when it is performed out of vengeance. Then it’s simply a divine four-course meal!” Paradise laughed a horrible, broken laugh. It sounded like bones crunching against the surface of stone.
I continued staring at the beast, unsure of how to react. My mind seemed to be working out about a hundred different ways to kill the thing in front of me. I could not, however, perform any of these fulfilling acts without killing Rainfall’s mother in the process. If she wasn’t already dead, that is.
“I’ll admit. After that little cretin distracted me yesterday and you killed me, I was a little bit lost. For a minute there I was just dust floating on the wind. It was rather fun letting myself blow into random things eyes, but that got old rather quickly.” Apparently insanity was still an issue for Paradise, even in another’s body.
“So I sought out what led me here in the first place.” The anchor. “And like a good pet she remained exactly where I left her.” Paradise took a moment to pat herself, or rather her borrowed body, on the head. “Well she was more like a good hat, really. Pet would imply she did it willingly.” The devious grin on Paradise’s face was...devious.
“After that I frolicked back here to find my body. I only killed forty-eight things on the way over here too! You would be so proud.” The insanely wide smile present on Everfree’s face was unnaturally cheery. A few strands of Paradise’s mane hung over its eyes, outlining the perfect portrait of a desperate insanity.
“My plan was to come back here and tend to my body, at least until I could reclaim it without dying again. Once I arrived a few minutes ago I found out two things. One, that you and my daughter were still here.”
“This would allow me to enact my revenge. And guess what? My revenge is vindictive. In a very grave, mean, vindictive way. So I would be really scared right now. Because the ‘v’ sound in vindictive is pretty scary. You know how I know that? Because I just used the word. That’s right I know words. So now you should be afraid of two things-”
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot about number two. The second thing I learned upon coming back is that it has been at least a hundred years since I killed something intelligent. So I decided to refresh my memory...and guess what? Having died yesterday and having killed today I can safely say that it is much less detrimental to your health to kill rather than die. It’s crazy, huh?” Paradise adopted a jubilant grin at the end.
Afterwards it dropped all expression completely. Then added in a rather thoughtful tone, “I also learned that my body is kinda smelly, and really, really, dead. Probably should just let that sucker go now that I think about it.” It pointed towards what used to be its body, now just a mangled corpse on a clearing in a dark grove.
I stared at Paradise for a moment. I had not focused on anything the creature had said after one specific comment. “You killed her.”
Paradise gave a small courtesy. “And the circle gets the triangle. Wait, that isn’t right...Circle gets the rectangle, perhaps? Dodecagon? Heptagon? Pentagon, hexagon, octagon, line, rectangle, amorphous blob shape? Ah now I remember: and the circle gets the sphere.” The beast wore a proud expression for a moment then once again became dejected. “Wait a minute...dammit.”
“You killed her.” I said. My tone was quiet but rather threatening.
Paradise frowned. “Yes, I believe we’ve established that. Now then, can we please get back to me killing you. I have things to do...well I don’t, really, but you’re rather bothersome and I really, really, hate this new body. So let us jus-”
“You killed her.” I said.
“Oh, I think I broke you. How unfortunate. I’ll have to pick up a newer model of “Princess of the Night” at the next village I terrorize.” Paradise laughed at its own joke.
I sat in disbelief. “You killed her because you could. There was no reason to, no real motive, you just felt like killing.” I stated out loud.
Paradise eyed me for a moment. “So now we have established two things. I really have broken you, and you apparently don’t know any synonyms for the word kill. See, I think we’re making progress.”
I let my sorrow fuel the rest of my magic. I used the last of my energy to start my final spell, the one to end it all. My “Nightmare Charm.” Paradise was too wrapped up in its own personal monologue to notice the dark tendrils that began to rise from the ground behind it.
I used a small levitation spell to dislodge some dirt from the ground. I flung into the eyes of Rainfall’s mother. In an instant Paradise was covering its eyes with one of its fore-hooves screeching.
“Did you seriously just throw dirt in my eye? What is with you ponies and surviving?! I mean seriously, can you not just let me kill you already!?!” Paradise’s exasperated tone was a bit annoying, to say the least. “Every time I try to kill one of you, I end up in a fight. Why can’t you just be polite, roll over, and die!?!”
The tendrils snapped around Paradise’s legs before it had a chance to react. “What is touching me?” Paradise spoke in a rather annoyed tone. “I swear, if you are trying to not die again...”
“Nightmare’s Charm” worked its way around the struggling spirit, or rather the host body. The indigo tendrils wrapped around her spare frame twisting up its legs like small vines. Upon reaching its midsection the tendrils dug inwards, holding Paradise tight.
My original theory had been that if I were to cast the charm and drain Paradise of all of its magic, and thus its presence, it would evaporate, traveling back to the depths of the Ether. Or alternatively if I were to cast the spell upon the anchor (Rainfall’s mother) that tethered Paradise to the Equestrian realm then the same result would ensue. I had no idea what would occur were I to do both at the same time.
Frankly, I did not care. The only effect it would have would be to cause Paradise more trauma. To me, that was not only acceptable collateral damage, but preferable collateral damage. Any pain inflicted on this beast at this point was completely justified...necessary even.
It is truly amazing what rage and anger does to one. It leads the good astray, making what were once protectors mercenaries and assassins. It corrupts the morality of a being, causing them to believe that the just thing to do is inflict harm upon others.
In the end, though, it is just a reminder. A challenge, or rather a plaque, that evokes our true nature. We try to shove away things we consider immoral and foul, going so far as to shun them, even reject their existence, but they still remain within us, awaiting the opportunity to strike out.
And what a reminder vengeance is. It is such an irresistible lust, a beckoning the likes of which we have almost no way of resisting. There is some point in our lives that it calls us to us all. Some ponies experience its temptation multiple times. To me it is a test, though.
It is a way to examine my developing morality. Yes, even I, a being over a thousand years old, am still growing. I use feelings and emotions to gauge myself, to help me evaluate whether I am truly worthy of being called a ruler. Usually I failed myself.
Emotion was not my forte...neither was mercy...
“In the name of the Ether! What are these tortuous devices? My magic feels so faint so far...as does my soul...” Paradise was grimacing. I increased the pressure of the spell. It was a rather complex spell, as I had taken time to improve upon it during my time spent on the Moon. I suppose I lied when I told Rainfall all I did was “rock watch.”
Now, the drainage part of the spell was complimented by a new addition: thorns. Not just any thorns, but pointy thorns. Of a pointy nature. After performing the initial spell all one had to do to add said thorns was hone and sharpen the fine-pointed tips out of the magic being drained. In other words you could torment your captive victim by prodding them with their own magic.
Paradise could not struggle against the spell’s grip. Nopony could, not even Celestia. “I rather dislike this feeling I am experiencing. Especially since I know exactly what it is. I’m being murdered. Again. In the same place. By the same pony. I mean seriously, could you be any less original?” Paradise sounded more exasperated than scared for its life.
“You killed her.” I repeated. My voice was shaky, quivering. The rest of my body was as well. I am quite adept at keeping my composure, but even I could not keep the sorrow and rage that comes with losing a loved one from affecting me.
Paradise gave a long, sympathetic sigh. “I know how hard it is to lose somepony you love, well actually just like, well actually just know, well actually have just eaten at some point in time. But it has been ten minutes. I think she would have wanted you to have moved on by now, dear.” Everything was a joke in the end...wasn’t it?
When it all came down to it, when the curtain has fallen and everypony leaves the show you’re just a joke, a passing gimmick. Is that what this being was reducing Rainfall to? Was it truly degrading one whose future had such prospect (with proper guidance and tutelage of course)?
I would make it pay for that. I would show it that this young filly had been, and was, no joke. She was not a tool to be used for the purposes of comedy, nor a piece of meat intended to be prey to an insane monster. No, I would not let anything reduce one of my subjects to that, especially not one close to me.