The sun had risen and was shining with all his might. In the distance, mirages were common and time and time again the three would see water lying around. The sole act of pressing their hooves against the scorching ground made the task difficult, let alone hunger and thirst, together with the sheer tiredness after not having slept a second. Sweat ran down their bodies, their panting raspy due to their dry throats. It would continue to be like that, and worse, for hours.
Railroad spoke up after a long while of nothing but forced breathing. "Umm, can I ask you two a question? Do you have anything to eat? We've been at this for hours and I think I'm going to drop dead if this keeps on going."
Hoarfrost's eyes went as big as saucers, her jaw half-open. "I don't have a thing," she said, turning her head to face Silk. "Silk, do you...? Please say you do, or else I..." she said, stopping to think for a moment. "I will... I will do awful things to you."
Silk spoke up in nervousness. "I... I don't have anything." He looked at the sands beneath him as he said: "I had some apples, however, but I think they were rotten or something."
Hoarfrost and Rail looked at him in silence. Hoarfrost mumbled something unclear beneath her breath as Rail smiled, amused by the situation.
"Don't worry, mate," he said to Silk, who was still seemingly interested in the sand of the desert. "I'm sure we'll reach Appleoosa soon enough and we'll be fine. Plus, I think I can go for way longer before even complaining again." He shook his head and directed his gaze towards the blue sky over them.
"The sun is going to kill us," remarked Hoarfrost, addressing nopony in particular. "I don't know if you two will, but if I find water anywhere near us I'll launch myself towards it and splash around like a little filly."
"I'd like to see that," said Rail, chuckling.
"It wouldn't be any pretty," she said, not very used to hearing that kind of comments. "It would involve me shouting anything I could think of. It's not a pretty sight at all."
"It's all fine," answered Rail, using his reassuring tone of voice. "I've protagonized some really embarassing scenes in my past, and I guess you couldn't do something half as bad."
"You're just saying that, Rail," the mare replied in apparent modesty. "You have no idea."
Silk, by his side, didn't know what to do. Between the two conversating ponies, staring at the sands, he felt very out of place. He cleared his throat a few times, but decided to stop it since it hurt more than necesary.
"I think I'm more interested in it than I should be," said Rail, looking at the mare. "I guess that with a mare as beautiful as you, it's something to be expected."
"Hey, don't get all praise-y here," replied the mare, her tone dry. "We're in one of the worst possible situations in here."
"Thank you," said Silk, his voice soft and low. "The awkward was distracting me a lot." He laughed for some seconds before saying: "Rail, do you think we're close?"
"Hmm, the desert is quite large, but I think we'll get there quite soon," answered the referred stallion, starting to skip over the sand once again. "The speed of our travel has been quite high and I think it shouldn't take us more than an hour from now to reach Appleoosa."
"I hope you're right," said Hoarfrost, an out-of-place uncertainty in her voice. "Well, gentlecolts, time to rush once again. Even talking is getting difficult for me. Are you two alright?"
"I'm doing quite well. A tad tired and thirsty, but I'll do fine. What about you, Silk?"
Silk, as opposed to the other two, wasn't doing quite as well. He was tired, of course, but there was something else in there, something that rendered him unable to focus. "I'm... I'm fine, as well." Silk felt somewhat sick, he was dizzy and was losing some of his sensibility, but he assumed for it to be all part of their desert run. His voice was erractic, sometimes jumping volume. "Let's carry on and hope for the best once we get there."
"Uh-huh..." replied Rail, looking at Silk for a moment.
The traveler was starting to have some difficulties maintaining the pace and he occasionally tripped over his own legs, even falling to the ground on one ocassion. His two accompaniants just looked at him without saying a word.
Hoarfrost asked him to switch places, so he'd have more space to maneuver. He agreed to do so, and Hoarfrost ended up in the middle.
She whispered at Rail's ear: "I think Silky Filly is having some complications. His eyes look like they're about to pop right out of their sockets and I don't think he's able to sweat one more drop."
"Hmm, yes, he does look like it..." The stallion looked at Silk, noticing how he was struggling to raise his hooves. "I wonder what might have caused that. I think he's going to pass out quite soon." He stopped talking for a moment before smiling, accepeting the situation. "It's such a shame. Silk, can you hear me just fine?"
Silk didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked around, confused, before barely making out a "Huh? Umm, yes, indeed."
Hoarfrost just glared at him in incredulity. "I don't think he'll last much longer," she replied, talking out loud like normal. Silk didn't seem to hear her. "Should we stuff him in the back and just die from exhaustion as we pull him with the cart?"
"You're being a little too dramatic and exaggerated, dear," replied Rail in his trademark calm voice. Hoarfrost could almost feel the hug and her mane messed being by his hoof, almost like a big brother would do. He smiled in silence for a moment, noticing they were going slower than before. "See? You're so envolved in it you're slowing down."
"Umm, Rail, I'm going at the same pace as before," she explained, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Then...?" the stallion asked, not very sure of why they were talking about that certain topic. On the background, the sound something falling was heard.
Hoarfrost turned her head around to face Silk. "I think— Yep, Silk is out of it again," she said, before sighing in resignation. "Rail, stop before the sand burns him or something."
"Huh, I thought he'd last for longer..." The stallion, after having said that, started to slow down, barely containing a chuckle.
"Maybe it's like the other time when he just faded out of consciousness for no reason whatsoever," said the mare, looking at the recently disconnected stallion. "Anyway, I'll just," she said as he lifted the stallion with her magic, straining, "leave this fragile filly here in the back and continue. We've got quite a bit of a journey left. To be honest, I'm not sure we'll make it all the way."
"To Appleoosa, you say? Of course we will, don't be silly. Are you all set?" Rail asked, his energy and optimism seemingly never running out.
The mare started to trot once again, giving a slow canter. "Give me a moment to get used to the fast pace again."
Silk, by his side, was having a really rough time. In the instant before losing his consciousness, he felt something coming over him. It stopped him dead on his tracks and the only thing he managed to do was to hug the pole. There he was, then, resting of the wooden planks once again. The sun over him was merciless and he could feel himself losing his consciousness very clearly. Silent, he begged for it to stop, but it was to no avail.
"Of course we'll reach Appleoosa," stated the mare, smiling confidently. "It's just that I honestly feel like this journey is going to last far longer than what I imagine. Something tells me that we'll have to travel so many times we'll lose count."
"You don't sound like you're complaining," replied Railroad, starting to accelerate the pace.
"No, I'm actually not complaining," replied the mare, following Rail without much difficulties. "It's just that I wonder how many times it'll happen..."
"Well, if it helps, I know Silk's going to return to Canterlot."
"Do you know why?"
"I think..." Rail trailed off to think. Would he really tell her what Silk said? No, no, he wouldn't. Not until he was sure of it. "I think something happened there. He said he was coming to Appleoosa to get some information before returning there."
"Huh. Well, whatever he wishes to do."
Rail and Hoarfrost started to go faster and faster, readying themselves for the fact that they would have to force themselves to pull the cart with much more strength.
"And you? Are you going anywhere?" the stallion asked, feeling like he should always return the question he had been asked.
"I think I'll stay here for a while before going away again," the mare replied, not giving her statement much importance. "Where? It depends on what kind of response I get from my visit. And you, Rail? Dodge is quite far from here and you've come just because we needed help. I still can't thank you enough for coming with us, just imagine what it would be like if Silk had passed out and I was left alone in the middle of the desert. Horrible."
Rail turned his head away in shyness. "I... Well, I think I'll have to return to Dodge after this." He sounded rather flattered.
"Sorry for the trouble we've made you pass," she said, in a tone of voice way softer than her usual one.
"Hoarfrost, can you answer me a little question?"
"It... It depends on what you ask."
"Umm... That stallion we saw. Was he Rain?"
"Yes, yes he was," she replied, tilting her head aside. "I don't know what in the world happened to him."
"And what were you going to do to him? You were completely out of your mind and for a moment I thought you could kill me, or Silk, or both."
"I tend to get into that kind of mood whenever I'm really motivated or furious," she admitted. "I was supposed to ask him... Umm, I was going to ask him where to go now that Blizzard is... You know." Her tone of voice went from her usual high towards a much lower, almost melancholic one.
"Umm, that mare Blizzard..." Rail hesitantly continued to ask questions. He didn't want to do it, but felt like it was necessary. "Is she...? To you, what is she?"
Hoarfrost couldn't answer very well. All that the replied was a very calm "she" before gulping down and blinking a few times. There were tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. She turned her head away from Railroad as soon as she noticed.
"Oh, my," he said as he noticed how Hoarfrost was tearing up. "I'm totally sorry about that. Please don't answer that question. A thousand pardons if I've screwed up."
"No, it's all fine, Railroad, if you wish to know..." Hoarfrost took a very deep breath, her eyes fixed to the scorching sands beneath her hooves. "She... She was kind of my adoptive mother."
"R-really...?" asked Rail, incredulous. "That's... That's horrible. I'm truly sorry to hear that."
"Yeah, I couldn't take it when I heard Silk say that she was dead," she replied, her voice on the verge of breaking with every new word. "I actually was on the verge on injuring him, or worse, when he said that. I just didn't want to believe it."
"I'm so sorry for making you cry, Hoarfrost," the train conductor said, hanging his head low in shame.
"Don't worry, I can't be tough all the time," she replied, smiling at him. She felt natural doing so, even when she had been very distant for most of her life. There was something in Rail, something that made him nice and pleasant to be with. "Plus, as long as I'm all fine, I'll have to do whatever it takes. Rail, I want to ask you something as well."
"Do ask away."
"Are you two with Silk a thing, or what? You two speak quite well of eachother and I swear I'm seeing some strange undertones in Silky's gazes," she said, barely containing a laugh. The more she looked at the stallion after asking the question, the funnier it got for her.
"W-well, as far as I know, there's nothing between us," Rail replied, trying to maintain his composure. "What was that part about the gazes again?"
"Ah, I'm totally sure Silk has some weird feelings for you. The way he looks at you, the way he speaks to you..." She got closer to Rail, bumping into him slightly. She shot him a wink before giggling like a schoolfilly.
Railroad blushed in return. "Oh, that's... That's some news for me. Do you really think he... He does?"
"I wouldn't be totally sure, but I'm sure of the fact that he really cares for you," she replied, reveling in the hilarity of Rail's replies. The more he tried to stay calm, the more he looked like a complete dork to her. "When you said you'd be coming with us, I swear I saw Silk tearing up and blushing like a little filly in love."
"That's... That's great, really," replied Rail, trying to play it cool. "Let the colt have his thoughts about me i-if he does have them. It w-won't be much of a weight on me."
"Are you sure...? Because I'm seeing some blushing on your face as well..."
"I c-care about Silk as a friend, nothing else. I haven't felt a thing for him when we met, not even when he listened to me," replied Rail, his negation oddly specific. "If anything happened to him, I think I would be very struck."
"I... I guess I would be, as well..." Hoarfrost stopped talking for a moment and thought for a while. "Ah, I don't even know him. I just pushed him around before and now I'm saying that I care about him."
Rail answered chuckling: "Maybe you have something for him, eh? How about it?"
"No, I don't!" the mare shouted back. "I truly, really, honestly, don't."
"Okay, don't get like that," the train conductor replied, an amused grin on his face. "Cheer up, we're getting closer to out destination with every second!" he shouted in excitement once again, before raising his head to face the sky. Even when there was no breeze whatsoever, he mumbled something about the air being fresh and pleasant. Hoarfrost didn't really think the same.
A voice called me.
"It's time for you to wake up, Silk. Tell me, do you still want to be called Matt?"
I recognized it. I recognized her.
"Move for once, move those hooves— I mean hands!"
Indignation appeared on her voice.
"I'll get you out of there, hang on there."
With that phrase having been said, I felt a strong push. I was expelled out of bed, crashing into the cold floor. The light of a cloudy day passed through the curtains. My legs were still over the bed and I had o use my hands not to hit my teeth as my being banged against the hard floor. Here we go again, I thought in the moment. I knew it was her doing once again. Without much enthusiasm in hearing the answer, I asked: "Why are you here?"
"I'm here to make you go back to reality," she replied immediately, her voice serious and confident, as usual. I looked up, trying to find her somewhere. She sounded close to me, but she was nowhere to be found. Her voice just materialized in my room without a source.
"Where are you!?" I asked in a shout, trying to stand up. My arms had blocked most of the impact against the floor, but my head still hurt from the bump I gave it. I was a tad dizzy but I was sure it would go away soon.
"I'm right here," she replied. "Just look out your window."
Reluctantly, I stood up and shook the dust off my clothes before walking towards the window of the balcony. It was a place I liked to be in, it was more of a sanctuary for me, a place where I could go whenever I felt that I needed to disconnect myself from the rest of the world. Not that I didn't do that often, but there are times where it's better to be completely alone when passing your eyes over the city.
"Are you going to do something to me?" I asked as I touched the glass, looking outside. Nothing seemed to be out there.
"Open your window and keep your eyes wide open."
I groaned before opening the window, the cold breeze present that day hitting me after an instant. I got a firm grip on the balcony railing and leaned on it, passing my eyes over the street below me. There was nobody in sight, even when it must have been an average hour in the morning. In the distance, the skyscrapers, those large buildings that had never been more than decoration for me, a way of hiding what was behind the city itself. The sights around the city aren't the most interesting, but that day was different: it was even less active than the days before, where I could at least see some people walking around. That day, it seemed like, no matter what I did, there wouldn't be a single person walking around the empty streets. My eyes went towards the sky after crossing the streets. In the sky, an uniform tone of light gray, the clouds forming a solid layer that only left a tiny part of the sun's rays pass. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and I was thankful for it. I was beginning to think I was just hearing things and was about to re-enter my room when I noticed something in the little park across the street.
"What the— What's that!?" My voice came out by itself, without even thinking about it.
The sole tree in the park, if it's possible to call a bench and a tree a park, changed the color of its leaves from the greenish yellow of the days before towards an autumnal orange, right in front of my eyes. I was surprised, of course, but it still was pretty tame. The same leaves, then, started to whiten, before becoming an almost glowing shade of white, before falling down from the tree. A small hill of snow-like leaves formed from the carpet that ended up on the withering grass, the leaves apparently moving by their own will. From the small hill of fallen leaves, a shadowy purple mist with stars left the place, the leaves disappearing completely after some seconds. The mist zapped past a window in the distance, slashing a railing in half, the metal falling down from what I estimated to be a fifth floor. Before it touched the ground, the mist whizzed past it, either disintegrating it or making it disappear. The mist didn't stop it's almost impossible to follow trajectory there; instead, it sped up, swirling through the sky with no pattern whatsoever. The mist spiraled in front of a few windows of the apartment before plummeting to the ground, taking a sharp turn for the main gate before touching the concrete. I was left there, in the balcony, looking down to the concrete below me, to see if the mist was going to come back suddenly or something similar. It seems like I was right, but only in one way: as I leaned on the railing, I felt something being deposited over my back, a voice talking to me.
"You shouldn't hang on the rail like that. You could fall down," the voice said. The voice, of course, belonged to Nightmare. She sounded amused and she was breathing a little louder than in other occasions she had tormented me.
I turned back in instinct, the object over my back disintegrating. I found nothing behind me. I sighed in relief. My own mind is playing tricks on me again. I think I really should try to relax. How about some skygazing? I turned around once again, not expecting what was going to come. I almost crashed into the open window when I saw her. She was there, right on front of my balcony, flapping her wings, a smug grin on her face. Her wings didn't seem to be making any sound.
"Quite the world you've constructed, Silk," she said, pointing me with one of her armored hooves. "I'm impressed: the way you've mixed the architecture is, honestly, lovely. I love the little tree across the road, there behind me; it gives this place quite the appearance. It's almost like it's a real city." That last phrase was said with notorious malice, mocking me. I, personally, couldn't comprehend the reason behind all of this. Why is this happening once again? I asked in my mind, but the answer, as usual, just wasn't there.
A sudden outburst of anger took place inside of me. I shouted: "Why aren't you fading away!? I feel better! I don't feel sick anymore!" I flailed my arms around and pointed at her every time I ended a shout.
Her smug grin grew into a demented smile, her eyes staring directly at me. She looked so imposing, effortlessly hovering in the air. Her wings alone were bigger than me. She spoke up with an amused tone. "Oh, so I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to regain that sickness so you can accept my presence, or am I mistaken?"
Having said that, Nightmare fired a spell at me. For some seconds I was standing there, utterly confused, but the effect itself didn't took long to be clear: I honestly felt horrible, like my entire body was on fire. The railings in my hands were at freezing temperature and I released them in fear of getting frostbite. She laughed as I stared at the distance, the sky turning darker. My throat was swelling up and I could feel my air intake lessening.
"There, much better. Now, will you listen to me?"
With my voice barely coming out, I asked: "What did you do...?"
She glared at me, confidence in her entire body. "Nothing too bad," she replied. "I've got quite the arsenal of things to do and say."
After she said that, her horn gave a flash and she disappeared completely. I was left with nothing but confusion and sickness. The breeze outside was more of a strong wind for me, then, but I continued to be there. There was something in the balcony that made it feel oddly welcoming and comfortable. I turned around after a while, trying to convince myself that I needed some rest. The sickness had come so suddenly and my visions had started to feel too real to be just visions.
"What is even— Agh!"
Nightmare was right in front of me, standing inside my room, her horn pointing at me. "Don't get so scared. I can't actually kill you, so you shouldn't worry that much," she informed, putting the idea behind quite quickly. "Tell me, Silk, why did you create this land in your mind?"
"I don't know this Silk you're talking about," I replied, trying to lie to her. If I managed to just separate myself from her, maybe I'd have the chance to rest.
She, in reply, laughed in a tone that I swear was darker than the night. "I know that you know you're lying. Tell me the truth and there won't be any suffering. It's as simple as that."
"Who are you...?" I asked. The question had been around my head for a long time. Who was she? Who were those in my dreams?
"Don't you think you've asked that question far too many times?" she replied before chuckling. "I'm Nightmare Moon, the Tyrant of The Night, as I've heard I get referred. It sounds strange, I know, but a title is a title."
You don't sound like you.
"Of course I don't: you never met me of anything. You should be glad you haven't done so," she said, giving a stop forward. The balcony wasn't quite spacious and soon enough I wouldn't have much room to move around. Her size was menacing, it made me feel far littler than what I really was.
This is only going to get worse, isn't it? My own mind didn't seem to have much hope for the situation.
"Why did you create this place, Silk?" she asked again, her voice dropping all dark undertones. "Didn't you have enough space and freedom in Canterlot?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," I answered, turning around. The city was right in front of me, the emptiness in its streets being totally baffling.
"So you won't tell me," she said as she spun me around, looking at me with a demented expression that I sweat could gaze into my very soul. "Ah, I guess it was about time you knew about the consequences."
"W-what consequences?" I asked nervously. The last thing I wanted was to have more ailments, or anything that could resemble a hindering. Nothing but silence came as a response.
"N-Nightmare Moon?" I called out again, the reply I got being the sound of silence. I stopped myself from trying a third time. Ah, no, that's great, calling out for a fictional character of a television show. That's your highest point today, yourself.
I sighed before returning to my room. Nothing but a strange awakening. I've still got a lot of things to do today, Today, I'll go to that place I've had in mind for such a long time, no matter how I feel. The fact that I had to remind myself what was I going to do came off as a little depressing for me, but I guess it was fine by then. I guess there wasn't much of a choice.
As soon as I entered my room once again, I began to look for my scarf. The day outside was pretty cold and my jacket was casually hanging on the wall. I couldn't quite remember where my scarf was. Yes, I know, it sounds like nothing, but it sure was important in the moment.
I think I left it on a drawer... The problem is which one? I only have like three...
The search for my lost scarf made me look basically everywhere in my room. In most of the places I thought it might have been, there was not even a trace. After a while of finding nothing, I opened up a drawer that I hadn't considered at first: the drawer where I had my papers stuffed. There it was, together with the notebooks that had started to incorporate those so-called letters. If I could remember correctly, I had thought getting rid of them sometime.
A long while was spent with my scarf in my hand, my eyes glued to the piles of paper in the drawer. When was I going to get rid of those?
After a while I decided it didn't make much sense to keep staring at inanimate objects. I put my jacket on and wrapped the scarf around my neck and, kicking my two feet together once at the door, I decided to leave.
Once at street level, I felt tiny once again, the building towering above me. Across the street, the bench and the tree that has started the entire situation, now devoid of leaves. A soft breeze blew through the street, pushing pieces of cardboard and plastic bags around. My steps at times echoed throughout the street, the edifications around the place appearing to be towers that reached into the sky.
As I walked down the road towards the outskirts of town, I often had to look around, the little pieces of diverse materials moving with the wind making me think there was someone with me. I turned around with expectation, as I hadn't seen anyone, but with caution at the same time, as I was entirely alone and most probably, defenseless to basically anything.
The sudden sickness had started to affect me greatly once I started to enter a zone of the town that I hadn't seen before. I turned my head around constantly, finding nothing but empty dark alleys and houses with open curtains and nothing inside them. It must be quite normal around here, I tried to reason, the silence around the area becoming somewhat unsettling. Time and time again I heard a distant sound, very much alike the sound of something being dragged along the concrete. I couldn't bring myself to turn around whenever the sound reached my ears, but once it was gone, I turned around to find nothing behind me. In the dark alleys, I found nothing, or at times a plastic packaging would come out, forced by the wind, and make me jump, as it was sudden and random.
The sole fact of continuing to walk down towards my destination was becoming more of a chore than anything else, my mind starting to formulate its strange hypothesis behind why there was nobody around.
There should be people around here. It's the middle of the afternoon, I heard my mind say as I walked forward. In a while, the pavement would stop covering the ground, a dirt road taking its place. I breathed deeply, telling myself to press on, that I'd reach that cliff in no time.
As I walked in front of a dark alley, something came out of it and hit my hand. I jumped, startled, and started walking at a rather comical pace. I didn't even bother to look back, I just cared about advancing. If I could reach that cliff, no matter how, then I would be done by the day.
The concrete and pavement was left behind, a dirt road appearing before me. Lots of little houses appeared in front of me, but none of them had anyone. As I passed along the nearby houses, I noticed that all of them had their curtains open. Letting curiosity get to me, I peeked across a window for a moment. Nothing but silence was appreciable, and I left it before anything could happen.
Anything could happen, I heard my mind say. That's what they say about this part of town...
I continued my journey, turning my head around. The fact that nothing happened was strangely disturbing, almost like my mind was filling in the blanks with whatever it could come up with.
Why is there nobody out there...? It's in the middle of the morning; there is always people around at this hour. But today... Today, there is not a single person. I haven't heard anything. Well, except that noise before, but that might have been me...
As I continued that stream of thoughts, I passed beside a house, just like the others. Out of nowhere, a part of the shingle roof came lose and slid down, making a loud crashing noise as it hit the ground, very close to me, together with making a ton of dirt fly. I breathed in sharply, my eyes going as wide as saucers. After some seconds of incredulously staring at the broken roof on the dirt, I continued down my road, now fixing my eyes of the roofs of the houses.
As I continued walking, the breeze started to become stronger and stronger, up until the point that there was no way it could be called just a breeze.
I sped up the pace, leaving the outskirts of town behind without any new incidents. There it was, then, the cliff; it had a high stone formation, very much like a staircase, that had the habit of being filled with sand, which made it rather difficult to climb up. I just barged into the task, so to speak, tightening the scarf around my neck. With every new step I thought that I would fail the next one and just fall down the cliff. When put in perspective, the idea of having to climb up the cliff wasn't even near the best, but it was what I felt was necesary by then.
After some double takes and nearly falling off once, I reached the top. It was oddly silent, there: it was a very different kind of silence. In the city, there can be silence, but there is still some background noise. Instead, there, there simply wasn't any sound. I could probably start hearing my heart if I spent too much time in there.
At last, I'm here. Let's hope it's worth it...
The sky was slowly getting darker and the grass beneath me danced as the breeze whistled. I sat down, the grass still moist with dew, and began to watch the uniform sky over me, without any thoughts. I felt way better than before: I felt like I was living without any worries again. I was at peace, at last. I sighed in relief and smiled, embracing the silence in its fullest extent. I could feel a yawn coming on.
I had peace, of course, only up until something else happened...
"Beautiful sight from here. How did you find this place?" Her voice was dripping with malice, a nasty laugh following the phrase. "Ah, of course, you made this place. That's quite the capability of creation, there," she continued to say, before putting her front hooves over my shoulders. After some seconds, I really felt they were about to pop right out of their place, and it only got worse with every second. "I wonder how this place is like at night," she absent-mindedly said, looking at the white sky. "It must be quite pretty, in fact."
I didn't answer a thing. I just stared at the solid layer of clouds over my head, away from me, and tried to think about something else. Everything was in my mind.
"It's like gazing out a building in Manehattan," Nightmare said, her immaterial mane almost forming a helmet around his head. The cold of the armor on her hooves pierced through my jacket. "Huh, you're not even thinking. You must be really out of it..." She trailed off before chuckling a bit, her voice oddly normal, bordering on innocent. "Remember that night when you opened your window up and let the night breeze flow in because you couldn't think?"
I didn't answer. A breeze rolled by and I silently fixed my scarf, trying my hardest not to think about anything. I was convinced of the fact that the lesser I thought about Nightmare being leaning over me, the lesser she'd continue to sputter her nonsense. I was apparently wrong: after a moment, she released me and sat by my side, pawing at the grass for some seconds before continuing to stare at me with her demented eyes and grin.
"When was the last time you heard foals playing in the streets, Silk?" she asked. The way she kept addressing me as Silk was getting annoying. "And how about a casual conversation with a friend? I wonder what life around these parts is like." She spoke up without much thought, almost as if she wanted for me to believe I was in partial safety. I wasn't going to fall for that.
"I've got to admit it: in a very long time, I hadn't seen such a complicated and detailed world." She really did sound like she wanted to win me over. It was a competition of endurance, by then. "You've made this place yours. Don't you miss Equestria at times? This place looks monotonous and I think anypony would get bored very soon. What do you do here, Silk? Why don't you shake things up around here?"
For the first time in a very long while, I thought: My own mind is playing games against me. I swear, I think I could reach out for this thing and it would be palpable... I reached out for her with my hand, and there she was. I put my hand away immediately, crossing my fingers as my hands met over the soft, tender grass underneath me.
"A thing, huh... That's not a very respectful way of addressing a princess, or is it?" she asked, standing up. I didn't even see her, but I could feel her gaze over me. It was like weakening me with ease. "Do you know when this entire situation happened?" she asked, her tone almost indifferent.
Once again, I didn't answer. I tried to make like I had become deaf and mute out of a sudden, which was something that didn't go as well as I thought, given how nervous I was of the sole fact that she was right by my side.
"It all happened long ago," she said, her tone suddenly more normal than what I expected. She really sounded like she was going to be talking for a long time. "The news spread fast: 4 dead in Canterlot, cause and culprit unknown. Ponies around the area were afraid to leave their homes for some weeks. The perpetrator was still at large. A stallion spoke up, saying that he was guilty. The Canterlot ponies chased him and aimed to make his life a life-long stay at Tartarus. The day after his declaration, everyone in Canterlot vanished."
Silence followed.
I was nervous. The little tale that Nightmare told rang close and I knew what it was all about, especially the part about the stallion having declared himself culprit.
"They all left without a trace. Not a single pony in Equestria knows that it happened, even when it happened at the capital city," she said, her voice gloomy and soft.
I shivered and gulped. I know this story, I'm a part of it.
Nightmare only got closer to me as she spoke, her voice sounding convincing and at times, even oddly seductive.
"Of course, nopony should have known about the event," she explained, sounding more and more like a conspiracy theorist with every new word. The madness in her voice, real or not, was starting to get difficult to listen to. "But there is one single stallion that wasn't wiped away. The reason is still unknown. He left the city in a quest for questions. Do you know who this stallion is?"
"I don't know a thing related to what you're talking about," I replied in a calm voice, turning my head away from her. The last thing I wanted to see was her gaze again.
"You can't lie to me. You know this stallion," she said menacingly, moving her hoof around the spot I was sitting in. "Tell me what is his name."
I spoke up again, the nervousness in my voice being totally clear. Her calm behavior was very unsettling. "I seriously don't know him—"
Nightmare literally threw herself over me, her hooves knocking me out of my spot. In a flash I was being pinned down by her, her horn pointing right at my throat. One false move, and my throat ended up either punctured or sliced, maybe even both.
"I'm not playing any games," she said, gazing directly at my eyes. I was, honestly, horrified. "You tell me his name, and I'll leave you alone."
"His n-name is..."
"Yes? What is it? Tell me..." Her voice was deeply unnerving, almost like she was starting to get out of her scheduled actions, starting to act due to the need of the pleasure that tormenting me brought forth.
"He's called Silk. S-Silk Thread." I barely managed to the phrase get out, and I had to gulp harder than even before she just blinked over me. I don't know what happened exactly, but her simple blink was deeply troubling.
"That's right," she said, satisfied with my response. "Do you know why I ask you about him?"
"No, I don't..." I could barely reply anymore, her hooves being pressed against my chest. She continued to press against me and started to slowly pass her eyes all over me, never passing over a spot twice. Her eyes were almost glued to me, or so it seemed.
"Ah, yes you do. You know why. Tell me why." Her voice was very direct and dominant.
I replied hesitantly, not sure of why did I do it. "I really d-don't..."
"Wrong answer, colt." Nightmare proceeded to stab the grass right next to my head after saying that, her horn digging deep and without any problem into the fertile ground. I swallowed basically all the saliva in my mouth. My eyes were wide open and, for a moment, I really I had been hit. The rough touch of her armor felt way too real. I'm seriously fearing for my life in this moment.
"You're telling me about him because you think I am him!" I shouted, my nervousness reaching whole new levels.
"I don't think you're him, Silk, I know you are him!" she yelled at me, slowly retrieving her horn from the grass. "You also know why he hasn't accepted his reality yet. That is the reason behind your existence, and the existence of this entire word that, to be honest, is quite well-built."
I stared at her, incredulity being my strongest feeling. I couldn't bring myself to believe half a thing about the entire situation.
"I've got to give you some recognition, because you've done a great job. But that's enough talking for the day. You're coming with me, Silk, you're coming with me back to reality."
But this is reality. The other part is my dreams, and those make no sense at all.
After I thought about that, she laughed threateningly. "Tell me, how many times you've had your reality questioned in those you call dreams?"
"N-none," I answered, not even wanting to think about the current situation.
"And how about here?" she asked once again, her voice apparently powered by her enjoyment of the scene itself.
"Lately, a lot..."
"It's very simple logic, really," she replied, bringing a hoof down right next to my head. The mute stomp that came along was still loud enough to echo for a very long time. "How about you use that power of creativity and imagination to help those who you consider your friends? You have no idea of what Railroad and Hoarfrost are going through."
Somehow, I started to disconnect myself from the situation. It almost like my own mind was starting to accept the fact that I was hallucinating and was starting to ignore a very important part of the situation. Without knowing why, I asked: "Why... Why are you like this? I thought Nightmare Moon was filled with hatred for everything and everyone."
"You've got the wrong Nightmare Moon. Plus, I'm not her. If you see me as her, then it's just because I've chosen this form to be much more imperative," she explained, her voice changing once again, this time to a much more gentle tone, almost inoffensive. "So, are you coming with me, or should I take you with me by force?"
"What do you mean by force?" I asked, still out of it.
"I'll wake you up. You choose how."
I stood up without even thinking about it, the afternoon sun high in the sky. "I'm not dreaming."
"You're, actually, in one of Silk's dreams right now," Nightmare replied, her tone becoming slightly tired. Maybe, even for her, repeating the same thing over and over was getting tedious. "He passed out from exhaustion and he's dreaming now. To be technical, you're in one of his hallucinations."
"Hallucinations..."
"You've had those as well. It's the way you remind yourself of the fact that you won't be able to disconnect from the real world, not matter how hard you try," she replied, her voice filling up with malice once again. "Well, that's enough explanations for today, I think I've wasted a lot of time here."
Following her phrase, a very long silence was had. I was there, standing right in front of her, looking at her eyes, trying my best at suppressing my rampant fear.
"Who are you?" I asked for what felt like the millionth time.
"I'm whoever you want me to be," she replied, her voice tone most of her characteristics. "In this moment, I'm the reason inside Silk's mind. Well, Silk's imagination, leave some space for the real world."
As soon as she said that, she raised a hoof and pointed it at my face. Then, in a literal lighting strike movement, I get hit by a totally unexplainable thunderbolt right in the head. The hit was painless and I fell to the ground without any kind of problems. An echo of his own body falling to the grass plays over and over in his mind as he loses his consciousness.
And again, I've hallucinated to the point where I blank out.
All sounds disappeared by then, leaving nothing but a void behind. In the distance, however, something could be heard if attention was paid.
"Is he still out of it back there?" the mare asked, oddly calm.
"I think he is. Ah, Hoarfrost, I'm just so excited to be here. It's in the middle of the afternoon and I can feel myself withering, but I don't care at all. We're here!" Railroad sounded totally relieved, his excitement barely being contained.
"Try to get in the shade: I've heard some awful things happening to ponies when they're in the desert for too long," Hoarfrost said, shaking her mane out of her eyes. "As for Silk, I hope he's well. He's been completely immobile for a very long time now and I'm getting kind of worried." The mare left out a little sigh before directing her gaze towards Railroad, who was leaning on the cart.
"Shouldn't you... Shouldn't you be going to wherever it is you were going?" the stallion asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll stay here until he wakes up," the mare replied, her gaze lost in the distance of the city's sights. "Plus, I won't be able to leave if he doesn't."
"But you're going in opposite directions, aren't you?" Railroad started walking around, pulling the cart towards the shade of a nearby house.
"I think not," replied the mare, stretching. "Well, Railroad, I guess this is where our roads bifurcate. I think you should go back to Dodge, shouldn't you?" she asked, turning her head back to face Railroad. The stallion nodded lightly. "I don't think there's a way to put how thankful I am for your help."
The mare trotted in direction of the stallion, a warm smile on her face. When she was close enough, she raised a hoof to his face, gently turning it around so he would face him. Their gazes met, Railroad giving her a nervous smile.
"Is there something wrong?"
Hoarfrost didn't answer and just held Rail's head with her front hooves. He looked at her, not sure of what to expect. The mare gazed directly at his eyes before kissing him right on the lips. Rail tried to move his away out of surprise, but started to welcome the feeling. He felt like his heart was about to jump off his chest. A nervous gaze came from his eyes. Hoarfrost had her eyes closed, a soft blush in her cheeks. He breathed forcefully, trying to calm himself down.
"Thank you. You're great," the mare said after breaking the kiss, smiling softly at him. Both of them weren't too sure of where to look or what to say.
"H-Hoarfrost, I..." Rail couldn't say anything. He was very confused about the situation, but also comforted.
"Hm? Is there something wrong...?" Hoarfrost asked, knowingly smiling at him. Her tail swished back and forth, her gaze inciting.
"I don't want to go," he said, turning his head away from hers.
"But... But you're from there!" she exclaimed, surprised. "You have nothing that you own and... And..."
Railroad put a hoof over the mare's mouth, hushing her softly. "Don't worry about it, dear. I'm used to spend very long patches of time away from home."
"But why aren't you there?" she asked, knocking Rail's hoof out of her muzzle.
"I want to be with you. I want to help you."
"That's... That's very sweet," she said, becoming silent for a moment. After a while, she giggled and replied: "I knew it! You do have something for him! Don't worry, I won't judge you if you two do your things in front—"
"It's not him," Rail said, his voice far more serious than usual.
"Oh, so it's... It's me." The mare still didn't quite catch it. "Are you serious?"
"Y-yes, I am. very serious about it." Railroad pawed at the ground for a moment, his gaze nervous.
"Oh... Oh, my. I don't know what to say," the mare said, her behavior being far more timid than usual.
"You don't have to say anything, dear."
"Stop calling me "dear," you'll make it even more difficult to accept," she said and laughed, blushing a bit.
"But— Okay... I'll have to use any other of the respectful and affective names I have, then," replied Railroad, chuckling beneath his breath.
Hoarfrost just stared at him in silence for a long while. "Oh, come on."
"What...?" the stallion asked, completely lost.
The mare turned around, facing the cart, and said: "Silk, do wake up soon so this can stop...:
"Aw, don't be like that...!" the train conductor said, frowning a tiny but. "I tried my best to tell you my feelings about you..."
"And you did your best, believe me," the mare replied softly. "I'm inclined to think that it's just a matter of time before I fall for you, as well. No offense to Silky Fetlocks, but I don't think he would be a wise choice."
"Ah, well, I think he's a nice stallion. And I think he does have somepony in his life."
"He does?" Hoarfrost asked, quite surprised.
"I think. He talked about a mare in here, I think he came to visit her," the stallion explained, smiling in apparent heartwarming.
"Ah, I see. Huh, quite the surprise, actually..." The mare trailed off, looking at Rail. "I thought that Silky here was— Well, you know..."