//------------------------------// // Reoccurring Nightmares // Story: To Be The Phoenix // by Solstice Shimmer //------------------------------// “Are you there?” I blinked against the small light that shone in my eyes. When I could see I saw that I stood in a very dark room with not a drop of light except that of a small lantern hanging from what must be the ceiling a distance from where I stood. I was unsure of who or what had just spoken to me, but I wished to find out. “Are you here?” it asked. “What?” I peered into the endless dark, hoping to see what it was. “Mommy? Mommy, where are you?” I walked closer and closer to the dimly lite area of the room, my blood pulsing so hard that I could basically hear it in my ears. I kept walking until I stood right underneath the lantern. Maybe if it knew I was here then it would see that I meant it no harm. “What in Celestia’s name…” I looked from where the light was barely bright enough to see and I found myself staring face to face with a younger version of myself. She stared past me though, as if I wasn't even there, a small bit of wonder behind those cyan eyes. She then smiled at the darkness, her expression sent chills down my spine. “Don't worry. It'll all be over soon.” I blinked as I tilted my head to the side in confusion. “What do you mean?” “Goodbye,” she whispered. Suddenly the floor underneath my hooves left me and I found myself falling into midair. I waved my hooves madly, hoping and praying I would find something to grab onto, but I couldn't. I just kept falling and falling into the endless abyss of darkness. I bolted upright in my bed, mumbling unintelligible words as I looked around everywhere. “Ugh. It was just a dream, bro. Just a dream. Calm down. No need to create a scene,” I huffed to myself as I threw the blankets off of me, feeling as if the room was a hundred degrees. "Solstice?” A voice called, gently. My ears perked up as I turned my head towards my door. That's funny I could've sworn. I rubbed a hoof in one of my ears as if to clear it out then perked them foreword, seeing if I was hearing things. “Solstice.” I heard it again. "Mom?" I called back. Oh I forgot. I'm home Sunset and Twilight had returned from their honeymoon a few days ago and we were back home in Ponyville in the castle. It was a bit of an awkward journey home for some reason, but I didn't mind. I was just happy they were back. Not that I didn't like staying in Canterlot, it just reminded me of times that were not as great as they are now. “Are you alright?” she asked. “Um… I'm fine mom!” I hoped to assure her that I was so I wouldn't be up for the next two hours being interrogated. “Solstice, come here please.” Sunset was calling me from somewhere, but I wasn't sure. “Alright.” No use in arguing. So I crawled out of bed and I stepped out of my room then made my way down the hallway. “Wonder what sort of wild expla-” I was suddenly cut off from talking to myself as I felt somepony’s magic grab me and pull me back into a room. I looked over my shoulder angrily, adrenaline high as I prepared myself to fight, then noticed in surprise that it wasn't an intruder that pulled me into the room. It was…Sunset? Well that's funny wasn't she just-? Her eyes were wide with concern as put her hoof to her lips. I looked to her right and saw that Twilight was here too. She closed the door slowly with her magic and locked it, putting up what seemed to be protection spells by the look of it. “Mom, did you just-” I began. She shook her head, already knowing what I was going to ask. I felt my heart drop in my chest. If she hadn't called for me…then who or what had? I tried to come up with a reasonable explanation, but everything was blurry. There had to be a reason I heard that voice. It sounded as if it were in the main foyer. As I tried to think of an explanation I noticed that I could hear Sunset breathing in my ear. It wouldn't have bothered me at any other time, but this really wasn't the time. It soon became rather distracting to me. "Mom. Why are you breathing so heavily?" I asked softly, a bit impatient. She gave me a confused look, shaking her head a little. "It's not me." She whispered as her mane blew gently to the side as if a breeze had just went through the castle. My eyes widened with fear, slowing letting the horrible thought sink in. There's no way a breeze like that could have blown through the castle. No way in Equestria. The minute I heard a heavy breathing then a single screech of my name again I scrambled away from the door and ran towards the window. The breathing grew heavier as I tried to escape it. The feeling of discomfort overwhelmed me, almost sucking away the very light in me. I panted heavily as I beat against the glass, trying to get out of the room. No! I had to get out! I absolutely had to! I couldn't let her get to me! Twilight grabbed me with her magic, forcing me to stop, probably afraid I would hurt myself. I heard the breathing again and I saw those horrible green eyes flashing in my mind. It was simply a flash, but it still sent shivers down my spine. I wrapped my hooves around my head, crumpling into a helpless little ball of fur. No! No! No! I held my breath, fighting the urge inside me as I felt a dark magic wrap itself around me. It was a dark heavy fog swallowing me into its endless abyss. The voices grew louder and louder as they closed in on me, whispering in my ears, tormenting me with the mere sound of them. "Solstice. Solstice. Come to us. Give in. Solstice. Let us take you," they whispered. “St-st-st. St-o-o-p. P-le-ase.” I almost couldn't form words as the feeling of sheer panic ran through me. “You can't win. We are always here. Just give in.” It's ok. I'm ok. I'm ok. They won't hurt you. I chanted this over and over in my head hoping to calm myself down. “Come, young one. You belong with us. Embrace your darkness.” One voice suddenly seemed to come closer to me. It was so soft yet so loud as it whispered in my ear, “You want to give in…Don't you? NO!!! I screamed at them all. This was becoming too much for me. They had to go! Suddenly I felt offensive magic fighting against the darkness that was surrounding me. I forced myself to open my eyes to see Sunset and Twilight sending offensive spells, pushing all the darkness away. It worked for a second, but it fought back against them. It poked and prodded at her shield, as if it were teasing it. They both pushed harder and harder until it finally gave up and exploded away, leaving the room and taking the voices with it. All except for one. "Solstice," she breathed in my ear. I clamped my hooves over my ears, hoping to force the noise to stay out of them. "Solstice. Have you forgotten so easily what is inevitable?” Raven's voice sounded as sweet as honey, but could recognize the venom hiding behind it. "No. No. Leave me alone.” "I cannot. You know I cannot. You belong to me, Solstice. You shall always belong to me.” Before I could try to scream at her again I felt the air leave my lungs as if somepony had sucked all the oxygen from the room, and the walls seemed to be closing in on me, pushing me closer and closer into a small confirmed place, leaving me no place to escape. The fight in my body left me as well as all my rational thinking, all I could concentrate on was the fact that no matter how hard I tried I simply could not breathe a single breath of air. Her laugh rang in my ears, flashes of multiple images playing over and over again in my mind as I wrapped my hooves around my midsection. “Solstice.” “P-P-Princess Celestia?” I forced myself to examine my surroundings and saw that I was in the Sister’s castle in Canterlot. I then slowly looked up and saw the majestic alicorn standing over me. I smiled, not knowing what else to do or think. All my mind could do was focus on the relief of seeing her. “Princess! Thank goodness.” I reached my hoof out to touch hers but she jerked her hoof away from me. “You are a failure, Solstice. After all the things I've done for you it seems have meant nothing.” Her eyes held the most angry, disappointed look I had ever seen. I blinked, unsure of what she meant. “Princess, I-” “Leave. I never wish to see your face again.” She turned away from me and headed for the doors to the throne room. Utter panic flowed through me as I scrambled to my hooves trying to follow her. “No! Celestia, please! What did I-” “Solstice!” I turned my gaze behind me to see Twilight looking at me. She looked…different though. Her eyes seemed dry and red as if she had been crying for a long time, and her mane was messing, sticking in multiple directions. She glared at me, her eyes seemed unforgiving and cold as she stared into my own. “It's all your fault.” She growled. “M-my fault? Wh-” “She loved me! Sunset loved me, not you!! It's your fault that she left us! That she left me!!!” Twilight screamed at me as angry tears ran down her face. I had no idea what to say as she brought her face but a few inches from mine. “I hate you. Every time I look at your face I think of her. You are such a pathetic little mare! I should never have taken you in!” Tears ran down my face as I cowered away from her, still looking into her angry violet eyes. How could she? Why? “You will never be my daughter. And you will never live under my roof again as long as I live.” “Mom?” I could bareley choke out the word until I heard yet another voice calling to me. “Solstice,” it said. No. I turned my gaze to see Sunset Shimmer, looking down at me with a hard look in her cyan eyes. “Mama?” I asked softly. “Don't you call me that.” Her voice was just as ice cold as her stare. “What?” I reached my hoof out to touch hers, but she pulled away from me. “I left you years ago,” she said. “I didn't want you. From the minute you were born I hated you. All I wanted was to be rid of you so I could continue with my life. You mean nothing to me, Solstice. You never have and you never will.” Now I forced all of my tears back and held my breathe as I forced myself to my hooves trying to reach for her, but everytime I took a step toward her, she would take a step away from me. “B-b-but, I love you, mama. Don't you love me?” I whispered. She laughed, coldly. “Love? Why on earth would I love such a pony like you?” My heart dropped in my chest as what she said hit me like a cold iron. I-I-breathe…I can't… breathe! It can't be true! It can't! I fell to to the floor and buried my face in my hooves, hyperventilating so quickly now that I was beginning to feel light headed. They-they don't love me anymore. I. Am. Worthless. I'm…I'm nothing. “You're not nothing, my dear Solstice,” a sweet voice whispered. I screamed loudly as I jumped to my hooves and shot a beam of magic in no general direction, hoping to defend myself, but all it did was zap whatever energy I had left in me. “I care about you, my dear girl.” I felt a hoof wrap around my body pulling me closer. I didn't dare move a muscle. I simply closed my eyes, refusing to even acknowledge her existence. “Let me back in, child. I will take care of you, if only you let me.” Raven’s beautiful voice sounded like a thousand bells ringing in the air. I forced myself to breathe steadily trying to prevent my body from freaking out again then pulling whatever strength I had left in me to try and push away the darkness from me. “No. I won't let you.” I didn't have the energy to yell at her anymore. “Shhh.” She whispered as I fell to the ground, suddenly feeling something drag me down. “Don't fight it, darling girl.” Suddenly I felt something else grab onto me. A magical pull yanked me out of the trance I was in and pulled me back into reality. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a glimpse of Twilight who was standing over me protectively as she expanded a shield of magic around us, then shot a spell in what I assumed to be Raven’s direction. My eyes cleared up a bit and I could see the faint image of Sunset who stood in front of both of us. I watched tiredly for a second as I noticed the dark mist slowly evaporate from the room along with a laugh that sounded so lovely it practically killed me. “I will not be dissipated so easily, fools!” She laughed and laughed until her darkness disappeared into the night leaving us there alone once again.