//------------------------------// // 6: Eidolon // Story: A Nightmare in Eidolon // by FolkloreBrony //------------------------------// //// Chapter 6-Eidolon //// Drip. Drip. Drip. The steady sound pierced her ears like tiny needles, causing them to flick each time it rang out its rhythm. The filly rubbed her cheek against her arm, content with just lying where she was on the cold, hard floor. It was strangely comfortable, the cool surface bringing down her body temperature. She could have stayed like that forever, but months of sleepless nights had taught her not to enjoy the rest for long. Nyx awoke to the steady patter of water, her senses returning to her with each release of the simple sound. She focused on the dripping for a moment, appreciating the pleasant beat that it made precisely and predictably. She liked the sound, how it calmed her and made her feel so relaxed, resting upon the stones.   Stones? Nyx shifted her weight, rolling on her side as she looked around. The first thing she noticed as her eyes opened was that it was dark. Impossibly dark. That was odd, wasn’t she supposed to be at a party? Yes, her birthday party to be exact. So where did everypony go? she wondered, her head lazily shifting off her hoof and into the air. But then, something had happened, hadn’t it? Drip. Drip. Drip. Nyx’s legs wobbled as she got on her hooves, looking around to take in her surroundings. For any other pony, they would have been lost to the dark, aimlessly wandering, not knowing where to go. But for Nyx, her eyes grew accustomed to the pitch black, shapes forming in her adjusting vision. But being able to see wasn’t her main concern at the moment, rubbing her temple trying to remember how she got here. Her memories felt… hazy. Like her brain had been scrambled around like an egg. Nyx shook her head, stumbling forward and wincing when she scraped her leg against a rock. She was in a cave of some sort, a large hollowed out space with eroded openings and a long stretching passageway digging into the stone earth, leading who knews where. Why am I in a cave? she pondered, moving towards the tunnel. The ground beneath her hooves was smooth and wet and to that, she sighed in relief. At least it wasn’t rough and jagged, ready to cut into the frogs of her hooves. Drip. Drip. Drip. The sound continued to echo in the filly’s ears as she clung to the walls and entered the tunnel, her eyes readjusting as she saw a faint light coming from a large opening on the other end. Nyx quickened her pace, wanting to get out of this cave as quickly as possible and find out where she was. She was becoming worried, hoping that she hadn’t been accidentally teleported somewhere in the Everfree Forest. That thought forced her forward ever faster, the light reflecting off her coat as she burst out into the world outside, wincing as she covered her eyes from the brightness of the sun. And when she lowered her hoof, she gasped. The world before her was unlike anything she had ever seen. She was outside of the cave entrance, finding that it sat on the side of a large canyon, opening up to a grand forest below. Several hundred-foot trunks rose above the smaller treeline to touch the sky, holding it up like pillars. The treeline was dense with colors of greens, blues, oranges, and violets. In the distance, mountains hung suspended in the air as trees grew on their surfaces, birds flying between the massive structures to find their nesting. As Nyx looked upon these floating mountain ranges in disbelief, her head rose higher as she gazed upon the sun, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. The pony stood in wonder at the celestial object, mesmerized by something so strange. She had never seen an eclipse before. Celestia and Luna kept the sun and moon on a perfectly timed schedule, so to find the two overlap each other was something that just never happened. In fact, the only known recorded eclipse in history was on the night Nightmare Moon was born. Nyx remembered it being mentioned during one of Ms. Cheerilee's lessons, describing the event as an ominous and horrifying display of raw dark magic. But this was nothing like that, this was beautiful. Never before had she seen anything quite like it. The sun was completely obscured by the dark sphere of the moon, its solar radiance flowing from the shadowy orb like a faint and gentle halo. The sky was dimmed by the eclipse to create colors of dawn blue and purple, the stars twinkling above her no longer hidden as they would be on any normal day. Further still, upon the edges of the universe circled an amazing horizon of fire, burning like a hurricane of red and peach hues, coating her with a soft warm light. And, as the reality of her new world set in, she shivered. Nyx had been fooled by beauty before in many of her nightmares, entrapping her in a false sense of security before unleashing their torments. She started to panic, adrenaline pumping into her veins. Now she knew why she didn’t remember what happened at the party. She must have fallen asleep! She quickly bit her arm, trying to fool her brain into thinking she was in pain so she could wake up. But nothing happened, the filly still trapped in the strange world she found herself in. She whined horribly, fidgeting where she stood, slowly backing away toward the cave entrance, fully intending on running back inside to hide. That, she would have done, if the cave hadn’t slammed shut. Nyx let out a shriek as the cave opening clamped down, rocks cracking at the pressure created. The filly slumped onto her rump, looking up in awestruck terror as a part of the canyon she stood on shifted and rose, dust flaking off its surface onto her coat as it lifted into the air. As the rocks gave way, the features of some titan creature were revealed, bellowing as it released itself from its resting place. The alicorn looked up in stunned silence as the giant, with horns reflecting what constituted as the sunlight, looked down at her with glossy black eyes. Standing so close to her, she could now make out that the creature resembled a large bull of stone, its chiseled features carved out from the rock. Nyx gulped, expecting at any moment for it to unleash some horrible attack and plunge her into her deepest fears. She shrank as it drew closer, its breath blowing her mane back, threatening to force her off the side of the canyon and down into the forest below. Instead, it drew away, ignoring her as its attention was drawn to the forest, the ground shaking with each step it took. Nyx urgently sucked in a lungful of air, realizing that she had been holding her breath the whole time. Pressing her hoof to her chest to keep her heart from bursting out, she looked towards the direction it had gone, staring at the trees growing on its back as the gentle giant lumbered toward the mountains in the distance. She sighed, relieved that she was safe for the moment, her brain kicking into overdrive to figure out what to do next. She looked to her side, noticing a path that had been made from the beast’s shift against the natural rock that led down into the forest below. Nyx didn’t necessarily want to go down into the forest. She didn’t know where she was or what lived there. As far as she was concerned this was still another nightmare, albeit a rather weird one, and whatever resided within the forest would spell her doom. But… at the same time, she didn’t like to be out in the open, exposed on top of the canyon for any monster to see. She cursed as she looked down toward the trees, knowing she couldn’t stay on top of that ledge forever. She needed to find out where she was, then she could find a way to get back home. She also reasoned that at least she would have a variety of means to hide from whatever might be waiting for her. Certainly better than the proverbial ‘target on her back’ situation she was currently in. In the end, the filly made her decision, grumbling as she started down the path, taking her first step into this bizarre new world. As Nyx wandered through the forest, jumping at every shadow she saw, she couldn’t help but admit that it was beautiful. The woods were overgrown with vines and shrubbery that lined the path she was currently taking, scattered leaves coating the forest floor she stumbled upon. Branches hung low to the ground covered with flowers of varying colors, filling the air with a  pleasant fragrance that did much to calm her. She couldn’t help but smile a little at the variety of species surrounding her. Laceleaf, calla lily, fuchsia blue eyes, and so many more she couldn’t even name. It was as if she had entered the Garden of Eden, a lost paradise she was more than willing to explore. The plant life wasn’t the only thing that caught her interest. The further she walked upon the path she was currently on, the more apparent it became that it had been built, albeit a long time ago. The sound of her hooves clopping on cobblestones was a dead giveaway, but what sold it was the occasional pillar or two that marked the turns in the road, green and yellow moss growing on the stones. It did give her some relief knowing that someone had been able to build a stone path through the forest, at the very least it meant she had a definite path to take. The path snaked through the trees until it came to a sudden drop, pebbles falling into the abyss as she leaned her head over to see the bottom. It was a long, fatal drop, the bridge that had once connected between the two ledges crumbled into dust long ago. Not that it was any trouble to her since she had wings, not to mention the fallen tree trunk that coiled across the great divide, covered in vines and various fungi. She carefully climbed onto the trunk and moved across the rotting bridge, admiring the floating moss-covered boulders hovering over her head. She wondered how long she had been traveling as she stepped off the log, brushing her legs of soot and grime. It felt like she had been walking on the forest path for hours, losing track of time since she had started her journey. The sun hadn’t moved at all since she had woken up, so she couldn’t have been traveling for long, right? Of course, for all she knew, the sun might not move at all. She knew next to nothing about... wherever she was. Natural laws obviously didn’t apply, given that even though there was a total eclipse the day was just as bright and sunny as any other. One thing she did know was that she was getting tired. Her legs were sore and her body was aching, her stomach gnawing at her as she traversed the underbrush. And most of all, she was thirsty. For all the shade created by the forest canopy, the air was still hot and humid, making her dehydrated and sweaty. Nyx parted her lips to lick them, feeling the dryness in her throat. She was certain that there had to be a river somewhere, she just hoped she would find it soon. As if the forest was answering her prayer, a low, humming drone came to her from off in the distance. Nyx perked up, her ears swiveling around in the air, trying to find the source of the splashing. The sound of running water was her salvation and the filly quickly galloped towards the sound. As she drew closer it grew louder, the roar coming in crystal clear as she pushed aside the thickets and branches of the forest. When she exited the underbrush she suddenly found herself in a clearing, sunlight pouring down into the wide-open space. The trees swayed gently in the hot breeze, the scent of flower petals filling her nostrils. Free from the constant input of visual sensations, Nyx was able to appreciate the sounds that came to her. Bird calls filled the clearing while insects buzzed about, making her already colorful surroundings all the more lively and welcoming. But the best sound out of all of them came from the crystalized waterfall that crashed into the rippling pond in front of her, its surface breaking upon the smooth stones that lined the bank. Nyx looked upon the sparkling water with wide, hopeful eyes, trotting over with a newfound bounce in her step. She closed the distance to the pool so quickly she didn’t even bother to find some means to collect it, diving her head into it instead to drink. Nyx moaned as the cool liquid washed over her tongue, renewed energy filling her being. With each gulp she felt her strength returning, opening her eyes in contentment, until she found herself looking down at the face of an older mare in her reflection. Nyx choked on the water sliding down her throat, sputtering and gagging as she tried to focus on the face that was coughing with her. Quickly recovering, she focused on the water again, the ripples smoothing out as she was met with the face she knew all too well, the one that haunted many of her nightmares. Nightmare Moon, looking straight at her with what she soon realized was her own reflection, and of course, seeing herself in an adult Nightmare Moon’s body, she naturally reacted the only way anyone would in that situation. She screamed. Birds took to the air as Nyx let out the most guttural shriek imaginable. Her wings shot out as she fell backward, swinging her hooves in every direction while she panicked. She took a long, close look at her legs, observing how long they were. She had been so distracted by the world around her she hadn’t even noticed until the reality of her transformation was literally staring her in the face. It wasn’t even a second before she quickly spun in place, looking at her particularly large wings that shielded her eyes from the daylight. She stared in terrified wonder at their size, no longer the tiny little appendages she was so used to. Nyx was completely out of it, not knowing what to do in her current situation. Her brain was running at a thousand miles an hour, trying to comprehend that she had been turned into Nightmare Moon, again. That thought alone sent a shiver down her spine, horrified and disgusted of having to be trapped in that monster’s body. All of this was enough to cause the filly to shut down, collapsing into herself as she lay down on the grass and covered her face with her legs and wings, softly sobbing to herself. Nyx’s body visibly shook as she tried to process what had happened, losing all sense of control. Being turned back into Nightmare Moon was one of her greatest fears, memories of that awful experience flooding her mind.  The night Celestia took her away from Twilight burned into her memory as those feelings of confusion, fear, and rage emerged. She had thought her mother had abandoned her and it made her angry, and in that anger, she had done many bad things. Plunging Equestria into darkness, banishing the princesses, rejecting her mother’s plea for forgiveness and instead throwing her into a dungeon. But the worst of these deeds, imprisoning her friends, shook her to her core. Everything she had done because she had felt betrayed. Spell Nexus had capitalized on that and steered her into those directions, using her, a confused and lonely filly, to try and accomplish the goals of his ‘One True Queen’. When he didn't get his way, he dared to place her mother on the gallows with the noose around her neck, the memory coming back to her like a plague. That upset her the most, that she had been so easily manipulated, not by Spell Nexus, but by her own emotions. And she couldn’t even hold him accountable. The cultists hadn’t done those horrible things of their own accord; they had all been under the influence of Nightmare Moon’s lingering magic. In the end, she had seen those actions to fruition. She had acted on those impulses. She was the one who was to blame. And that thought filled her with distress, afraid it was going to happen again. But then, she wasn’t in that situation now. There was no Spell Nexus, no Children of Nightmare, no shards of the dark alicorn to try and take everything from her. There was only her. That realization gave her courage, at least enough to relax and dare to crawl forward to get a better look at her reflection. Nyx opened her eye to peak at the face in the water, acting as if her own reflection would bite her at any moment. Yet, as she gazed upon its surface, she took a closer look at her new face, and started to notice the differences to the monster she so feared. Nightmare Moon was known for her sharp and intimating features, dark and beautiful if not outright terrifying. She was a tall mistress of the night, her wings jagged like knives and her midnight blue mane flowing like a raging storm. A twisted form of a pony, an abomination, one that struck fear into the hearts of ponies and made foals cower at the utterance of her name. Only, Nyx’s features were different. Her mane didn’t flow and neither was it the same shade of blue as the nightmare queen’s. In fact, it remained the same purple indigo hue she was used to and loved, albeit a bit longer, flowing down her shoulders in pleasant little curls. Another thing she noticed was that her features were much softer, youthful even, a stark contrast to Nightmare Moon’s chiseled jawline and high cheekbones. Nyx tilted her head as she drew closer to the water, her interest spiking as she continued to explore her new body. Now that she had calmed down, she noticed that while her limbs where longer, she was nowhere near Nightmare Moon’s height. In fact, now that she thought of it, she realized that she was probably closer to Twilight’s height moreso than any of the other princesses.  Nyx didn’t know why, but that revelation gave her sense of pride, a loving admiration at being so similar now to a pony she indeed loved. Even her wings were similar, although the more she thought about it, the more they reminded her of a regular pegasus. A small smile grew on her face, looking down to notice a shimmer glistening in her eyes from the reflection of her neck. She pawed at it and felt a piece of metal hanging there, lifting it up to get a better look, her smile growing wider as she realized it was the pendant her friends had given to her. Her friends. Nyx gave a comforted sigh, thinking back to the party. She hadn’t been the friend she should have been when they gave it to her. She should have shown more appreciation, given them a hug, something. But she had felt so tired, so drained, she barely even managed a smile to give them. She regretted that now, promising herself that she would give them each a hug and a ‘thank you’ the moment she got back. If she got back. She quickly shook her head, dispelling the unwanted thought, directing her attention back to her reflection. To put it simply, much to her surprise, she was beautiful. That wasn’t a word she thought she’d ever use to describe herself, but that was what she was. The thought made her blush a little, batting away a part of her mane that had fallen over her eyes. She was actually rather pleased with how different she looked compared to Nightmare. Really, the only thing that indicated that they were the same pony was her jet black coat and the cat-like irises that naturally, if faintly, glowed. Nyx lost her breath. Where are my glasses?! Nyx’s brain fired into gear, her anxiety returning in force. She needed those glasses and if she had lost them, she would be exposed. Nyx scrambled as she started moving left and right, looking everywhere in a vain attempt to find the lost item. She was desperate, eyes shifting in all directions and fear took hold. If they weren’t here, perhaps she had lost them along the path. Nyx smiled nervously, deciding that that must have been what happened. All she had to do was retrace her steps! She-- Her train of thought came to a halt when she yelped, as something hard bounced off the side of her head and fell, rolling onto the grass.  Wincing as she rubbed the place of impact, Nyx looked down at the object, frowning as she realized it was a stone. Not a large one, but it still hurt a bit. She glowered as she turned to face her attacker, wondering who had thrown a rock at her and why. She wasn’t prepared to be staring down at a patch of angry-looking flowers. Nyx blinked, wondering if she was hallucinating. She had long decided that she wasn’t in a dream, what with the taste of water and the dull pain ringing in her skull, but this threw that conclusion into doubt yet again. She could have debated the validity of their existence forever in her head, if not for the second stone hitting her right on the nose. “Ow! Hey!” the mare whined, rubbing her muzzle as a dull pain hummed from its surface. Her body tensed as she slowly registered the new tone of her voice, deeper and less squeaky than what she was used to, yet melodic and soft all the same. Pushing that aside, she noticed the flowers leaning back, ready to throw more stones. She quickly rushed over to the little yellow one, pulling on it with the intent of uprooting it. The flower, however, let out a cry, much to the alicorn’s shock as she let it go. “Oh, how horrible, it talks! It talks!” it whined in a feminine voice, spitting and cursing as it wiggled around. “Get it away from us, oh! It crawls, it bites!” another shouted, a ruby red rose, waving its petals around like a madman. “Spider! Wicked spider!” the third flower cried hysterically, its blue face etched with horror and disgust. “Wait, what?” Nyx stared at them as their vile words and accusations bit sharply into her, her aggravation coming to a boil as she yelled back, “I’m not a spider! Why would you even think that I was?” “What does it say? Not a spider?” the yellow flower pondered, the others turning to it as they began to debate amongst themselves. “Foolish, ridiculous! She must be!” the blue one stubbornly yelled, pointing an accusing leaf at the mare in question. “The spider who crawls and bites. Who kills the precious bee when he comes to drink from our pedals!” the red one swooned, overly dramatic in its articulation. “Are you serious? Do I look like a spider to you? I mean, look at me!” Nyx gestured to herself, fully exposing her new form. The flowers on their part were perplexed, gazing at her as thoughts raced within their tiny minds. Upon reflection, they did realize how foolish a notion it was for a spider to only have four legs and wings as well. Quickly they shared secretive murmurs amongst themselves, trying to determine what she was as they looked into her eyes. It was her eyes that drew most of their attention. With her glasses gone, her natural eyes were fully exposed to them, and they took full notice. It was a perplexing thing, after all, for a spider to have such eyes. Of course, she wasn’t a spider after all, but if not, then what? “We know what you are…” A knowing smile spread upon their faces. The mare tensed at the way the words were so harshly spoken, slowly backing away to create some distance between herself and the plants. “Y-You do?” she asked weakly, afraid of the answer. “Yes, dear, you’re obviously a snake!” the flowers said in unison, showering praises to the identity of the mare they so passionately declared. Nyx blinked. “Yes, yes! A snake! One who hisses and slithers! Who eats the pesky mice who eat our beautiful pedals! So nice!” the blue one cheered, the others whistling and singing praises to their ‘savior’. “Too bad she’s still ugly,” the red one frowned, the mare shrinking back, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “Buh! Who cares? She will protect us forever! She can keep our beauty safe, and why not? Is ours not the greatest in the land?” the yellow flower declared, the others nodding in agreement as vines grew from the ground before them, snaking their way towards the alicorn with the intent to take her. Nyx’s eyes widened as she backed away, not knowing what she was supposed to do. “What? No! I--!” “Oh, leave her alone, would you!” All four of them whipped their heads around at the shout of the singular voice. There, standing to the side, holding a rather annoyed look in his eye, was a large, warty green toad wearing a monocle and a deep red fez, lugging around a bag he wore over his shoulders. The flowers seemed to shrink back at his approach, unsure what to make of him, a sentiment Nyx shared as well. “Causing trouble with the locals again, I see. Trying to recruit her for your own vain tasks?” the toad asked sternly, clearly not pleased with the self-absorbed conceitedness they held. “No! Not the toad! So ugly! He makes us all look bad!” the yellow one stuck its tongue out at him, the amphibian scoffing at such undignified behavior. “The Toad! The Toad! Away, you’ll eat the bees!” they screamed and howled, the red one fainting into the other's arms. “It was only the one time!” the toad croaked in frustration, his throat bulged out with a loud ribbit. Though confused, Nyx couldn’t help but smile at the scene. Moments ago she thought she was going to be forced to become the protector of a bunch of talking flowers, and out of all the things that could have come to save her, here was this toad, arguing and yelling at the plants with a posh and dignified presence.   “But she’s the snake! She must protect our beauty, it’s the only worth she has!” “Oh, I’m sure you believe so, you shriveled little weed. Nothing’s greater than you, so anything lesser has to serve you or it’s just of no use at all!” he sneered, unimpressed by their self-importance. “Hmmph!” The flowers turned away, throwing their petals into the air to snub them both. The toad shook his head in disgust as he turned his whole body to look at the mare in front of him. “Don’t pay them any mind, milady. They’re a selfish lot who care for nothing they deem inferior to themselves.” He looked at her sympathetically, knowing how difficult they could be. “They’re weird.” She frowned, watching as they boasted amongst themselves. “Full of it is more like it,” he groaned, shifting comfortably on the grass. He reached into his bag, digging around for something. “You dropped these, didn’t you?” the toad asked, presenting a pair of round-rimmed glasses. Nyx’s eyes grew wide at the sight of them, quickly snatching them away to search them over for any damage. Thankfully she found none, sighing in relief as she slipped them on, the frames resting against the bridge of her muzzle easily. “Thank you,” she breathed out, looking at him as he crossed his little legs. “Well, at least someone has learned basic manners,” the toad let out a huff, looking disparagingly at the flowers who continued to argue amongst themselves. Nyx considered their antics rather dispassionately, relieved to have someone who seemed reasonable to talk to. She was about to inquire further about them, but when she turned, she found that he was already hopping off, leaving her behind. “Excuse me!” Nyx called to him before he could leave, the toad whipping around to look at her. She paused, a little nervous to ask him questions considering how easily annoyed he seemed to be. Yet she put on a brave face for this, her need for answers outweighing any reservations she had. “I… I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name,” Nyx stated, not wanting to come off as rude, choosing to take the polite approach. “Think nothing of it. My name is Toby, milady,” the toad said with a bow, tipping his fez to her like a perfect gentleman. She giggled at his syndicated act and how funny it made him look, taking note of the bow tie he wore around his neck, smiling at how cute it looked. “And yours?” he asked, placing his fez back on his head. “Nyx. Again, thank you.” She smiled, giving him a bow of her own. “So, umm,” Nyx bit her lip, looking around at the surrounding trees trying to avoid his gaze, “I guess this might sound a little odd, but where am I?” she asked, hoping he didn’t start yelling at her as he had with the flowers. It was both to her relief and surprise when he burst out in laughter. “By the gods, fair lady, surely you jest!” Toby chuckled, assuming she was just playing some game, deciding to play along. “You’re in Eidolon.” “Eidolon?” she questioned, unfamiliar with the title. “Well, that’s what I said!” He offered her another smile, acting as if that were a sufficient answer. Nyx frowned. “But where is Eidolon?” “It’s where you are, girl, don’t be daft,” the toad scoffed, slightly annoyed by such a silly question. “But that’s--!” Nyx started, her patience growing thin. But she bit her tongue and held it back, deciding to rephrase the question instead, “Alright then, what is Eidolon? Is it this forest?” “Oh nonononono! Nothing of the sort!” Toby waved her away, pointing to the trees surrounding them, “This forest is called Ghabat Al’alwan, the ‘Forest of Colors’. Eidolon itself is a country, which you are now in.” A country. This troubled the mare, unfamiliar with the name, having never seen it on a map to her recollection. Of course, Equestrian maps weren’t exactly the most well-documented, only extending to neighboring countries leaving anything beyond to complete conjecture. She frowned, not liking where this was going. Had she been kidnapped, dragged away to some foreign land? And if so, why? “Where is that? Is it somewhere near Equestria?” she asked, hoping he’d even heard of her home. “Equestria?” Toby paused, looking up at her in confusion, a steady realization overcoming him as his eyes grew wide, “My word, you don’t mean to say you came from the land of the living?” “Land of the liv-?” Nyx started to ask before the words coming out of her mouth clicked in her head, her lips trembling as she started to hyperventilate. “Sweet Celestia, am I dead!?” “Now hold on there, I didn’t say that!” Toby waved his arms around frantically, trying to calm her down from her panic attack. “You could just be lost! Sorry, I suppose I shouldn’t have worded it quite like that.” “What’s the difference?! Land of the living? You’re saying I’m in the afterlife?!” she whimpered, feeling herself breaking out in a cold sweat. “Well, not exactly,” Toby winced, reaching up to make her look at him as he tried to explain, “it’s more of an in-between space. It’s perfectly possible that you ended up here by accident.” Nyx stared into his eyes, seeing the assurance that he gave her as she started doing her breathing exercises. She was thankful that they helped to calm her down a little as she looked down at herself, though still jarred by the possibility. “But how do we know if I’m alive or not?” Toby tilted his head thoughtfully. “There’s only one way to find out.” “O-Okay, what’s tha--!?” she never got to finish her sentence as the toad leaped up into the air and slapped her across the face, her head snapping to the side in pain. She quickly looked back at him with an angry scowl, rubbing her cheek as it started to flush red. “Ow!” “Oh good, you can still feel pain,” he said with a smile, unfazed by the death glare the alicorn gave him. “Yeah, you think?!” she growled, wincing as the pain ebbed away. For such a small creature he packed quite a kick. But her aggravation soon dissolved as the facts set in, sighing as she looked back at him. “Okay, so I’m not dead, but why am I here?” “Well, that’s the question, isn’t it?” he said with a smile, tilting his head as he scratched his chin. “What were you doing before you came here?” The words caught in her throat as Nyx pondered that question. She knew that she had been at her own birthday party, but the details themselves were a bit hazy. Sitting down, Nyx swallowed. She thought hard, repositioning her glasses as she recalled the events step by step. “It…. It was my birthday. I was talking to my friends and they gave me this pendant,” she said,  reaching up to touch the necklace she wore, smiling at the gift. Toby’s eyes brightened. “Birthday, you say? Well, congratulations, fair lady!” he cheered, a low ribbit building up in his throat, “Forgive me, for it may be rude to ask. but how old are you today?” “Oh? It’s my tenth,” she said matter-of-factly, forgetting for a moment that she was now in an adult’s body. The toad blinked, looking her up and down with doubt. “Ten?” Nyx followed his gaze down at herself, a light blush spreading on her face, “Technically two?” Nyx whined, rubbing the back of her head. There was a moment of silence between the two, both staring awkwardly at each other as her words sunk in, the toad processing the multi-contradictory information with a frown. “You sure you don’t live here?” asked the old toad, confused by the odd explanation she offered him. Nyx rolled her eyes, pouting as she tried to remember something important, anything that might explain this situation. “Anyway,” she groaned, memories echoed in her mind as she fought to recall events, her mind a little foggy due to being overwhelmed by everything going on. “Mom brought out the cake, everypony sang happy birthday… then mom said something, and…” Nyx thought hard, remembering the dark form that rose up in her mind, “there was a shadow.” “Shadow?” he asked, his intrigue aroused. “Yeah.” She remembered being afraid, not knowing what was going on or what was going to happen, before an overwhelming sleepiness befell her, and something entered her. “It took me, lifted me up, and then… I was here.” Nyx looked up at him, feeling confused and unsure if her memory was even reliable. Yet as she stared at Toby, she felt that something was going on in his mind, a thoughtful question that needed to be answered. “What did it look like?” Nyx recalled how it moved, tendrils shooting out in all directions as the image formed in her mind. “It didn’t look like anything. It was just silver.” Toby’s eyes widened, thoughts firing in his brain as he recalled exactly what she had seen. “The Father...” he said, barely above a whisper, but enough for the mare to take notice. “What?” She raised an eyebrow, struggling to hear what he had said as he mumbled to himself, his eyes darting up at hers suddenly as if coming to a realization. “I believe this is a matter that needs to be brought to the emperor,” he said determinedly, his gaze serious and alert. “Emperor? What emperor?” she asked curiously. “The Emperor of Somnium, the capital of Eidolon,” Toby explained, devolving summarized information. “It’s not far from here, less than a day’s journey,” he said, pointing to the path leading back into the forest. Nyx bit her lip, not liking the idea of wandering through the forest again, not knowing what weird thing she might encounter next. “Are you sure? I mean, if he’s a emperor then he must be busy, I don’t—” “If there’s anyone who can help you, it’s him. Perhaps he could even return you home,” the toad interrupted, waving away any protest she might have had.  Nyx groaned, submitting to his reasoning. “How do I get there?” “Walk down the path and turn left at the fork in the road. Don’t worry, it’s there, you can’t miss it.” He drew a line in the dirt, creating two lines that spread out in opposite directions. “Then turn left on the path and go forward. It will lead you to the city.” Nyx looked toward the path and sighed dejectedly. She didn’t want to go back into the forest, but what choice did she have? This was by far the best chance she had to find some answers, and it was certainly better than just aimlessly wandering in the woods forever. She laughed under her breath, shaking her head. She couldn’t believe she owed it all to a toad. “Thank you, you’ve been such a big help.” She smiled at him, getting up from her spot as she walked towards the path, ready to continue her journey. “Oh! And another thing!” he called before she could leave, hopping in the air and waving frantically. Nyx stopped, turning round to look at Toby. “Yes?” “Never turn right.” Nyx raised an eyebrow, taken aback by the bizarre piece of advice. “Why shouldn’t I?” “Because left is always right, but never is right. The right is never right, the right is always wrong,” he replied, as if those words made any sense at all. Nyx paused, giving him a rather skeptical look, but left it at that. She couldn’t help it, but everyone in this world seemed clinically insane. Heck, for all she knew, her sleep depravity might have finally caught up to her and put her into a psychotic delirium. Whatever the case, she decided to just roll with it. Better go forward than just stay put and do nothing. That seemed rather counterproductive to her. So she left, entered the forest again to find the city and its king. No matter what happened, she’d only go forward, anything to get away from this insanity. Anything to get back home. As the day went on, Nyx trekked along the road as she had been instructed, wondering what this emperor was like. Was he a toad as well? Or a goat? Perhaps he’s be something she had never seen before, like a kirin or a buffalo. She wondered what the city would look like. Would it be a modern metropolis, or perhaps a medieval castle and its keep? These questions ran through her mind as she moved forward, pushing branches and vines out of her face. She hoped that the emperor would be able to help her. If she was no longer in Equestria, she could only imagine how worried Twilight and Spike would be. She knew how worked up her mother could get, and didn’t want her to cry, not if she could fix it. This thought drove her forward, the filly longing to reunite with her family and end this crazy situation. And even though she was tired, she pushed herself forward, finally reaching the end of the pathway leading to the fork in the road. A literal fork in the road. Nyx stared in bewilderment at the large pronged utensil jutting out from the ground, rising high into the air, casting a shadow on her. It just stood there, no rhyme or reason as to why it was put there in the first place. It was just there, as if planted only for some elaborate joke. Shaking her head, Nyx turned toward the two adjacent paths, halting as she observed them. And that gave her reason to pause. She remembered what Toby had said, but as she looked upon them, she began to doubt his validity. The path he had instructed her to take, was a dark and foreboding one. Its trees grew gnarled and untamed, so horrid and abysmal that it opened up its jaws as if to devour her. The path had long ago crumbled away, leaving vine-covered stones that had once been the pavement for the road. Everything about it made Nyx shudder. To her, it looked no different to the entrance to the Everfree Forest, holding Celestia knew how many unknown dangers. Yet the other path, the one that Toby had warned her about, was the exact opposite. Whereas the left path was dark and haunting, the right was bright and beautiful, filled with trimmed oaks and lined with beautiful flowers. Moreover, as she looked further upon it, she swore she could see a city in the distance, just over a hill covered in a meadow of grass. Nyx considered the two paths and found herself conflicted. Why would he lie to her about the way to the city, and why such a blatant one, too? She could see for herself that he was asking her to take a dangerous path over the obvious way, and yet he had still told her to go left. She frowned, contemplating how much she could really trust him. He had stood up for her against the flowers, but why? Was it to serve his own nefarious purposes, to trick her into walking into a trap? How could she trust him, a toad she barely knew, and deny what she could clearly see with her own eyes? Nyx gritted her teeth, taking a step forward. She was so close to her goal, she wasn’t gonna let some stupid toad’s backward, twisted joke get the better of her! The city was within reach, and she wasn’t going to toss it away, only to fall for a trick. She-- “No.” Nyx squeaked in alarm, jumping in the air as she spun around to face Toby, who had snuck up behind her on the path. He wore a rather displeased look on his face, frowning as he tapped his webbed foot on the ground. “Toby?! Why did you follow me?” the mare exclaimed, placing a hoof on her chest in shock. “Making sure you stay out of trouble. I thought I told you not to go right,” he said, disappointed that she was ignoring his heavily imparted advice. Nyx on her part frowned at him, eying the two paths that lay before her. The right path was exactly what she wanted, while the left spelled only trouble. “But… it doesn’t look safe, and the city’s right there!” Nyx protested, looking toward the dark path with a hint of apprehension and fear, then pointing to the city in the distance to emphasize her point. “Are you serious?” he exclaimed, frustrated that she was even questioning him. “I think I’d know which paths are safe or not. I’ve lived here my whole life, you haven’t even been here a day!” “But--” “No buts!” he shouted, growing impatient. He hopped right in front of her, blocking her from entering the lighter path. “Just show a little bit of trust, maybe?” he asked, calming down a little as he looked at her with pleading eyes. Nyx was silent. She looked to the brightened path, gazing longingly to the city in the distance. How easy it would be to just ignore him and run, relying on what her eyes told her. Yet, as she looked back at him, she saw the concern in his eyes, begging for her to listen. She barely knew him, yet he seemed so honest. “How can I trust you? I don’t even know you,” she asked, still unsure. “You can’t, but you could always take a chance,” he replied, giving her the most reassuring smile he could muster. She held that smile in her mind for what felt like an eternity, looking for any deception that may have been hidden underneath. When she found none, she let out a sigh, stepping away from the right path and going to the left, entering upon the darkened road. Toby grinned as he moved to follow her, joining her on the path to travel it together. Nyx, despite herself, moved closer to him, observing every shadow of the forest with hesitance and suspicion. A heavy fog hung against the forest floor, casting everything in an obscured haze. Eerie sounds echoed through the greyish green, hoots and cries unfamiliar to her as they moved forward, deeper into this dark world. “You know you made the right choice.” Toby grinned reassuringly, looking up at her as she eyed the surrounding trees harshly, expecting for some horrible monster to attack them at any moment. “This place still gives me the creeps,” she said, unsure whether or not she could really trust him. “Oh, you think this is bad! Then maybe you’d like to know a thing or two about that other path you were so eager to take back there,” he said mockingly, crossing his arms. “Why? What was wrong with it?” she asked impertinently, already a little annoyed that he had talked her into taking this particular road. Toby let out a sigh, looking back toward the opposite path longingly. “If you had gone down that path, you would have been lost to time, doomed forever to travel upon the infinite highway.” Nyx’s eyes widened in shock, looking over her shoulder toward the path she had been so willing to walk upon only moments before. A part of her expected it to reveal some hidden terror, a destination of unknown horror in waiting. Yet it remained as it had been. Bright, open, and colorful, open to any unsuspecting traveler. “It… looks so peaceful.” Nyx said with a shudder, frightened by how easily she could have been trapped in this world forever. “Ahh, yes. The greatest lies tend to be quite lovely, yet you find they hold the most pain.” He hummed to himself, thinking back to an earlier time in his life when he had come across it himself, long ago. “You might want to move to the side.” Nyx raised an eyebrow, “Huh? Why would I… Whoa!” Any question she might have had died in her throat as she walked right into the transparent form of a pony, moving right through their body before she tripped and fell. The mare grumbled, rolling on her side as she looked up to see who she had walked into, and froze. Staring straight at her was a ghost, glowing the faintest of grey as it stayed to observe her for a few moments, before turning to continue along the path. Nyx grew pale as she rose, looking around to find that there were other specters who traveled upon the road, ranging from not only ponies but dragons and griffins, yaks and hippogriffs, and many others, all moving in silence. Fearful, Nyx scurried away towards Toby as quickly as possible, trying to lean close to the toad for protection as she observed the phantoms passing. “Back there you said this place was an ‘in-between’. What exactly does that mean?” she asked, recalling what he had said back at the pool. Toby shrugged his shoulders. “Exactly as it sounds. Eidolon is a place that exists within the dreamscape, and as such, it holds a connection between the lands of the living and the dead.” The dreamscape. Nyx pondered this for a moment, her picture of things becoming clearer. “I… guess that explains a few things,” she mumbled, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as she felt the temperature drop several degrees. “Will they hurt us?” “No. Just wandering souls passing through,” he said, reassuring her with a pat, giving her the confidence to put a small distance between him and herself. “They come through here on their way to a better place.” Nyx looked to the phantoms, watching them pass by, content in their fate. Among them occasionally passed a lonely child or an abandoned lover, seeking those they had left behind. She considered these souls with a hint of sadness, thinking of her own family. She had been gone for only a few hours, but she already missed them. She missed her home, and she’d do anything she could to go back. To save them from worrying about her. If there was one consolation, it was that she was now safe from the nightmares that plagued her nightly. Though it would be short, she could have a few moments of peace, before her torment would begin again. And as she watched the ghosts pass by, she looked upon them with jealousy, knowing they did not have to suffer such torment. No, all they cared for was their journey. They were free while she slipped into the mist in silence, traveling deeper into the unknown.