The Nightmare King

by Lt_Lance

Chapter 9 Part 2 – No Mercy

The institute stood on a cliff face overlooking the town of Bridleburg. It was three stories tall, with ominous looking turrets on the corners of the building. Half of the building seemed to hang off the cliff face. It looked unstable at first glance but then so did Canterlot. The building itself was made from brick and seemed well maintained.

Lance watched the building in silence for a while before deciding to voice his thoughts on the structure. “Well this looks …foreboding, all we’re missing now is the light-”

*Flash*
*Craka-boom*

A rouge storm cloud that was being escorted by a weather pegusus saw fit to release some of it’s built up charge directly over the Institute.

“Never mind it’s definitely ominous enough now.”

How could you not know that this place is evil? Just look at the damn thing! I have been watching it ever since I woke up this morning. It wasn’t that hard to find, it was exactly where Caze said I would find it. On top of the creepy cliff overlooking the city.

“Well time to initiate phase one of my brilliant plan.”

A pony walked through a dimly lit hallway. His features nearly all masked by his uniform, as its intended purpose. A white mask covered his muzzle and opaque goggles completely shielded his eyes. His coat was covered with a white jumpsuit masking his teal coat.
He sat in the locker room making sure that he had all of his things together. When he was satisfied that he wasn’t forgetting anything, he gingerly began to trot out of the room and down the hallway towards the main entrance of the institute wearing his goggles around his neck.

“Have a nice lunch Shock.”

He didn’t respond. He never did.

He walked down the stone path that lead down into town. Shock never liked eating in the hospital. He walked along the stone roads of Germaniegh with a blank expression on his face. When he walked past an alley he paused. A small flash of light appeared in the corner of his eye. He turned to investigate. After a while he began to make out the shape of eyes giving off the dim green light. As soon as he got a good look they vanished. He stared down the alley for a few more seconds before shaking his head and moving on.

He walked down the street looking behind his back constantly. Every now and then he would spot the curious green eyes in the crowd or in a shadow, but no matter where he saw them, they were always looking at him. He began to pick up his pace starting off at a light trot and eventually picking up into a full gallop. The sight was almost comical, a grown stallion running through the streets constantly looking over his shoulder. Eventually when he believed himself to be safe he stopped to catch his breath... right in front of an alley. He was either to distracted with his breathing or to relieved to be safe to notice the black vines worming their way out of the dark. The tendrils snaked around his hooves making it impossible for him to move. He never got a chance to scream as he was viciously dragged into the shadows.

“Ugh… where am I?”

“Turn around little pony.”

“Huh?”

He turned around to see a large black pony smiling with a shark tooth grin. His grey black tipped mane seemed to rise as his smile grew. He was adorned in dark armor that complimented his dark coat. And on his face he could see the two green eyes that where following him.

“Dear Celestia!” He yelled in surprise flaring his wings out in an automatic response. After he got over the shock the young pegasus folded his wings back up and began to look Myrvang over.

“…” Myrvang was wondering how to proceed. As far as he could tell this pony wasn’t afraid.

“Who… Who are you?” The pegusus asked.

“I am Myrvang. Tremble in my presence little pony!”

“…Why?”

*Facehoof*

“You don’t look that scared. Am I not scary enough? Why do I always have this problem?" Myrvang asked himself.

“I don’t know it’s just …you know, creepy pony in a white void of nothingness isn’t exactly something to lose your shit over.

Myrvang sat down and brought his black armored hoof to his chin in thought. “Hmm… you do have a point I could have really tried harder. I haven’t had much good practice, my usual cliental will freak out over a rabbit duck taped to a kitchen knife... Hmm… that’s it! Silent Hill!” Myrvang yelled in conclusion. “I’m being too simple with this.” He said looking around the white void.

“Silent Hill?” The stallion asked thoroughly confused.

“The beauty of the Silent Hill series isn’t just the scares and the monsters it’s the buildup. Maybe I should have laid a bunch of corpses about…” Myrvang explained.

“Oh great… you’re insane.”

“Oh, but in a good way… Hmm Maybe I could make something unnerving about my appearance… I mean, I’m the Nightmare King… I should give nightmares to ponies.”

“Dude can I go, I need to get back to work.”

“In a minute pegusus... Do you have a name?”

“Shock”

“Kay, now let’s see.”

A thick red liquid began to come up from the ground. The liquid bubbled and poured from the white floor until a large puddle sat in front of the dark armored stallion. Soon the thick iron scent in the air alerted Shock that the puddle was made from blood. For a moment the scent was overpowering, but when the bubbling and gushing stopped the scent seemed to disappear. Shock took a curious step closer to see what Myrvang was doing with a creepy puddle of blood. Suddenly two hooves shot out of the puddle causing Shock to jump back with surprise. The hooves gripped the ground and pulled out a pair of identical liking monster ponies. Myrvang’s favorite, Bloody Hooves.

“Holy Celestia!”

“You see Shock, I tried to use a different malefactor once but it didn’t work so well. The victim just ended up bringing her own fears into the dream. So far these pony monsters I made seem to work the best.”

Myrvang turned back to the bloody hooves. “Yes creepy that’s for sure but still it seems a little ordinary…” Myrvang looked his bloody hooves up and down examining all the little tweaks and adjustments he made to them, the spinal realignment that went into making them bipedal, the eye replacement, and the loose skin on the face for easy tearing. He looked at all of these things and then back to Shock. He looked Shock up and down, He saw his blue mane, he saw his teal coat, and he looked at his feathery wings...

An actual light bulb appeared and lit up above Myrvang’s head as he was struck with an idea. “A pegasus… Of course! A bloody hoof pegusus that’s just brilliant.”

He turned around back to the bloody hooves and put his hoof on top of the right one’s head. He dunked it into the puddle until his hoof was sticking a few inches in the blood. When he pulled his hoof back out the bloody hoof followed out but this time it had a pair of blood matted wings on its back. He walked around the pair looking at them getting his hooves wet in the blood.

“Hmm… Now it just looks like a bloody hoof with wings. It needs something else, something… more. It needs to be different, it needs to perform its own function… what do you think?” He asked turning his attention back to Shock, who was still staring at the bloody hooves in shock.

“What in the name of the royal sisters are these things?!” He yelled.

Myrvang raised a brow. “An angry response? Good that mean’s we’re on the right track.” He smiled turning his attention back to the new monster.

“Let’s see… no they don’t need these, that’s just too convenient.” He said gripping the blood matted wings of the pegusus monster.

*Tear*
*Bluuaaarrg*

Shock promptly threw up as he saw the Nightmare King tear the wings from the back of the mutilated pegasus.
Myrvang threw away the mass of feathers and bits of flesh over his shoulder. “Yes that seems right, now if you can’t fly you still need a way to get around.” Suddenly his face lit up with inspiration and he began to laugh manically. His laughter was cut short when the only remaining pegusus in the room shakily voiced a question.

“What… what are you going to do with me?” Shock asked now truly frightened.

Myrvang turned around and tilted his head in mock confusion. “Oh you’re still here? Well I guess you couldn’t really wonder off now could you? No! Of course you couldn’t.” He corrected himself.

“What do you want from me!?” Shock yelled.

“I want you to fear me.” Myrvang said simply.

“Well good job man, you’ve got it.”

“Yes… Yes you are afraid, I can see that. More…” Myrvang began to smack his lips together as if placing a certain flavor. “I can taste it. It’s funny how certain flavors can piss me off these days. You taste just like that lot that came looking for Scootaloo.”

Shocks face lit up with recognition. (One could say he seemed shocked... shut up.)

Shocks surprise did not go unnoticed by Myrvang. “Oh, you heard what happened to them then?”

“No I... recognize the name.” He answered.

“Scootaloo?”

He nodded.

Myrvang frowned and he walked over to the pegusus. The pegusus tried to back away but he found that he couldn’t move. He looked down to see that his hooves were wrapped with black vines that appeared to snake out from Myrvang’s very shadow.

Myrvang didn’t hurt him he just looked intently at his wings. Remembering what he had done to the blood covered monstrosities earlier made Shock pale in fear. Myrvang looked from the pegusus’s back and back to his.

“Wings? No I can’t fly, wings would just be a worthless gain of weight. But wait, maybe… No with the avian wings of a pegusus it would look stupid… but with the wings of a dragon maybe?”

“A-are you going to kill me now?”

Myrvang took a step back at the accusation physically showing his distaste for it. “What? No. I don’t kill bro, it’s not my thing.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“Well I guess you could say I’m going to terrify you to the brink of insanity and then leave you a muttering mess.”

“Wha…”

“I like to call it soul molestation. It sounds funny that way.”

Myrvang looked at the shocked, confused, and scared expression on the pegusus’s face and laughed. “Oh I’m going to enjoy this one I think.”

The first thing Shock noticed was the lack of the black stallion standing in front of him.

“Hello!?”

“Scary stallion?”

“Where did he go?”

Shock looked around at his surroundings, quickly realizing that he was neither back on the street or in the white void the tall dark stallion had taken him to. If anything it looked like he was back at the institute but he saw that that wasn’t true either. The reception desk was that of a hospital but it was far too tall, and all of the chairs in the waiting room seemed off as well. On the wall behind the desk was the name of the establishment he now found himself in.

“Mercy Hospital?”

He looked around again realizing he must have been in the waiting room of some long abandoned hospital. The tiles on the floor were covered in dust and grime and several of the chairs were missing their cushions. An old broken brown intercom hung over the reception desk. He began to feverishly look around for an exit, only finding that there were no doors that lead out of the room. Whatever this place was, he was trapped.

“Oh very scary, a hospital waiting room! What’s next the food court? Oh! Maybe you can trap me in a Hay -N- Shake!”

“You really shouldn’t test me pegusus.” Myrvangs voice called out from all around him. “I was just using the waiting room for its intended purpose while I was just putting some last minute details into place. This is a brand spanking new dreamscape boy!”

Maniacal laughter filled the air as the lights in the room began to brighten. They grew brighter and brighter until Shock was blinded. Suddenly the Laughter stopped and the lights dimmed back down to an acceptable level Shock looked around to see that the room had changed. The waiting room looked like it was well maintained and fully functional. The chairs and desk were both at an acceptable height and the intercom over the desk was working.

The light on the intercom began to shine bright red as static began to pour through breaking the calm silence that Myrvang left. A calm low voice that Shock couldn’t quite place came through. “*Bzzt* Welcome to Mercy, we hope that your stay is as pleasant as possible. If you stay where you are something will be along to assist you shortly... Mercy staff recommends that you do not stay where you are. Please note that there are no exits and remember... you are not alone. *Bzzt*”

All the doors opened revealing long dark hallways beyond them. At first nothing happened, Shock just sat there looking left and right out the doorways that flanked the waiting room. He briefly wondered if he should try the door that remained closed behind the reception desk.

*bang*

Something hit hard against the door. Remembering the voice on the intercoms warning Shock thought it would be wise to get a move on. Using the wisdom of eenie meenie miny mo Shock chose the hall on his left.

The walls of the hallway seemed to be old and made from stone tiles while the ceiling was covered in acoustical ceiling tiles broken by the occasional florescent light. Even though the materials appeared well maintained and in functional order the lights seemed to be failing. They were flickering the way florescent lights do. With inconsistent dimming and making a buzzing noise.

The hallway was lined with doors that opened up into completely identical rooms. Not one room seemed to be different than the other. (Control C Control V, Myrvang aint lazy he’s just efficient.) Eventually Shock just stopped checking them and just walked on. The lights started to give out more often the further he walked. He didn’t know why but the thought of the lights going out completely scared him.

*Chink*

Shock stopped and looked around after he thought he heard an unusual sound. It sounded like somepony had hit a piece of metal against stone. After a while of hearing nothing but the shoddy lighting, Shock began to walk through the halls again. Soon he began to grow concerned with his choice of halls to walk down. No matter how many times he tried to back track, Shock could not find his way back to the waiting room and the lights were only getting worse.

*Chink*

There was that sound again. It was really beginning to worry him. He decided it would be best if he didn’t find out what was causing it and began to continue his walk. He only took one step before the lights failed completely. He stood frozen in place, waiting for his eyes to readjust to the dark only for it to get ruined as the lights decided they would fight for life yet. Every now and again they would flicker on and soon die out again. It was after a few minutes of this that the sound began to grow more consistent.

*Chink*
*Chink*

Shock stopped in place and focused his ears as the odd noise began to permeate around him.

*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*

“What was that?” He asked looking down the dark hallway straining his ears to make out the odd sound.

*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*

That time it came from behind him.

“Who’s there!” he shouted turning around only to see an empty hall.

Shock looked both ways down the hall seeing nothing when the lights would flicker on, but the sound still seemed present. He began to walk uncertainly keeping his ears open to see if the sound would change.

The sound seemed to follow him wherever he went.

He would take one step and then
*Chink*
*Chink*
He would take another and
*Chink*
*Chink*

But whenever he would look over his shoulder he would never be able to see anything.

With no better solution in mind, he began to move further into the hospital that was beginning to feel more and more like a labyrinth with its endless twists and turns. He tried his best to ignore the sounds of metal hitting stone.

He figured that he was being followed by... something. Every now and again the lights would flicker on and he would see something in the corner of his eye, but whenever he would turn to look at it whatever it was would skitter back into the shadows leaving the identity of his pursuers a mystery. Whatever they were, they almost moved around like spiders.

He heard and felt something hit the floor right behind him. He didn’t waste time turning around to look at what it was, he ran away as fast as he could. He ran straight down the hall until he saw light around a corner up ahead. When he turned the bend he saw that one of the fluorescent lights seemed to be functioning perfectly. He dived into the light hoping that it would provide safe haven. He laid there for a while with his eyes clenched shut, gasping for breath and trying to regain his bearings.

*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*

His eyes opened wide with the realization that they had caught up to him. He looked around trying to spot the things that had been chasing him but he seemed unable to see past the light. He began to gain hope that the creatures couldn’t enter the light, but that hope was dashed as he began to make out the form of a pony walking into the light in front of him.

But this wasn’t a pony at all.

Blood was pouring from the creature’s ears and nose. Beneath its dirty blood caked mane were its eyes, they were no longer the dead black pits he saw before but instead were now a milky white wrapped around a sharp gold glowing irises.

*rrriiiiiiiip*

Its face tour open to reveal two rows of razor sharp blood stained teeth. The creature seemed to be smiling with its gnarled mouth looking at him. It took a step out of the shadows revealing the rest of the beast. Its rear hooves were also coated in blood leaving bloody hoof prints wherever they stepped. Its forelegs however were horribly disfigured; they didn’t end in hooves at all. Where its forelegs would have bent at the carpus it looked like it had been sawed off by a jagged blade. Sticking out from the bleeding stump was a black steel serrated sword blade. The blade surprisingly seemed clean and brand new, like it had never been used before, but that didn’t make it look any less menacing. It took another step towards Shock, grinding its blades together producing sparks that shined a menacing flickering light onto itself.

*Shiiiing*

Shock stood there staring at the terrifying beast for a few seconds unable to move. It wasn't until two more identical monsters stepped out from the dark that he saw fit to turn tail and run.

He looked back over his shoulder to see if he was putting any distance between him and his pursuers and almost immediately wished he hadn’t. Not only were the damn things gaining on him they were not even running along the ground. The sound that they made wasn’t the hitting of metal against stone, it was these things digging there blades into the stone surface of the wall in some kind of some insectile crawl.

The rhythmic noise of their movement was not nearly as disturbing as the sounds they made. The ones that had already exposed their mouths seemed to be laughing in malevolent glee. As if the very act of chasing their prey brought ultimate joy to them.

“Heh heh *hack* heh *retch*”

The twisted retching laughter chased him through the half lit hallway. The laughter seemed to further the feeling of being overrun as if they were closing in on him from all sides. In a panic Shock busted into one of the hospital rooms hoping to lose them. He quickly turned around and closed the door before backing up a few steps. When he was sure nothing was going to come flying in after him he turned around and gasped at what he saw.
The room looked like any of the other hospital rooms he had looked into with one bare bed and a small empty bedside stand. The furnishings of the room were not what caught his attention it was what was in it, or who was in it. Myrvang stood in the room looking down at him wearing a manic grin on his face. He looked different than he did before. Standing out from his back two black draconic wings.

“Hello again.” Myrvang greeted.

Shock was speechless. He had no idea how to voice the thoughts that were currently swimming through his head.
Myvang moved his wings about drawing Shocks attention to them.

“You like them? Of course you do. However they're not quite done yet.”

The wings started to sag and visibly age. Soon bits of flesh became undone and fall off. A twisted rain of flesh began to fall at his sides. Soon the only thing that remained at his sides were two mirrored skeletal wings. Shock didn’t know why but the new wings scared him much more. (Shock didn’t know that Pegasi are naturally unsettled by the image and/or thought of ruined wings.)

Myrvang noticed his reaction and it only widened his grin.

“Heheheh... whats the matter Shock? You look like you’re having a bad time.”

Shock turned around and ran through the door and down the hall even faster than when he encountered the torn winged monsters.

*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*

Shock heard the telltale sound of the monsters as he ran down one hallway after another taking turns here and there trying to lose his pursuers. No matter how long and hard he ran he couldn’t seem to put any distance between himself and them. After a few minutes of frantic running he took a wrong turn. He ended up at a dead end. The only thing at the end of this hallway was a wooden door labeled ‘broom closet.’

*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*
*Chink*

He could hear them closing in, he only had one choice. Knowing that this could very well be the end of him Shock ran into the closet thanking the forces that be that it was unlocked. Unsurprisingly the closet was full of brooms, what was surprising was the size of the closet. You could easily fit ten ponies in the storage space.

“Heh heh *retch*” A voice sounded off from outside the door.

His eyes widened in terror as he remembered what was just outside. He backpedaled away from the door trying to distance himself from the danger. He pushed his back against the wall nearly crushing his wings with the pressure he exerted on them. He tried desperately to get further away from the door which now was roaring on its hinges with the multiple attempts to gain entry by the torn winged beasts. Their fierce roars where accented by the sound of their blades scraping against any surface they could find. The sound became so fierce that all he could make out was a loud ringing noise. Then suddenly without warning the blaring noise ended leaving a dull ring in Shocks ears. He stood against the wall for minutes just panting and letting his ears readjust to the silence. After fifteen minutes of silence Shock began to inch his way towards the door. Careful not to make any noise he put his ear against the door to make sure it was safe out there before leaving.

*BANG!*

Something large hit the door nearly blasting it off its hinges. The force of the hit on the door sent Shock sprawling onto the ground. He didn’t even get the chance to get back to his hooves before the door was forced open.

*BANG!*

With another mighty hit the door flew open hanging on one bent hinge. In the door didn’t stand one of the deformed pegisi that had been chasing him but Myrvang himself. He stepped into the closet with the trembling pegusus and looked down on him.

His mane began to rise into the air like a current was running through it, while his demonic eyes began to shine bright enough to bathe the entirety of the small closet in a green light. He lowered his head until he was face to face with Shock and spoke to him with a voice that was ripped from a child's most horrible nightmare.

“Are you afraid?”

“Y-yes!” Shock admitted trying to scoot away from the monster that had put him through the worst ordeal of his life.

Myrvang smiled at him as two black tendrils snaked out from his shadow binding Shock to the ground he sat on. “Good.”

He took a step closer as the black color began to fade from his coat and a blue tone began to take its place. His dark grey mane turned brown and the skeletal dragon wings began to recede into his back. The pony that stood in front of him could have been mistaken for an entirely different pony if it weren’t for one striking feature, the evil eyes that still held Shock down in fear.

Lance gave him a toothy smile “Now you are going to tell me everything I want to know.” He commanded.

With tears running down his cheeks, the broken and terrified pegusus nodded weakly.

Lance patted him on the head. “Good boy. Now, I’m looking for a little birdie.”

A teal pegusus walked into the Institute of Pony Advancement wearing a content smile.

“Hello Shock, how was lunch?”

As usual the receptionist greeted him like she did everyday not expecting him to acknowledge her. To her surprise he did. Lance smiled looking back towards the city thinking about the sobbing pegusus he left in the alley way.

“Oh, it was… delicious.”