//------------------------------// // Beware The Nightmare // Story: Waking Up in Black and White // by _Kenzu_ //------------------------------// CHP 12 Beware The Nightmare _________________________________ *drip...* My left ear twitched at the sound of water dripping from somewhere. ‘What was that?’ I thought to myself. *drip...* I grumbled and shifted underneath the warm bed sheets and I tried to get back to sleep. One thing was for sure about this hotel, they certainly knew how to make a comfortable bed.         *drip...* The same couldn't be said about leaking faucets. My ears kept twitching at each continuous drip of water. I put the pillow over my head in an effort to buffer out the noise, with little effect.                 *drip...* “Gah...” It was no use. It was like having a mosquito in the room. The sound was just everywhere. At first I wanted to say that it was just the sink, left on by Vinyl or whoever must have gotten up for a late night drink. ‘But....’  a single thought drifted into mind, ‘’now that I think about it, there’s no sinks or water in the room.’ *drip... drip...dripdripdripdripdripdripdripdrip...* As if on cue the soft dripping slowly turned into a soft pitter patter of sprinkling. Soon after that, it had become a full chorus of heavy rainfall. Something certainly didn't seem add up about any of this. I lifted my head and opened my eyes in an effort  to make out what was happening. At first, I expected I’d see a sleeping Vinyl Scratch beside me. To my surprise however, the DJ unicorn, along with rest of the hotel room, was nowhere to be found. ‘Oh...’  I sighed and shook my head as I realized, ‘Another dream...’ I thought to myself with disdain. After the last dream I had, I wasn't too excited about returning to here and facing her. My twin had started to become an unhappy thought in the back of my mind. Talking to her was making less sense with each passing meeting. I simply sat there for a moment, waiting for her to inevitably show herself, but strangely, it didn't happen. Growing impatient, I glanced around the bed as I tried to make out the surroundings of this new room. There was almost nothing to see beyond shadows and a few dark outlines of objects. A flash of lightning followed quickly by a low rumble of thunder revealed the rest of the room before me. I relaxed a bit as I made out the familiar surroundings of my Everfree hut. Here I was, safe and sound in my home again. The relief was short lived however as I noticed something, a lot of things, actually, were off.  What was left of the shambles of the room before me was a sad sight to see. Everything before me was wrecked and broken. It was as though some sort of Everfree monster had rampaged through the entire hut. Broken pieces of wood and furniture were everywhere shattered from what looked like a fit of rage. Entire shelves of gourds and potions were destroyed, their contents pooling across the floor, while the few masks I had brought along in my travels lay in broken heaps.  Another flash of lightning revealed the holes and tears in what was left of the bed I lay in. However the bed was the last thing on my mind as I climbed out of the tattered sheets.The cauldron had been turned over. The entire pot sat on its side, whatever contents that had once been in it were spread across the floor in a hazy green pool of liquid.   ‘What in the name of Equestria could have done all this?’ I thought to myself as I righted the old pot back onto its fire pit. Whatever it was, was now long gone, but that didn't explain where it had come from. Most creatures knew better than to come near with the poison joke garden so close by. At least, not without having to deal with its transformative effects for weeks if not longer. I turned to the door, or, to be more precise, what had been left of it. The wood was splintered and broken in two. Only pieces of it were left hanging to the hinges. Just like everything else, there was something strange about the door as well. The door had been broken- well, out, not in. Whatever had destroyed my home had been inside long before it begun its attack on my work. With nothing left of the door, I made my way back inside to see if there was anything to salvage from the mess. “Jace...” My ears perked up as I heard a deep, feminine voice call in the distance. I took a large gulp as I stopped to stare to the treeline through the shambles of the door. “Jace, what happened?” The voice didn't sound malicious, if anything it sounded concerned for somepony. That did little to help the unsettling feeling I had as I listened to it for a second time. I was almost certain I knew the voice, but the name it had said was strange. I didn't believe I ever knew a Jace. I peered into the rain and brush as I looked around for the source. “S-Show yourself, whoever’s out there” I called in fake confidence from the safety of the door frame. “You won’t sneak up on this mare.” No response. I took a single step through the broken door and into the Everfree. The moment my hoof hit the wet grass I immediately felt unwell about the whole ordeal. Dream or no dream, the Everfree was the Everfree I repeated to myself. There were many untold horrors that could make ponies see and hear things that were not there. The last thing I wanted to do was enter the foreboding forest alone, not even having my twin here to watch for me, but my curiosity, and perhaps stupidity, had won out this time. “N-nothing.” A small voice, a young colt by the sound of it, cut through the pitter patter of the rain in the same direction as the first. This voice seemed just as familiar to me as the last, and it was close. I looked around hoping to see somepony near. Instead, I saw an ominous glow coming through the brush. “Nothing happened.” the foal said, but the stutter in his voice hardly sounded convincing. “Jace, you know you shouldn’t lie.” The mare’s voice scolded. “You can tell me.” Her voice took a cool understanding tone. “I promise I won’t be mad at you.” “I know...” The colt’s voice whispered under his breath. The voices were so close now I could almost swear I could hear their breaths. “I brought my G-Game boy to school...” the colt’s voice trailed off. The poor thing sounded almost scared to death. Slowly I pulled the bushes and grass aside to sneak a glance at the ponies on the other side, only there were no ponies to be found. Instead, a simple flame floated lazily before me, at the base of one of the twisted old oaks of the forest. It was an odd sight watching it hang in the air and not attached to some sort of torch or fire. It was as if it had just suddenly burst into existence. It didn't do much however, only occasionally crackling and sparking. It was a strange little thing, looking like a willowisp from the stories the elders would speak of around a campfire to scare young fillies and colts to go to bed. “And I left it alone... but it was just only for a minute!” the colt’s voice assured. I tilted my head in confusion. The voice had come from... inside, the willowisp? I stepped closer to the little flame for a better look. It seemed that the floating fire was more than just a simple flame. I took a look into the fire as I stood in front of it, almost surprised at what I was looking at. Something, a shape, was moving inside the little willowisp. I cautiously moved a hoof to the flame, careful not to get too close to be burned. The moment that my hoof came near the flame, however, it suddenly burst into a ball of intense light. “Gah!?” I shouted in surprise as I closed my eyes from being blinded. Slowly I opened them again. The scene around me had changed once more. I seemed to be in my parents’ old home, back in that little village Pensacola. The place was unusual though. Nothing was clear or crisp, the edges to the walls and furniture almost seemed fuzzy, as if I was watching a recording from... what did the humans call them? A video cassette? There were soft patches of fuzz, almost like white noise from a television screen in places. ”But when I got back, it was gone.” The colt’s voice came from right beside me this time. He sounded on the verge of tears. As I glanced to look at him, but I didn't see the young pony that I had expected. Instead, there was a young human child there. He probably was just at the end of his foal hood, eight or nine if I had to guess. His clothes seemed a bit torn as if he had gotten in a small scuffle. The boy wiped his eyes that were streaming with tears as he continued. “I didn't know what happened, but later I found out that Sean, the big bully from down the hall got it, and he threw it out a window, and then he-” He stopped when a hand fell on his shoulder.         “Hey now, it’s O.k.” the mare, or really, human female’s voice cut him off. “It’s alright Jace, these things happen...” A lump formed in my throat as looked up to face the owner of the voice.         “Sis...” I managed to breath. I felt a lump form in my throat as I stared at the human girl. There was no doubt I knew the teenage girl that I was staring up at. My sister, a human perhaps, but I knew for a fact she was my sister. She was tall for her age, even taller than some of the men, but she never was arrogant about it. I looked straight into her eyes, her face was filled with the same pitying look she'd give me when I did something wrong, but her focus wasn't on me. She simply looked past me as if I wasn’t there, staring straight at the boy I was beside. I took a deep look back to the sniveling child beside me. I knew him as well, or at least I was pretty sure. This boy was her brother... but he wasn't mine. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew him, all too well. “But you know you shouldn’t bring things to school that you could lose” She said lightly scolding Jace. “Especially when you know that there are bullies that want to upset you.” “I-I’m sorry.” Jace whimpered.         ‘I’m sorry....’ Something inside me clicked with those words. I closed my eyes and shook my head as the memories started to pour in from that day.         I was young, still only a little filly at the time. The latest thing in all the stores was the Game boy color. With popular games like Pokemon in their heyday, anypony who was anypony had to have one. Unfortunately for myself, I had to wait, and continue waiting as I watched my friends each get one of their own.         That Christmas however, or was it Hearth's Warming Day, I got what I was all but dreaming of, my very own Game boy. As the first day of school from the holiday break came, I brought it with me in my naive thoughts that it would remain safe.         The schoolyard bullies had proved me wrong after they had thrown it out the school’s second floor window, and as far as I was concerned gone forever. I was so mad I had thrown myself at them in blind fury, only to have one of the teachers break it up and send a report back home.         “Hey, hey now it’s alright...” She cooed to calm Jace down “You just need to be more careful with your things. Come on, why don’t we get you cleaned up, then we can see what we can do about it.”         “O-okay.” Jace responded as he took her hand.         As I watched the two, the old living room around me began to fade. Just as the room began to disappear, trees and grass began to appear once more. I looked back to the two humans that were there only a moment ago, only to see them gone, vanishing with everything else as the Everfree forest came back into existence.         It didn't matter much to me. I could still remember what happened afterwards. Once mother and father had come home, they were not too happy with me, or, I guess, the young boy from the memory. They’d spent a lot of bits for me to be so careless with their gift, but my sister somehow made it right.         A week later, after my punishment of no TV for a week was over, there was a knock on my door. There, my sister was grinning at me, with a certain Game boy I thought was gone forever in hand. I never found out how she managed to find it, but at the time I didn’t care. I hugged her instantly.         A tear came down from my muzzle as I recalled the events. Just how could I have forgotten that day so easily?         “Come on Jace, I know you remember it.” My sister’s voice spoke again encouragingly, breaking me away from my self pity. I looked around, half expecting to see my sister standing nearby again. Instead was the glow of another blue light in the distance of the brush.         “It’s not that easy,” Jace’s voice countered. “I hardly remember anything useful about it as it is. You saw the grade I got on my last exam in my chemistry two class, I just barely passed.”         “What is this I spy?” I asked myself as I slowly trotted to the glow. “Another nearby?”         “Yes I saw it, and that’s why I’m here to help you now.” She assured.         Just as I had suspected, another willowisp was sitting beside a tree. It simply floated idly, as if daring me to touch it. I hesitated for a moment as I approached it, unsure of what to expect.         After another flash and another blinding light I found myself in an odd place. There were humans everywhere in some sort of large hall. I glanced around aimlessly as I took in the sights. Large signs over small shops serving food were everywhere. It almost reminded me of the market in Ponyville, but amazingly it was all inside this one giant room.         It almost seemed large enough to make even the palace in Canterlot or the Coliseum in Cloudsdale jealous. Pony engineering was not nearly to this scale.         Jace was here, but he was much older than before. He looked to be in his teenage years. However, I could still make out the distress that I saw in the young colt from before. Something had him riled up again.         “I just don't think I can do it,” Jace lamented as he put his head onto the table. “The exam is going to cover everything from the entire of the school year. We’ve only got two nights.”         “It’s not so bad Jace,” She spoke as she pulled the book before her. “We’ll just start over again with the basics. Now,” she began as she turned a couple of pages. “What are the six alkali metals?”         Jace simply sighed again as he pinched his eyebrow. “Lithium, Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium.....” he paused as he tried to think.         “Cesium and Francium.” I spoke unconsciously. Potions mostly relied on magic and the natural properties of plants and fauna, but sometimes certain ingredients called for less natural components. Any self respecting alchemist knew quite a bit of chemistry. Jace however seemed to have a difficult time as he sat there and stared blankly.         “And...?” she asked hinting. “Come on, starts with a C...”         “Chlorine....?” Jace asked hesitantly.         I facehoofed at the remark. Chlorine wasn’t even amongst the same grouping as the alkali metals. Nervermind that, it wasn't even considered a metalloid.         She simply laughed as she turned the book over to show him what page she was on. “You were close... sort of.” she giggled. “Alright, let’s start with the rest of the periodic table then.”         “Alright, let’s get started.” Jace began as he took a more confident sitting position. “Well, the first thing you will need to know completely is the periodic table,” She started as she pulled the book over to Jace, “There are eighteen different groups, but you’ll just need to know the transition metals and the eight basic groups, can you tell me what they are?” “The Alkali metals, Alkaline earth metals, triels, tetrels pnictogens, chalcogens....” Jace started tapping his hands against the table as he looked off into space, his expression deep in thought. “Halogens and noble gasses.” “Right! See, you know more than you think you do.” She spoke happily. I grinned as I watched the two talk more chemistry together, their voices becoming more distant as I noticed the large hall begin to become more crowded with trees and shrubbery. Soon I could barely make out the two as they sat there, the Everfree returning to my sight. The laughing and happy chatter faded to the silent rainfall once more.         The memory however stayed with me. It was back during my schooling years. I was a horrible student, probably one of the worst in chemistry. In hindsight it was a wonder that I was not kicked out like a few of the other foals earlier in the semester. By the end of the year I had been almost desperate.         There was a final exam coming soon, and I still struggled with the most basic of the chemical reactions and math involved. If I wasn't to do something soon I would almost certainly lose my place in the class.         Eventually I turned to the only mare that would bother to listen. My sister’s skill in chemistry was almost spectacular. It took a little begging and pleading, but eventually I finally managed to win her over as my personal tutor in exchange for lunch at the local food court.         Apparently it had done the trick. Two days later I manage to come home with a B on the final. My parents were pleased for getting a good grade. I on the other hoof was happy to have passed if at all. However I knew if it hadn’t been for my sister, even hoping to pass would have been impossible.         There was one thought that nagged at me though. Before now I couldn't remember ever having difficulty in alchemy, it was after all, my special talent. So why did I remember needing so much help?         “Oh.... well if it isn't you again.” A voice, Jace’s, brought me back to the world around me. It was unlike the recorded voice from the willowisps however. It was more crisp and clear. “I’m surprised to see you back in my glen.” I began to look around for its source, but only found the trees and shrubs that surrounded me. “I thought you had left me here to rot, everything about me to be forgot...” the voice continued. I turned my head around as quick as I could, catching the sight of another willowisp in plain view. Somepony, or something, was sitting in front of it. Cautiously, I stepped closer to the creature. I couldn't initially make out much other than the obvious pony shape to it. “Why did you bother to return, to one you’ve shown so little concern?” Jace’s voice questioned.         I flinched slightly as the unknown pony asked that question. ‘Just what is that supposed to mean?’ I asked myself. “Who intrudes upon my dream?” I hesitantly asked as I moved closer to the figure. “Have you come to plot, to scheme?” As I drew closer the willowisp’s glow illuminated more of the before it. My eyes widened as I recognized him instantly.   “You’re... you’re... me?” I sputtered in surprise. I examined my twin from top to bottom. Indeed it was the sad zebra colt from the dream before. Yet, he looked nothing like me, or my other twin from dreams I had before. Other than the obvious fact of gender, he still sulked like a poor stray dog, while my other twin had always kept her chest high and a confident, understanding face. Still, as I looked into his eyes, there was something there. Some sort of spark that just reminded me of her, and myself. I shook my head out of the confusing conundrum. “Oh thank goodness you are still here.” I sighed in simple relief. “I thought I’d seen you disappear.” In the last dream I had seen him, the poor colt had seemingly vanished into the wind. For a good time I thought I would never see him again, but here he was, safe and sound. If he noticed my outburst he didn't react to it. Just as before, he acted as if I did not exist as I walked up to him. I watched him carefully as I made my way to his side. The colt acted very un pony like, just sitting there in a daze. It was almost as if he was a broken toy that someone had given up in trying to fix and left alone. He continued to stare into the willowisp, entranced by whatever it was showing him. The forest and everything else around him didn't matter at all to him.         “Its funny.” he spoke absently. However it was hard for me to be sure if he was speaking to me, or merely thinking out loud. “Back then there was no despair. Life was lived without a care.”         “What is it that you see? Could it be another memory?” I asked the young colt before staring at the willowisp myself.         He didn't respond as he kept staring. Instead, he brought his hoof into the flame as an intense light blinded me once more.         I opened my eyes immediately as I found myself sitting on a log, a fire crackling before me as I tried to regain my bearings. At first I was a bit confused. There was sand everywhere here, almost like a desert, but the crashing of a wave, and the chirping of a gull somewhere in the distance threw that idea out the window.         I looked out to the white sandy beach beyond me.  The sand itself didn't seem like normal sand, instead looking like powdered sugar. It was familiar to me though, as if sand was supposed to look like that.                  “Don't let them get too close.” My dad’s voice rung out. I looked to the campfire once more, noticing the familiar faces of the humans around me. My sister, mother, father- it was my family. My mouth went dry as I stared at each of them. It was a strange sensation, having a human family as I clearly wasn't human. Yet, against all logic, it made complete sense to me. “Yeah, I know.” A colt’s voice spoke from beside me. I didn't even have to glance to my right to know who it had been. I looked up, and locked my eyes with an older Jace. He certainly was not a young colt anymore. He seemed to be in his late teenage years, clearly on his way to becoming a fine stallion. “Hey, I like my marshmallows a bit extra crispy as well.” My sister jeered to dad. “Ok, ok.” Dad chuckled as he through another scrap of wood onto the fire. “You know you two are just insufferable when you're together.” My mom laughed as she saw the annoyed face that formed on Jace’s face. I grinned slightly as I watched. The memories were already coming back to me on this. it was the final graduation year for my sister. After this she would be off to some kind of school in Canterlot. I put my head down as I remembered that moment. We were so close to each other, but with her leaving, I knew I wouldn't be able to see her for at least another four or five years.         “Things were just right then.” another voice spoke up, Jace’s, caught me off guard. “To bad they had to end.” The human Jace sat there, just enjoying his marshmallows with my, his, family.         I looked back to my left, where the zebra only glared at Jace, his eyes fixed on every move. “Things were so easy during those days.” he continued. “My sister helped in so many ways.” I looked back to the siblings at the campfire. The pair looked like they were close as they joked and teased one another in these scenes. They were certainly as close as I was with her, yet I still didn't remember this Jace. They certainly were close, just like I had been. “But...” the young colt trailed off. The beach slowly began to shift suddenly. Before I knew it, I was somewhere else, in the old home once again. “How many times do we have to tell you!” I looked to my left, suddenly seeing my mother there. I took a step back defensively. She was staring at me with the same fury I had witnessed from her only a couple days ago. “You need to drop these games and hit the books if you want to get anywhere!” I flinched as she lashed those words at me. “The happiness of life began to end,” the colt spoke in a somber tone, “as fear and worry began to transcend.” “I know!” Jace’s voice roared back. I quickly looked behind me to see Jace standing there. The now young man looked almost as furious as my mother. It was only then though that I realized what had been happening. “You don't need to yell at me about it!”         “As long as you live in THIS house, I’ll speak to you however I WANT!” My mother lashed out.         The memory started coming back to me, but the moment it did I wanted to immediately forget it. I was in a fight with her again, my mother. The old mare was furious at me for changing my major in school.         “The joys in life began to decay,” the colt continued, his expressionless face was unmoved by the dramatic scene. “After sis had up and moved away.”         The scene changed again. I was in my room this time, unsurprised to see Jace sitting next to me as he typed away on the computer about something or other. It didn't last long before I heard familiar, loud footsteps marching towards the door. I cringed as I watched the door slam open.         “You're on that damn computer again!?” Dad’s voice bellowed. I looked up to the door and whimpered in fear. It was one of the worst sights I knew.         This was one of the worst memories I remembered, but oh how much I didn't want to. My father had found out why my sister had left to such a far away college. It wasn't because of the curriculum, nor the careers they offered. It was merely to get away from two overbearing parents.         I only got to read the message that was sent through the mail some time later, but I knew my father didn't take it well. My parents had gotten into a fight, and after dad had left in a rage he had gone to the local bar for a drink. Now that he had returned he was looking for a fight, any fight, and I was unfortunate enough to be in his way.         “Yeah.” Jace spoke softly, not bothering to look away from the computer.         I glanced at Jace while I cowered behind his leg under the desk seat. Outwardly he didn't seem fazed at all by the vicious words, but any confidence he appeared to have was wiped away when I noticed his pale face. The poor guy was too worried to even look back to face his father.         “Why don’t you go out there and get a life!” Dad slurred as he sauntered into the room. “You aren't going to win anything by sitting in front of that damned computer and talking with other nobodies!”         My ears instinctually flattened against his yelling. I crept back to the wall as I watched what I knew was coming.         Jace’s voice was quick to snap back “You never worried about Jessica’s computer habits!”         Dad walked up to him, looming over Jace in his chair. “That’s because Jessica managed to at least do something with her life!” he snarled.         Jace glanced up to him, as if debating something he was about to say. “That’s more than you ever did...” he grumbled to himself. I closed my eyes tight as I knew what was about to happen.         *WHAM*                 The sound of bone hitting bone and wood echoed throughout the room. This was a night that I had learned never to cross my dad again. In the stallion’s drunken rage I had gotten beaten because of my mouth. He didn’t stop till I started whimpering in pain.         I shut my eyes and put my hooves over my ears. That was more than enough. I didn't want to listen to any of these memories anymore. I didn't want to remember anything else, all I wanted to do now was forget. Try and forget all the bad things that had just happened.         “Please, please make this all cease!” I cried out. “I want to be at peace!” As if to answer my plea, the room began to give way to forest once more. It didn’t help much though as I frantically looked around for some sort of safe haven.         My breathing became labored as I tried to look for a way to escape. Spotting the path, I turned to run back to the safe haven of my hut.         “Hold it!” Jace’s voice growled at me as the zebra colt jumped in front of me. I quickly found myself tripping over my own hooves as I screeched to a halt in front of him in surprise. His expression had changed from the once sad colt to sporting a angry snarl as I saw the daggers in his eyes.          “For you there is no reprieve.” He hissed as he approached me, pressing his hoof against my chest, “I didn't say you could leave.” Immediately my chest exploded in pain as I doubled over from the shock. My eyes I widened in a mix of shock and horror as I noticed something strange happening to my flank. Slowly, my cutie mark began to fade away before my eyes, but that was not the only thing. The stripes on my back began to fade as well. “As I thought. Such a simple task, to slide of your mask.” Jace said. I watched in horror as different stripes began to take their place,  forming into a strange cutie mark, one I had seen before- his cutie mark! I looked back to the colt as he started approaching me, seeing the same cutie mark that now adorned my flanks as well. He took another step towards me as I found myself taking a couple steps back in fear. What was going on here? Cutie Marks don't just change!         “J-Just how can this all be, what are you doing to me?” I shook my head frantically as I backed into a tree. The pain began to spread to my backside. Slowly, the strands of my tail began to shorten, becoming little more than a tuft of fur, just like the colt’s own tail.         The colt threw up his head as he laughed. It was a frightening thing, I felt my skin begin to crawl as he turned back to face me, his glare returning. It was strange however, there was water streaming from his eyes, he was crying? “Do you truly think you can just hide and pretend, that sending me away will give you a happy end? That with a simple wish you will erase the past?” the colt laughed. “You can not hope that such a life can just be recast.”                 I cowered as I felt my energy being drained from me, “But-” I rasped “These memories do not belong. They are so different, so wrong.” I brought my hooves back to my head as I felt the pain of the changes take hold again. Just what was going to happen this time? “They are so hard to restrain, and bring nothing but pain. You're doing this to me, that is what it must be.”         “Yes! You wanted to get rid of me with little care, forgetting everything, leaving nothing to spare?” he muttered as he stared daggers into my eyes. “Giving into this form without a fight, now I’m sure destroying the hut was right...”         “Y-You!?” My words stuck in my throat as I tried to stand again. The seriousness of what he was doing was clearer to me now more than ever. This colt had destroyed my home, and tried to feed me these false memories. He wasn't trying to hurt me, he was trying to turn me into himself! “You are the deadly savage that left my home so ravaged? I asked with new fear of the colt. It almost seemed impossible that he could have done so much destruction.         “That hut is only a sham, a fake!” the colt shouted as he stamped his hoof into my side, trying to pin me against the tree. “A reminder of the form I’ve been forced to take.”         “What is it about me that you berate?” I asked. “I’m a zebra... but that is not the focus of your hate.” Just what fueled Jace to hate me this badly? “You gave us up without so much as a fight,” he said, his voice shaking as he applied more pressure onto my side. “would rather pretend things are alright. You wish to send me away, not anymore I wish to stay!” He shouted, only inches away from my face. I stared into Jace’s eyes. There was fury in those deep emerald eyes of that poor colt, but there was also so much pain. For a moment, I could understand what he must have been going through. The fear of being alone, and not understanding what was happening to him, but the moment was short lived as I felt another surge of pain flow through me. I glanced down to my hooves. They felt as if they had caught fire as I watched them change in shocked horror. They started to become thicker as they grew, turning into those more akin to a stallion’s.         “No!” I screamed as I lashed out at Jace with all of my strength. The sudden effort must have surprised the colt as he suddenly fell onto his back. He didn't get another moment to get up before I pinned him down with my forelegs.         “Oof” he grunted as I kept my body on top of his. It didn't matter to me if he was in pain. “What are you doing?” He asked, his tone which was only a moment ago filled with rage was now filled with fear. I didn't care however.          “Fine, I cannot outrun my problems that may be true,” I whispered as I looked back to the colt. He tried futilely to wiggle out of my grasp. “But I can forget these memories along with you!”         As I made the statement I felt warmth flow throughout my body, but not the pain from before. I only took a moment to look myself over before a sigh of relief escaped my throat.         Slowly, the stripes on my back began to shift again, returning to a very familiar feminine pattern. The strange musical cutie mark that had adorned my flanks began to twist and turn, returning to a spiral sun.         I noticed Jace was watching me as well, but his expression was one of fear rather than relief. I smiled to him as my hooves began to shrink back down to their proper feminine proportions. But as my changes finished, I noticed I wasn't the only one who was undergoing a transformation.         At first I was not sure what to think of what I was watching, thinking it was some sort of trick of the rain. As I began to understand though, Jace’s musical cutie mark began to fade away, leaving only a blank white flank. In a flash his stripes joined it, leaving a white zebra staring up at me in terror. “What....” “Happened?” He asked as he stared at me in confusion, no, not confusion. It was fear. “What are you doing?”         “Gahhh!” he cried in pain as I directed my attention to the colt’s tail. I simply continued to watch as his tail began to fade next. Like his stripes, it merely turned to nothingness, leaving him with a tailless rump. “Please!, stop this! It hurts...” Jace whimpered.         I stared at him as he recoiled in agony as other pieces of his body began to fade, bit by bit. At first I was as confused as he was as to what was going on, until something inside me clicked.         ‘But that doesn't mean I can't forget them and you!’         I wanted this to happen to him, for him to stop. Not just stop with the memories though. I wanted him to stop bothering me, for him to go away, forever. I was getting exactly what I had wished for.         A smile formed on my muzzle as I stared at my work. “If it is your wish to leave my mind, to stay in the past, left behind?” I spoke with resolve. “That is certainly okay. The past is where you will stay.” I focused my attention onto the colt’s back. His mane quickly followed suit with his tail and stripes as it began to fade from existence. With each passing moment there was less of the zebra to see. “Aaagh!” the colt cried out in pain. “But.. why?” I shook my head as I stared at the rest of him.  “What is it that you Enquire? I’m giving you what you desire.” I spoke calmly. The rest of his body was fading away, soon the only thing that let me know he was still there was a single disembodied voice.         “Please, show restrain.” the voice pleaded to me desperately. “I’m in so much pain...” it whimpered.         “Why?” I asked with a chuckle that sounded a bit more menacing than I initially thought. “You wanted to stay here and live in the past? I’m only giving what you wished at long last.”         “Z-zec-ra...” the voice whimpered as it faded. "-lea-e ST-P!”                  _______________________________________________________________         I just about leaped out of the bed in a cold sweat. I quickly took stock of my surroundings. I was back in the hotel room.  Everything was alright. I was back in the safety of the hotel, snuggled happily with my friends here. “A nightmare....” I gasped as I looked around frantically “It’s alright Zecora, nothing to cause a scare. It was just a nightmare.” I reassured myself, tightly wrapping my forelegs around me. It offered me little comfort though. I couldn't believe what had happened. Before my eyes, I made that poor colt, Jace, disappear. I drew my forelegs close to myself as I replayed the images back through my head again. ‘No, I didn't just make him go away.’ I thought to myself in horror. ‘I killed him.’ A tear rolled down my muzzle at that thought as I whimpered to myself recalling the nightmare. I couldn't remember killing anything before. All life was sacred to me, even the creatures of the Everfree, but now I had killed, somepony, someone, I was sure I never actually knew. I had a horrible feeling in the back of my mind that I was missing something, a part of me I just couldn't feel any longer. It was as if a part of me I had known all my life had vanished. It was like going to sleep one night and waking up the next morning with your right hoof gone. But I still remembered those things from before, and in that dream. I had a sister, a family. The memories were still there, but the feeling I had for them, the love, felt like it had faded slightly. I wasn't sure whether I should have felt horrified or relieved at that thought. ‘BZZZT’ A spark of electricity caught my ear. Slowly I got out of bed, unsure of what to expect in the darkness. I glanced to my side where I had hoped to find a sleeping DJ, instead, all I found was ruffled sheets. “Vinyl...?” I asked hesitantly. “Is that you?” I wasn't sure what I wanted to really ask her, but with everything that was buzzing through my head, all I wanted was somepony to talk to. “What is that mare up to?” I asked myself as I looked around in the darkness. I looked across the room, making out the lumps of Redheart and Trixie still sleeping soundly. Still, no Vinyl though. ‘BZZZT’ Another spark brought my curiosity to whatever was happening around the corner. As quietly as I could I made my way off the bed and onto the floor and moved towards the sound around the corner.         “Vinyl?” I called as I turned the corner. Before me the white unicorn was working busily in the dark on, something. At first I wasn't sure what to make of it, it looked like one of the electrical devices I'd seen in the room but it was too dark to get a good look. “It’s so late, why are you awake?” I mumbled as I made my way to the white unicorn. She turned to look at me with a bit of surprise before it melted away into a familiar grin. Vinyl chuckled as she continued her work on strange device. “Well sleepy zebra, I’m crafting a portable Bass Cannon from that old clock radio that was on the night stand.” I furrowed my eye. Did she actually expect me to know what she meant? “A... Bass Cannon?” I asked. I know only a tiny fraction about music, but I certainly had never heard of anything like a “bass cannon’ before. Vinyl cocked her head to the side before she broke out into another silly grin. It was at least somewhat comforting to see that carefree face, even if I had almost no idea what she had been talking about. “It was an old trick of mine that I cooked up by accident back in my days as a freelance DJ. Back in Ponyville, I was trying to amplify my stereo system to create a light show to go with my concerts. They were supposed to make sound waves that move to the rhythm, but what came out was a blast that blew a hole in my wall.” ‘Wait, Ponyville?’  I thought to myself. ‘But that can't be correct.’ I stared at her blankly as I tried to process what she had just told me. It countered everything she had told us about herself at the diner that afternoon “But,” I began hesitantly. “What you are saying certainly can not be right... Red...” I caught myself before slipped up, saying the rest of the nurse’s name. “Your home was in Louisiana before tonight.” Vinyl paused for a moment as she shook her hoof at me nonchalantly. “Nah, dude. You’re not talking to Gage. He’s not here right now. You’re talking to DJ Pon-3 herself.”She raised a hoof to me for a bump. “Vinyl Scratch. Nice to meet ya’.” My mind blanked as I stared at the unicorn I only thought I knew just a moment ago. Gage was gone, just like that? The uneasy feeling came back over me like a waterfall as I sat there and stared at the DJ, the real one. “What do you mean he’s not here? Did...” my voice shook as I paused to consider my next words. “Did he just disappear?” I regretted the words as soon as I said them. ‘No, of course Vinyl Scratch wouldn't destroy a pony like Gage...’ I thought to myself in slight reassurance. ‘But, neither would I, and I did so easily.’       Vinyl just stared at me confused by the question before she finally found her voice again. “He’s not here, as in. Not taking part of this conversation. Don’t worry. He’ll be back in the morning.” She clarified carefully. I stared at her, unsure of what to think. If she was telling the truth, then there was nothing to worry about, but still... “This seems all too premature... but he is safe, you are sure?”  I asked hopefully, earning another playful wave of her hoof.       “Of course I’m sure.” Vinyl spoke confidently. “What? You thought he was vanishing or something?” she joked with a grin, but it slowly turned to a deadpanned stare as we just stared at each other.       There was an awkward moment of silence before I realized I should start speaking again. “I... didn't mean to make such a suggestion...” I trailed off as I tried to regain the conversation. “I suppose it was a silly question.” The DJ merely laughed as she turned back to her work I sighed in relief, convinced she had caught my half truth. I looked at her curiously as she continued on with the “bass cannon,” I think she called it? It was a wonder that she had managed to stay so calm about things going on. Did she even worry about where Gage had gone to?        My thoughts were once again quickly interrupted as she turned to me, forcing the strange device in my face. “Look!” she cheered in a whisper. “My creation is complete! Time to test this thing!”        “Eep!” I squeaked as she quickly grabbed my hoof and quite literally dragged me to the door. The DJ put her hoof to my mouth before she gestured to the two sleeping ponies in the bed only a couple feet away. I got the message as I stopped struggling from her grasp. Vinyl opened the door, hanging on every creek that it made as if it would wake Redheart and Trixie. The DJ hurriedly ushered me out the doorway and towards the hotel parking lot. After a short period of searching we stopped when we had found a open space without any cars close to us. “Check it out.” Vinyl spoke excitedly as she pulled out her cannon again.“If made right, this thing has enough power to blast any threat back at least thirty feet. It should knock the wind right out of them!” She spoke matter of factly as she shoved the device into my hooves. “Go on! Give it a try. Aim for the trees over there and press the button on top of the cannon.” I looked at the device with doubt. In the light I could see the thing more clearly. The so called “base cannon” was made out of what was once the desk alarm clock from the room. I stared at wires and speakers that were seemingly just barely holding it together in one piece after the DJ’s ‘modifications’ to it. There was just no way this thing could really be safe to just fire. “I don't know Vinyl. I don't have much faith, that this is very safe.” I looked over it once more, wondering what would even happen if it somehow managed to turn on. “All these wires are thrown to nether, it all just seem so thrown together.” “Don’t worry. It’ll work fine.” Vinyl scoffed at the doubt. “There’s nothing that can go wrong.” Even with her enthusiasm I didn't feel reassured. I looked at the bass cannon for a few seconds before I found a button on the underside of it. At first I was surprised I had even missed it. I stared at it for a couple of moments before I looked back to the DJ pony for reassurance. A mischievous grin formed on her face as she put her hoof over mine and shoved it onto the button. My senses were overtaken as a loud roar of sound and blue light erupted from the small device. I hit the ground immediately. Vinyl’s excited face was the last thing I saw before I closed my eyes, covered my ears, and hugged the pavement. For a moment I couldn't hear or see anything. Quickly my senses began to return. The first of was my hearing. There was a car alarm going off somewhere around us. “It works!” a muffled voice, who I could only assume was the DJ, cheered. As I opened my eyes the first thing I saw was Vinyl, looking exceptionally proud of something. Confused, I followed her eyes to whatever she was looking at. “Wow...” was all I could say as I took in the sight. The car alarm had gone off for good reason. The once priceless camaro at the end of the parking lot now had both of its windows blown out. “But... owe...” I rubbed my ears. They still hurt from all the noise. I turned back to Vinyl who was already beginning to pack up the mini cannon before she pulled my hoof again. “We need to hurry back inside,” she hissed, her once confident tone turned to desperation. She probably had just realized what we had done. “The cops are probably going to be here soon with that car alarm going off like that and I don’t want to spend a night in a jail cell!” Immediately I realized what she had implied as I looked back to the damaged sportscar. Not only had we just destroyed somepony’s car, the entire block had probably just come out to see what all the commotion was. No doubt the authorities would be just as curious, and certainly less sympathetic to two equines with a sound weapon. “No need to say those words twice, just once is enough to suffice.” I sputtered quickly. The hotel stairs began to echo with the loud clatter of our hooves as we bolted back to the room’s door. Thankfully .the unicorn hadn't forgotten her key as she magiced it into the slot, and just like that we were safe again locked away in the bedroom. I took a deep breath in relief from our almost idiotic antics. I looked back over to Vinyl as she began to giggle as if she had just been told some hilarious joke. At first I was confused. After if we had stayed out there for another couple minutes I was sure that we’d have one to many unwelcomed witnesses. It wasn't long before I found myself giggling as well though. What could I say, it was infectious. Sure we had almost gotten ourselves in danger, but here we were safe and sound, and laughing like it was nothing. Vinyl took a deep breath as she got off the door, and magiced my bag in front of her. She turned back to me with a wink as she opened the zipper and placed the cannon in. “Here, you keep it for now. Don’t tell the others about it just yet.” She said as she zipped up my bag. “Let’s keep the thing a secret between us until you need to use it.” I tilted my head at her for probably was my hundredth time tonight. This mare seemed to enjoy confusing me. “Alright...?” I spoke distantly as I bit my bottom lip. “But why would you give this to me to protect? Wouldn't Gage be a better choice to select?” The DJ put her hoof on my shoulder to stop me, “Because he isn’t ready yet.” She spoke solemnly, “He’s still a kid fresh out of school, so he’s the youngest out of the entire group. Minus only Snails, as Snips may be young now physically, but before that, he was an adult. I’m scared that he might be reckless with it, and bring more harm than good.” She turned away as she took off her glasses to take a look at me again. “He still has much to learn about responsibility... Something he can learn from you and Trixie. Only when I give you permission, then you can hand it over to him. Until then, make sure he doesn’t know of its existence.” I just stared at the party pony blankly before I glanced back to Trixie and Redheart’s bed. “Why not Trixie or even Redheart?” I asked. “They’ve both been trusting and rather smart... I don't believe-” She sighed and cut me off again by putting her hoof in my mouth. “Trixie...” she gestured  to the two sleeping forms in the other bed. “To tell you the truth, I don’t completely trust her yet. As for Redheart, she seems to have a problem with keeping secrets.” She turned back to me and gave me a hard look. It almost felt that she was staring through me instead of at me. “Since you’re hiding a bunch of stuff already, I know you can be the one to keep that hidden as well... Also, you were already awake.” “I, err... I don't know what you're trying to convey, I’ve had nothing I’ve tried to hide away.”  I was at a loss for words at her remark. I was hoping they wouldn't have noticed anything I told them, but the DJ seemed to know more than she cared to admit. I turned away as I spoke up again “But... if you want me to keep it secure... your secret I shall try to endure.” She seemed satisfied with that much as she backed away and gave me some space. The DJ pony hopped back onto our bed and gave me a smile. “Thanks.” She whispered cheerily, “Anyway, you should head back to bed, since from what I heard, a holiday is tomorrow... Well, today... You get my meaning.” I nodded my head dumbfoundedly as she turned back to the bed and covered herself in the covers. And just like a light, the DJ pony was out once more. It amazed me how Vinyl could just fall asleep like that. I watched her for a few moments longer before I turned to get on the other side of the bed. At first I tried my best not to wake the sleeping DJ, but after the third shake of the bed I was sure she must have been in a coma. There just didn't seem to be anything that would wake her. As I pulled the covers back over myself I tried my best to get some sleep. This time however, sleep didn't come easy for me. I found myself staring at the side of the pillow for almost an hour before I noticed I was still awake. Idly I looked over to the desk to check the time, only to be reminded that somepony beside me had destroyed the alarm clock. I sighed as I let my head fall on the pillow again. My mind began to wander again onto what had happened in that horrible nightmare. Had I really destroyed that colt? What was worse, I didn't feel the slightest bit of concern for it. I felt, happy even, to send him away.         I thought on as I turned to look at the sleeping unicorn beside me, still grinning without a care in the world. Then there was Vinyl, not Gage, THE Vinyl. I felt slightly unnerved about how passively she made it sound that Gage was no longer with her.         Had I done the same? Would that Jace colt ever come back? What if he doesn't? Would I even care if he was gone? The questions just seemed to suffocate me as I sat and stared into the shadows for what was probably hours until exhaustion finally won out. ‘What have I done?’