//------------------------------//
// The Black Moon 
// Story: Phases of Love 
// by AMinorDisChord 
//------------------------------//

(James Point of View)

Consumed in nothing but darkness, I reached my hand out blindly in the general direction of where I remember Nightmare was. I made contact with what felt like skin, and grasped and groped in order to get a grip. I was certain that what I held in my hands was a human body, more specifically Nightmare's, and I dragged it towards me. I wrapped my arms around a torso and embraced my friend as we were pulled in some direction.

A Dalek that saved, I rolled the idea around in my head. 'Exterminate no more'. What would give it that idea? And what did it call Nightmare and I again? The guardian and the tamer? Did Nightmare and I have something to do with it?

Or is this all just part of some cross between my dream and hers?

I felt Nightmare and I continued to fall through the void. It was strange; there was no true gravity, in the sense that there was a distinct lack of the overbearing drag of it. And yet, I was almost certain something was pulling the two of us towards some unknown direction. Blackness swirled in front of my eyes, the only colors I could see were the strange, inexistant dots of vibrant tintures which danced in my vision in low light.

Suddenly, there was ground underneath me. Light blared in my eyes, blinding me momentarily. A weight shifted in my arms, but only faintly so. I was on my feet, and carrying something, or more likely someone, bridal style. I could tell I wore shoes, socks, boxers, tshirt, and jeans; I could not discern their appearance.

When I could open my eyes, I saw that it was, indeed, Nightmare, that I was bearing. She wasn't conscious, which I found odd considering it was a dream. I was within a forest, which I would describe as tropical or jungle-like. There was no perceptible path around us, nor any signs of a stream or lake. Bird calls I had never heard before repeated throughout the wooded area. Bugs zipped around, but thankfully not anywhere near Nightmare or I.

I began to mumble aloud about my surroundings. "Hm, high precipitation levels, thick tree tops, possibly a rainforest. Popcorn cumulus clouds suggest this is true. Ooh, an Aracari toucan, meaning were likely in the Amazon. No signs of deforestation, so it's either wrong time or deep within. Actually, no signs of any human life; no clean cuts, footprints.  Where, where are we?"

"Are you so foolish to ask such an obvious answer?" a familiar female voice called out. "Why, it is only your worst nightmare!"

I turned to face a woman I had never seen before, but easily recognized as the spirit of nightmares. She maintained a hair a few shades darker than Nightmare, the side bangs curled in large loops. A dress which I assumed was made of smoke billowed around her, the dark clouds so thick that I could not see beyond them, likely a good thing. It reached the floor easily and covered up to where her arms and shoulders met. Her facial features were smooth, contrasting the very poisonous glare I was given. Her skin was the color of bronze, and her eyes resembled the bright purple flashes within certain lightning storms.

"Phobetor," I smiled as if seeing an old friend. "So nice to see you again."

She sneered like a overconfident bully. "I'm certain it is." A smile began to form on her lips. It wasn't the kind of smile that told you that she was feeling happy inside, that she was taking pleasure from your presence. No, it was more of the kind that told you to get the heck out of there before she attempted to molest you. I, being a huge idiot, did not take heed.

I bent my knees slowly, and set Nightmare on the ground as gently as I could. I then put myself in between the two girls, hoping that I didn't appear too pathetic.

"Where are we?" I repeated my question, this time with the intent of getting it answered.

"Did you not hear me the first time?" the spirit attempted to take a step forward, but fell on her face instantly. She yelped in surprise, her body splayed on the ground awkwardly. Smoke quickly covered her body from head to toe, and shaped into an uneven column. The smoke, of course, cleared to reveal a shaken Phobetor, whose cheeks were as red as magma. She grinned weakly, as if trying to save face. "As I said, this place is your worst nightmare."

"No, no, I heard you," I spoke drily. "I meant, where in my worst nightmares are we, because this certainly isn't one of them."

A blood-curdling cackle was released by the literal spawn of a Nightmare. "That may be. But if it is not already among your darkest of fears," she gave a pause for dramatics. "Then it soon will be!"

"That is so reassuring," I tried to force the sarcasm into my tone, but she failed to react. Apparently, this girl did not understand the existence of sarcasm, so it would only make sense that I would use it as much as possible. "I'll be honest: if this is supposed to be my worst nightmare, then you really know nothing about me."

"Oh, I think I do," she chuckled cockily. "But you will be the judge of that soon enough. You see, this is no ordinary forest. This is a place I personally call the 'Demented Haven,' and it happens to be one of my favorite parts of this realm of dreams."

I studied her for a bit. "While I admit that does sound like an awesome name, I still don't understand where it places us. And again, why am I here?"

Her eyes grew serious. "You should know better than to ask questions you do not want the answer to," she blinked, and her irises were replaced with that of a snake. "This is the place where your fears are realized. It is the place where your inner demons come to live, where they fester and grow before they use you to their own will. For the past few decades, your terror of who you might become, your anguish of what has happened, your hatred towards the evil you've seen in yourself and the world, have all been awaiting the day you would walk up to their doorstep, served on a silver platter."

She licked her lips in a disturbing manner, not that the situation could not be considered disturbing.

"Too bad my skin tone only works with bronze," I jeered. She stared blankly at me, which I ignored. "Tell me, what happened to Nightmare?"

"She is in her own nightmare right now," Phobetor announced with glee. Far too much glee for me to be comfortable.

I contemplated over what she said for a moment. Nightmare is, no offense intended, somewhat of a scared-y cat. Honestly, I think she could be frightened of her own shadow. That being mentioned, said shadow happens to be scaring the crap out of me, so I should probably change that metaphor.

I pondered what otherwise terrorized her. Abandonment, predators, betrayal.

Wait! 

Betrayal. But what kind? I mean, sure, she was horrified when she thought I was going to eat her. But, what I've seen her have a nightmare of, the only time I've seen her dream, wasn't because other ponies were traitors, it was-

No.

No, it can't be.

"What have you done?!" I roared. A bright gleam in Phobetor's eye flashed towards me.

"Oh, so you know where she is then, don't you?" she purred. "Too bad there isn't a thing in the world you can do to save her!" She gave a sick frown, pouting like a woman in an insane asylum might in order to mock the orderly.

"RELEASE HER IMMEDIATELY, FOUL DEMON!" I boomed. She only waggled her finger at me.

"Temper, temper," she patronized. "You are never going to keep your girlfriend with that kind of talk. Then again, even if you change your attitude, you won't get to see her!"

"Let. Her. Go!" I huffed. I drew my recorder from my pocket an brought it to my lips. "While I might regret it later, I will not restrain myself if I feel it necessary to use this."

She simply laughed at me.

"What are you going to do?" she asked as sinister giggles interrupted her speech. "Call a dog with that stick of a whistle?"

I blew a quick set of notes. A single fire ball shot out of it, hitting the tree only inches from Phobetor's face. She gazed at it with both shock and awe, before throwing her attention back to me. She stared surprised, and lightly hurt, at my expression.

"Test me again," I warned. "And the next shot won't intentionally miss. I suggest that you return Nightmare to her body immediately, or I will incinerate you in a furnace."

"While I am hurt that you would think to injure, me of all ponies, do you think that your petty demands will get you anywhere with me?" she asked rhetorically. I could only watch as she snapped her fingers, and my recorder turned to dust. I figured something like that would happen, but still, it bothered me. I was about to try a physical assault, but I held back.

Calm down, yelling isn't going to save her, I tried to reason with myself. You know that you never planned on hurting Phobetor anyways. You can save Nightmare, but you have to keep yourself under control. This is one time and place that you can't use violence. If you hurt Phobetor... Collateral damage... Nightmare.

If direct threats don't work with her, perhaps reasoning might.

"Alright, answer me this," I called out, knowing it would only hurt my heart further if I were to discuss Nightmare's condition. "You said you wanted me to be fed to the night terrors, yet you also want me for yourself. Why would you want me to go to them? Won't that just kill me?"

She cackled. "Do you honestly believe I am going to let some simple fears take your life? Oh no, my dear James, I am going to be the one that has that special pleasure. I simply want you them to, soften you up."

"That isn't at all gross," I gagged.

"Glad to hear you agree," she moaned. "But soon it won't matter. You will end up bowing to me, praising me, thanking me and honoring me in all of my glory, whether or not you comprehend the situation!"

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," I spoke slowly, almost hesitantly.

"And why, exactly, not, my dear James?" she reached a hand out, coming close to a tree, before slamming her palm into it, making the tree crumble. "What could you possibly do to escape this fate? You are nothing compared to me. I am a god. You are an insect that desires to be squashed. I am a queen. You are the child who watches helplessly as his parents burn in a flame that I ordered so that you would grow up helpless and homeless on the street, only for your life to be taken by my hand when all you've loved has been stolen. I am power, you are nothing. I am life, you don't even exist. I hold the universe, you are the speck of dust that no one even sees. What do you think you are beyond a useless urchin in the vast ocean?"

I found her speech to be mildly entertaining, if not outright insulting. It was pretty much the same thing any other tyrant would say.

I focused on my voice so that the projection would be on par with hers. "What I am is of little consequence. However, what you claim to have and what you have shown me vary greatly. I have only seen one thing, and it does not impress me."

"And what, might I ask, is it you see?" her tone was little more than a groan, any signs of joy or mercy lacking.

"Words," I announced calmly. " and I fear no words, Phobetor. Words are all I have heard and seen of you. I do not quiver in terror of voices, I do not run from thoughts. Your words are empty, your words are wasted, your words are nothing."

"I shattered your flute with a snap of my fingers," she argued. "Who is to say the same will not occur with the snap of your spine?"

"It is a recorder," I corrected. "And you have done nothing to me worth mentioning. It's almost disappointing, really."

"What are you saying, impudent whelp?" she growled, her eyebrows rising.

I strengthened the intensity of my gaze. "I'm saying, Phobetor, that you claim to be a great entity, a god. Now, whether or not that is true, you have done nothing with it worth honoring. Torturing souls? Attacking without cause, without means, without end? Thinking yourself so high and mighty that you feel you have the right to make living creatures your personal entertainment?"

"Hold your tongue, worm!" the dress around her began to grow in size, and her body rose off of the ground.

My onslaught continued anyway. "I have met gods before. I've stood my ground against the great Zeus. I fought along side Osiris and Pluto in the War of Lost Souls. I tricked Loki into his own trap. I have walked with Quetzalcoatl to the Astral Planes, traded blows with Susano."

"Does this lead to a point?" her teeth gleamed in the sunlight, sharp as swords.

I gave a deep sigh, the long speech taking a lot of breath. "The thing is, in knowing these gods, I have noticed that they do not think themselves mightier than men. They do not hold themselves above what they consider to be 'lesser creatures.' That very concept is vacant in many of their minds, and would get you destroyed on the spot by others."

"Then they waste their gifts," Phobetor glanced condescendingly at a bug on the tree. "They should be spending their time making use of their abilities! An insect which makes use of your home is at your mercy, and you choose whether to ignore it, or crush it!" She attempted to smash the bug with her finger, but I grabbed her hand. She glowered at me.

"They are busy doing what they swore to do one thousand years ago, still fighting for their beliefs," I retorted. "They are making use of their powers, defending what they believe in. They are out there, protecting the lives of millions, fighting for their subject's free will."

"And if they fail? If all of their warring is in vain, what then?" she snarled.

"Then they would be remembered fighting along side their kin, written in history as the fallen hero, the gods of virtue. However, you, you are no god, you are no hero. You think that, with more power, you deserve what you desire, that you have all of the right in the universe to take what isn't your own. That your strength justifies for you to get respect. The way I see it, respect isn't given for those with high power. It is given to those in high regard, who earned their place. You have done none of that!"

"I have every right to get your respect!" she screeched.

"You have no right to it. You are no god, you are no spirit. You are insignificant and the last soul any would deem worthy of power!" I hissed, turning my back on her. I bent down, and picked up Nightmare, and continued walking, Phobetor whining all of the way.

"I am a god! Do not ignore me! Without me, you are nothing! Do you understand? Nothing!"

I noticed that the sky was losing its light. I lifted my head to find the sky go into an eclipse. I averted my gaze quickly, not wanting to become blinded by the lunar-solar alignment. I picked up my pace, careful not to bounce too much for my friend's sake.

"DO YOU WANT THE GOD OF NIGHTMARES, JAMES WILLIAM KNIGHT?" a darker version of Phobetor's voice echoed through the woods. "I WILL GIVE YOU THE GODDESS OF NIGHTMARES. YOU WILL SOON KNOW ME AS YOUR ONE AND ONLY MASTER, YOUR QUEEN, YOUR EVERYTHING! YOU WILL BOW DOWN TO ME IF IT IS THE LAST THING YOU ARE CAPABLE OF DOING IN YOUR MISERABLE LIFE! YOU WILL BE MINE!!!"

"Drama queen," I muttered under my breath. I wove through the forest, able to avoid each foot trap and branch with relative ease. I remained oblivious to the lack of light from the sun, relying on my basic instincts to guide me through the woods. My heart was racing, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I was thankful for taking track and field in high school, and all of the running for my life spent with the Doctor.

By the end of the first hour, I was losing my fortitude. My pace rapidly slowed, keeping the reserved energy intact if I needed to escape quickly. My body was trembling, the trek taking its toll. My senses were on overload, searching for any signs of danger. I heard the snap of a branch to my left, and swiveled in place to be staring back at the eyes of a Worg. I backed up slowly, but the wolf followed me. It continued to strut towards me, before doing the one thing I was afraid it would do: it started to stand up.

Its body started to stand vertically, the lupine form becoming more humanoid. The claws extended even further, the body extending. I wasn't just facing a wolf. It was a Lychanthrope. To use a more colloquial term, I was standing face to face with a werewolf.

"Well, I'm screwed," I grumbled, fully aware of how much I feared these things. Werewolves were never my favorite mythic animals, and were definitely not one I'd want to meet in a dark forest. The problem I had with these things was the concept of losing control. To forget everything you loved and cared about and rampaging wildly. I hated that idea, knowing what blind rage could do.

It howled, a sound that made my heart want to grow legs and win a couple hundred marathons. The creature advanced, and I took off. I heard a predatory howl, and it knew I was being hunted. I ran blindly, aware of the encroaching predator behind me.

The trees whisked past me, the whistling of the wind a keen sound in the night. The cold air began to lash at my face, the weight of Nightmare in my arms baring me down. I could hear the grunts of the wolf not far behind, no other calls or cries wasted in the night. It was so close, I was confused as to why it didn't kill me outright.

It must be playing with its food, I rationalized. I'm a meal just giving it exercise. What other reason is there? Unless-

I had stopped thinking due to the fact that I heard no breathing behind me. I froze in my tracks, changing my direction in an instant, knowing what was to come if I kept moving forward. I heard it. The sound of a creature landing where I would have been if I kept moving in a straight line. The wolf had taken to the trees, then attempted to pounce on me.

Without Nightmare, it would have been easy for me to use the branches like a jungle gym, but there was no way I was going to abandon her. I just had to run until something came to mind. Then, a cabin came into view. I burst forth with all of my energy, swung the door, and locked it. I heard the slam of the wolf against the door. I laid Nightmare down on the sofa, and went to inspecting the cabin.

I searched the room for any dangers, failing to see anything abnormal for a hunter's cabin, aside from some strange plants strewn around the room. Nightmare was resting peacefully on the couch, her light snoring a strange occurrence in this otherwise horrifying experience.

I heard a moaning howl outside, confusing me greatly. The werewolf was renowned for having great endurance and strength, yet it couldn't pull apart a simple wood door? This question led me to study the room more closely.

I noticed the place was lined with a special plant. A long vine with purple flowers, around six petals, and a long petal on the top, extending vertically. Aconitum, or by an even luckier name, wolf's bane. I didn't have time to question its presence, I had very little time before the flower lost its effect. I scanned the room for anything useful, and found a bow and three dozen arrows on the wall, all of which with gleaming tips.

Whoever lived here knew about the werewolf, I reasoned. If I'm right, those tips are made of silver.

I grabbed the weapons, drew an arrow, and nocked it. I could shoot, even if I was out of practice. I made sure I was strong enough to draw the bow, which I thankfully was. I looked to the flowers on the wall, their wilting a sign that I was running out of time. I reached for the door, ready to make my final stand.

But I stopped.

I didn't know why I stopped, but I did. I just stopped and looked at what I was about to do. I felt the weight of the bow in my hand, the gentle breathing in Nightmare's rest. The quiver on my back. The cabin of no apparent owner, with obvious weapons that could kill the monster. It was too easy.

What if the werewolf wasn't the nightmare? I'm afraid of those things, sure. But, it seems too simple of a terror for me. No, it was something else.

Wait...

Weapons. Living thing. I had a loaded weapon and there was a living, breathing, thinking animal outside.

What was I about to do?

There are worse things than dying, I knew. If I went out there and survived with how I was thinking now, the blood of a living creature would be on my hands. Whether or not this was a dream, I would be willing to take a life over my own. Isn't that what Nightmare was so afraid of? Am I going to do one of the few things I swore I wouldn't do?

No.

I am no hunter, I thought to myself. I am no killer. I will not do this.

I have seen death. I have seen what it does to people, even those that justify it. I didn't want to live through that. But I didn't want to let myself and Nightmare die either.

Stuck between two worlds, I thought unpleasantly. Either lose your life and the lives of others, or lose yourself to grief and guilt.

I understood: this was my nightmare. I could deal with fear. I could handle the concept of death. Monsters, demons, heights, I could live with them. I could tolerate their existence. But this choice, deciding whether to live through hell or die, whether to take another life or my own, that is what would tear me down.

Am I afraid of the big bad wolf? Or am I afraid to become it? Either way, I would lose.

"No," I whispered. I released the door nob, and threw down the weapons. Phobetor's plan would not follow through, not if I had anything to say about it. I will not kill, and I will not let either Nightmare or I be killed.

The wolf would wait indefinitely. It was too obvious. It was simply there for me as a reason to panic. A reason for me to worry that I was being rushed, that I was doomed if I didn't choose right then. It was there so I would have to make a choice, whether to be slain by the monster, or become one.

It was brilliant, now that I look back on it. I don't fear creatures. I fear situations. I don't fear places. I fear the wrong choice. This was my hell, because I had a reason to stay alive. I wasn't alone; Nightmare was not going to last if I left her. Without her, I wouldn't feel trepidation about my own death.

It was a game of chess, and I was in check mate. I had no way to move. My weak points were wide open. I had no queen, no plan, and my opponent was sitting with a troll face. There was only one thing to do:

Knock the board over.

I went over to the kitchen, and began to wash the dishes. When that was done, I swept the floor. I did chores, anything to ignore the constant howling outside. By the time I was done, the cabin was in perfect shape. Not a speck of dust was anywhere to be found. In fact, if the situation were any less dire, it would be a great place for a camping trip.

I found that there was, indeed, food for me to eat, and I set about cooking, eating, and managing to get the comatose Nightmare to drink small amounts of water, somehow not making her choke in the process.

I got into one of the cabinets, and pulled out a deck of cards. I went about playing all variations of solitaire that I knew of. I forced myself to ignore the constant howling, the fact that it was still night time, the constant wilting of the monkshood's petals. Anything and everything except any changes in Nightmare's behavior were ignored. Sometimes, she would cry out, as if she was having a bad dream, to which I would hold her until it went away. Other times, she would shiver, to which I added the fallen blanket back onto her resting form.

Once, she muttered my name, as if she was calling to me. I thought she was waking up, but almost immediately her slow breathing continued.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" an impatient voice broke my focus. "Is that... Cards?" I looked over my shoulder to see Phobetor, her hands on her hips. Her gaze was sharp, although there were bags under her eyes, suggesting she has been waiting the entire time for me to react.

"Yep, although I'm planning on switching over to pyramid. Wanna join me?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Of course not you fool!" she roared, her face red as an apple. She threw a hand over her mouth, failing to stifle a monstrous yawn.

"Your loss," I shrugged, and went back to the game. Silence fell within the wood walls, although I could sense the piercing glare upon my back which Phobetor provided.

"Why aren't you panicking?" I turned my head to give her a fed up expression. She seemed about ready to explode, rage evident in her arched eyebrows and dilated eyes. "There is a monster at your doorstep, you have no chance of escape!"

"Uh huh," I groaned disinterestedly. I returned to my game.

"But wait!" she announced excitedly. "You have a bow and... Are these silver tipped arrows?" she gasped like it was a fifty percent off sale. Her irises were contracted, her smile just as much of a cringe. Her left brow was twitching in a weird way, although I can't see how it wouldn't be weird.

"Dunno," I mumbled almost incoherently. "Wasn't paying attention."

"... Seriously?" any mirth was vacant in her tone. "You didn't. Even. Check? What kind of idiot are you? There is a werewolf outside and you're here playing poker!"

"Solitaire," I corrected.

"I don't care!" she screamed lividly. "Why aren't you worried right now? Your girlfriend-"

"She isn't my girlfriend," I interrupted. She gave me a do-not-piss-me-off-any-further-than-you-have-right-now look.

"As far as you know, she is effectively dead! A monster is planning on eating you! What are you waiting for?" she had tears in her eyes at this point.

"Quiet down," I hushed her. "You might wake up the dead."

"Be silent you worthless little rat!" she boomed. "Now stop wasting my time and tell me what in the name of hell are you waiting for!"

"You," I answered calmly. I set down my cards, swiveling in my spot to face her.

"W-what?" she stuttered. Her face was flushed, her eyes now filled with fear instead of aggravation.

"I've been waiting for you," I repeated. "So that I could tell you something of the upmost importance."

"A-and what-t would th- that be?" she began to shiver, frightened as could be. I couldn't blame her. All of a sudden, she lost all of her power over me, because she believed she had suddenly been defeated. She thought I was so certain of my plan, she had nothing.

I got up, and took a single step towards her. She moved backward. I stepped again, and she backed up. We continued this until her back was to the wall, where I now stood no more than a centimeter from her.

"I am gonna tell you something," I never let my eyes escape hers. She continued to stare at me in terror. "Something that you made me realize a long time ago, and now I understand it."

"N-no, please!" she cried out.

"I'm gonna say something," I promised to her, my head only an inch from her own. "Your only strength, the only thing you truly have any worth in. Why you are no god. Why you think that you have any control over me."

"Don't hurt me, please!" she was starting to sniffle. There was no way this chick was a nightmare spirit.

"I'm gonna say something," I repeated one last time. "Something that makes a person stay up at night, what truly causes nightmares. What created you. What empowered you. And what will now end you."

She turned her head to the side, her eyes squinted shut. The whole wall was trembling along with her.

"No, no, no, no, no," she muttered defiantly, but miserably. I put my lips to her ear.

"Do you believe?" I whispered. She only whimpered. "Do you believe in anything? Do you believe in good? In others? In yourself?"

"N-n-no," she cried.

"Do you believe in second chances?" I continued. "In justice? In life and love? Do you believe you deserve a chance?"

"No, please! Phobetor got onto her knees, and began bowing to me. "Please have mercy! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"Do you believe you have the right to get mercy?" I growled.

She only shook her head in response, the wood of the floor becoming visibly damp where her eyes were.

"Well, too bad," I groaned. I knelt beside her. I grabbed her shoulders gently, forcing her to look into my eyes. She kept letting her sight stray from my own, so I gently guided her face with my hand.

"I forgive you, Nightmare Moon."

"James..." Phobetor's body dissolved in my arms, and Nightmare began to stir.

I rushed to her side, holding her hand as she came to. I brushed a small amount of hair off of her face.

"Ugh, did I fall asleep?" Nightmare asked in her daze.

I smiled lightly at her. "For a little while," came my gentle reply. Her eyes snapped open, her head swiveling towards me in the blink of an eye.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Nightmare practically jumped into my arms, crying her eyes out. I wrapped my arms around her back, and gently patted her.

"Sh, it's okay, I'm right here," I tried to slow her tears. "It's all over, nobody is hurt."

"Please don't let me go! I can't- I can't," she choked on a sob.

"I won't," I felt my life slip into its familiar pattern. "I won't. I'm still here. I've got you."

She clawed at my shirt, as if trying to get a better grip. My clothes were now soaked with her tears.

"Oh, isn't that just adorable?" Phobetor's voice resounded in the room. "I don't see what you have against dating each other; you would make the perfect couple. Although, seeing as how you won't live long enough to be together for very long, I can understand your hesitance."

The spirit in her horse version appeared beside us, a heartless grin upon her.

"But, just this once, I will be merciful. I grant you both permission and time to, what is it the kids say these days? Go out with each other. It will make it that much sweeter when I separate the two of you. Permanently."

"You will never have the chance," Nightmare let go of me, and glared daggers at the pony. "I thought I lost him once, but no more!"

The entire room shuddered, dust falling from the ceiling. She stood up from her spot on the couch and leapt in front of the equine.

"You claim you are the spirit of nightmares," Nightmare continued, her hands curling into fists. "Well guess what, little missy: I am the original nightmare!"

The room shook once more, some of the wood in the cabin splintering.

"I am the one that ponies stay up in fear at night! I am the one that brought the Tantibii from this realm into reality! I am the Bringer of Darkness. The Mare of Tartarus! The Nightshade and the Hell Spawn!"

The walls broke open, revealing shards of white light from the outside.

"And now, I have a friend," her voice quieted to a deadly whisper. "I have someone that has looked after me, kept me alive, became my savior, warrior and guardian as, and of, the night."

The ground quaked, a gas lamp in the center of the home dimmed.

"And you thought," she spoke slowly. "That you could just take him away from me?"

The cabin was silent.

"Did you honestly believe, that you would be able to steal him from me?" Her voice gained an edge. "Did you imagine, in that tiny little head of yours, that he would just as easily be yours with a snap of your fingers? Did you trust that your power is greater, that your will is stronger, that your desire somehow miraculously surpasses mine?"

Again, silence.

"He will never, and I mean never," Nightmare continued. "Be your Own. He is my friend, my world, the one thing that I still find worth in this miserable little universe, and I WILL NOT LET YOU TAKE HIM FROM ME!!! YOU WILL NEVER HAVE THE CHANCE TO LOOK UPON HIM ONCE MORE!!! YOU MAY CLAIM THAT HE WILL BE YOURS, BUT HE WILL ALWAYS BE MINE!!! I WILL NEVER LET YOU TAKE HIM AWAY FROM ME EVER AGAIN!!!"

Her eyes glowed bright white, her body lifting off of the floor. The house tore apart, forcing Phobetor to fall into the white void. 

Everything stopped freaking out as quickly as my mind could process. The openings to whatever hell Phobetor fell into sealed shut. The room was no less in utter chaos, all items not bolted down in disarray, the stationary objects damaged if not destroyed.

"I am so over this dream!" Nightmare announced tiredly. "Can we go now?"

"If you like," I shrugged, wanting just as badly to get out of there as she did. "Remind me to never piss you off."

She turned around to face me, her eyes gleaming. "Good idea," she remarks with a confident aura. All of a sudden though, that spark was lost, and a wave of exhaustion appeared to pass over her. I rushed over to her, barely able to catch her as she collapsed. Her breathing was heavy, as if she had run a mile.

"Nightmare?" I asked hesitantly. She shifted her head slightly, a weak, albeit contented smile adorned her face.

"I'm okay," she muttered, before passing out in my arms. I stood there, dumbfounded, my kinda- sorta- girlfriend/roommate snoring lightly.

"How do we get out of here?" I wondered aloud.

I began to hear a familiar buzzing, and prayed that it was our salvation. Everything faded into white light, as I awaited for what was to come, be it reality or another one of Phobetor's games.