~700 D.R.~
I felt it's presence again. The nightmare has shown itself again somewhere. Knowing this to be my only chance I got up and told the girls to stay home and continue their training on their own until I got back. The nightmare was close and I knew that if I let it get away from me now it would surely spell doom for some innocent creature.
I grabbed a cloak before heading out and made sure to pick up extra food supplies as I knew the nightmare will run as I chase it down. I launched into the bright sky and began to fly south in the direction of the now overgrown everfree forest where the feeling was strongest. I could tell it was moving and it was moving fast. It had a target and it would not let anything stop it now.
I landed in the plains in front of the forest to see the nightmare rush out of it. What didn't expect was for it to have taken the mortal shell of a faceless alicorn. For some reason it was wearing a suit and tie as though it was going to a formal party. It looked upon me with an empty face and I saw it face begin to rip open to reveal an evil grin spread across its face. It began to sway back as an odd music played out of nowhere and mist began to collect around us. Stretching it grin wide and open it began to...sing.
Slender Man, Slender Man,
All the children try to run.
Slender Man, Slender Man,
To him it's part of the fun.
Slender Man, Slender Man,
Dressed in darkest suit and tie.
Slender Man, Slender Man,
You most certainly will die.
Black ethereal arms formed from the black gaseous material around it. Without pause they came out and tried to grab at me while I ran trying to keep an eye on it and stay out of its grip.
Slender Man, Slender Man,
His branching arms are for collecting.
Slender Man, Slender Man,
His face is empty of expressing.
Slender Man, Slender Man,
He won't let you say goodbye.
Slender Man, Slender Man,
You most certainly will die.
Each time I looked to where the Nightmare was at it just kept backing up into the dense fog. Every now and than a hand would come out and hit me to the ground. Even if the dense fog stopped me from seeing it clearly I could tell from our past link I was definitely getting closer to it.
Slender Man, Slender Man,
Sometimes hums a lowly drone.
Slender Man, Slender Man,
He will wander 'round your home.
Slender Man, Slender Man,
Blends in well within the trees.
Slender Man, Slender Man,
In the fog he's hard to see.
I was surely getting closer to it. What I didn't know was that it was leading me into the forest. I found this out when I slammed into a tree running at full force. I looked around to find myself in the dark depths of the everfree forest with the mist dissipated. The Nightmare kept singing its song disappearing and reappearing everywhere I looked as though he was everywhere at once.
Having dealt with it enough I had vines grab at whatever was around me and surely enough one took hold of the nightmare. With it held to the ground I charged towards it and sent it flying into the sky with an uppercut. The nightmare did not take kindly to this and began launching darkness orbs in my direction I flew up to get out of its range and when I looked down to where the orbs did explode I saw that the ground was warped into liquified structures.
We charged at each other hooves flying trying to knock the other out. The nightmare made a low blow and hit me 'below the belt' made a quick chop to the back of the neck and sent me to the ground with a blast of darkness energy. I hit the ground but quickly shot back up to the sky leaving a crater in my landing spot. As a green aura began to surround me I charged head first into the nightmare stomach taking it breath away. before it could fly away I grabbed one of its hind legs and pulled it in allowing me to slam both hooves into its chest launching it into the plains and making a crater.
I flew down on top of it smashing all four hooves causing an even bigger crater but the nightmare would not give. With a roll it smacked me off with its wing jumped back lifting its head to the sky. When I got up it looked back down and yelled "DIE!" as beam of dark energy shot out towards me. I jumped out of the way with the beam grazing my side sending a pain akin to having lava poured over you travel through me. Where the beam did hit however did not get away as easily, the trees began to warp and twist and eventually disintegrated under the stress leaving a mile wide clearing of gray ash.
"WHY. WILL. YOU. NOT. DIE!?." Each word was punctuated with a blast of his beam leaving destruction in its wake. After the first shot I began having trouble dodging his attacks. I went in for a quick take down but as my hoof came towards the nightmare it blocked and moved my hoof out of the way and jabbed me in the stomach and backhands my head. as I fell head first for the ground I feel it grab my back leg as it swing me over head and and dive to the ground. In a earth shaking slam it threw me over head into the ground cracking it. "TAKE THIS!!!" it screamed before engulfing me in an extra strong beam blast.
It wasn't anything I could have imagined. Not only was I under the most amount of physical pain ever but I was also being spiritually tormented. The entirety of my past was played before me in the most twisted way possible. Creatures I've met throughout the years now warped machinations. My children Celestia and Luna beasts of hell out to kill me. I could feel my spirit itself begin to cry out in torment. I felt something inside me shatter and just as that thing went away so did the pain. As the pain stopped I stopped screaming which made the darkness go away.
The nightmare was not going to let the creator it hated so much get away after it tried to deter it for so long. It releshed it its pain, its scream of agony, its tears of sorrow. But when it stopped doing as such The nightmare became confused. The nightmare stopped attacking and looked at it's victim just lying there still and unmoving. 'Is it dead?' It thought to itself but dismissed the thought as it's victim slowly opened its eyes. The nightmare looked down at it's victim now with fear knowing it's own doom was upon him, for it's victim no longer had eyes but instead glowing orbs of white.
I looked up to the nightmare seeing it for what it truly was. In my vision was no longer the form of a black stallion. In front of me was a dark soul of pure evil intent. As I looked upon it I felt an anger welling up inside me that I felt only once before, but this time I knew what to use it for. I got back onto my hooves all of my wounds healing as a green aura took form around me. Quick as a flash I jabbed my hoof into the nightmare's chest sending him high into the sky. I flew up to meet it and began to send it flying back and forth with various punches and kicks.
As I began my counter assault on the nightmare a storm began to rage above. The nightmare thinking it might still have a chance started using all of it tricks. He managed to knock me back with a barrage of shadow balls and even constricted my wings for a second with ethereal chains. But nothing it did would slow me down. I would come in for a punch and disappear only to show back up behind it with a kick to the forehead. Once the nightmare's shell was thoroughly beaten I used my powers of wind to call down a final attack upon it.
As though a mighty dragon descended down it it a thousand talon-like bolts of lightning struck the nightmare disintegrating the stallion shell it took hold of. The spirit of the nightmare fell to the ground in a heap. As I landed I gave it no time to escape and imprisoned the nightmare in a cage of diamond and roots. I came upon the scene of the helpless nightmare trying to escape I could only give it a disgusted look.
"You are a being that has done naught but cause death and misery for those who have encountered you."
"You were the one who hath created me. So all of the fault falls onto you mother." the nightmare said in a raspy snake-like voice.
I could only look at it with hatred. "You are a foul demon spawn and shall never be allowed to call me mother."
I began upon creating a runed circle in the ground with the nightmare in the middle. The nightmare to all of it fruitless efforts tried to escape its prison leaving only small scratches and cracks on the surface. With the circle done I walked in front of the nightmare to begin. What I was about to do would leave me incredibly weak for years to come but would be the only way to make sure the nightmare never returned to being.
I summoned up all of my power and the circle began to glow. In a voice befitting only a god I recited "NIGHTMARE. FOUL BEING BEFITTING A PLACE ONLY SUCH OF THAT AS THE UNDERWORLD. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO EXIST INSIDE THIS PLANE OF EXISTENCE FROM THIS HERE FORTH. A GOD CREATED YOU AND BY THE GODS I SHALL BANISH YOU. SHOULD YOU EVER RETURN TO HERE IT SHALL BE BY THE GODS THEMSELVES AND KNOW YOUR PRESENCE SHALL BE NONE TOO LONG! with that said I tore off a part of my own soul and used it to banish the nightmare.
When the spell activated the air over top the nightmare began to warp. The cracks began to appear in the space as a tear in space-time was being created. Once the tear stretched over twice the size as the banishment circle it opened to reveal a flaming vortex with screaming souls inside. An old voice was heard inside laughing a demonic laugh as a giant eye filled the tear to look down upon its victim. A bony white arm covered in gray withered scraps of cloth reached through the tear to break the prison and snatch up the nightmare.
Now able to talk, before it was taken into hell the nightmare used its final trick and yelled "I WILL NOT BE DETERRED!" and it shot a lance of dark energy high into the sky as he was pulled in having the tear seal behind it. With the nightmare sealed away in the pits of hell the skies began to clear allowing the sun to shine through. I looked to see where that lance was heading and looked with fear to see it travelling towards discord's castle. To weak to fight anymore I could only helplessly watch as it struck down and have mighty beam of darkness shoot through the roof as a demonic version of discord's laugh echo throughout.
To weak to do anything I slowly made my way home with a dark cloud over head knowing that the nightmare had done something truly destructive.
A/N oh shit son! what could the nightmare have possibly done? btw we're not done with it just yet, i mean how else will it have infected luna later in history? Also feedback on how i did the fight scene again is welcome. me? i felt the banishment was the best part mostly because i felt a little creaped writing it.