//------------------------------// // Heroes Exist Within Us All... // Story: A Nightmare in Equestria // by Imperium Bedlam //------------------------------// ”Right then,” I cracked my knuckles loudly before heading back into my shack, ”It’s time to get to work.” I headed back inside my hut as the worm settled in the distance behind me, apparently content with its new location. That buggy bastard should’ve told me that his token created a permanent gateway the size of a fucking house, and then I could have planned for it or something. Oh well, no use dwelling on it now. I pet Kronk on the head as I passed him, he growled and moved away but I just forcefully grabbed him. Pets are supposed to comfort people right? Useless mutt. I just sighed and kept petting him for a while before turning my attention to the sun setting on the horizon. I guess I came back too early, the me from around now could be anywhere, I really have to get this time thing sorted. I gave Kronk another pat on the head, a lot gentler than before, before making my way downstairs. I barely acknowledged the green flash of light I saw as I walked downstairs, making my way over to my wood pile. For some reason I felt especially lazy today, so rather than carve the wood into a suitable shape I just sat down and scraped one claw on the other over it, creating a spark that quickly set the wood alight. I calmly watched as the fire ate at the wood, my eyes trained onto each tongue of flame that came off the pile. I calmly let out a breath and decided it would be easier to focus if I used my hands somewhat so I raised them and started directing the flames over the wood. It could almost be seen as beautiful if it weren’t for such a stupid purpose. After a couple of hours of work I’d finally finished making the pieces I needed. I was already on the move before I even realized it, placing each piece where it belonged in a much larger piece of wood. I sorely wish I could’ve used metal, but this was far easier and more efficient anyhow. I stood up to my full height as I looked down at my creation, wiping a bead of sweat from my face before taking my hat off and placing it on a work bench, the strand I’d taken from the bug writhed around inside but it had no real method of movement. ”Such a grumpy bug he was, I honestly wish Daka luck in dealing with that one.” I carefully picked the strand up between two gloved fingers as it struggled to get out of my grasp. After a bit of examination I nodded and placed it back down before picking up what was left of a chunk of wood. ”I really need to find something else to carve.” I grumbled. I began sculpting the chunk of wood while keeping a close eye on the strand. It had given up its previous idea of crawling away and looked like it was actually planning a method of escape. I know that some people are swayed by chest feelings and shit but to say that Prime was guided by it probably wouldn’t be too incomprehensible of an assumption. My eyes briefly trailed over to the wooden ponyquin standing next to the wall. Creating life is something I had never even thought about until I’d taken so much away, but now I guess I was getting a bit lonely. Yes, I know I had Mary but she was trapped in the mirrors and probably wouldn’t even be able to hold a decent conversation. I sighed once more as I held the wooden heart in one hand and grabbed at the soul-string-thing with the other. It really was such a shame I was going to give him to the ponies, I guess that’s just the cost of fun. I trailed the string over the heart, tying it around over and over until it had covered most of it. The damn thing was just so stretchy. I really had no idea if this would even work, but it couldn’t hurt to try. I moved next to the ponyquin as I tightened my grip around the heart, my palm heating up considerably while I concentrated on stopping the heart from catching fire. For such a tiny thing, it could sure scream, though I guess you couldn’t hear it unless you were in a quiet room and listening very carefully. I slowly lowered my hand to the back of the ponyquin, pushing my hand into it as a hole clearly melted away. When I was pretty sure it was mid-way into the barrel I let go and pulled out, making sure to cool the wood as quickly as I could. At first nothing happened, but sure enough I slowly saw the wood close over the hole at the rate of a tectonic plate, fucking slow. I growled a bit and stormed over to what was left of my wood, pretty much nothing. ”Oh well, I guess I’l make just one last thing and get some more wood later.” I threw the wood onto a workbench and got to work. The new pony I’d just made was the last thing on my mind as I worked. First and foremost I needed something to stop the newfound pain of flame-porting, hey, that isn’t a bad name for it actually. I’d gotten it when I gave my heart to the bug, so all I needed was a new one. I could vaguely remember what mine looked like so I set to work on copying it. ”WHY THE FUCK DID I GIVE THAT THING MY FUCKING HEART! THIS IS FUCKING RIDICULOUS! WHY THE FUCK DID I NOT THINK ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS TO THIS?!” Putting it mildly, I was frustrated. Making a heart was one thing, making it out of wood is an entirely different story. After a while of trial and error though I’d finally managed to get it to a point where it didn’t fall to pieces but could still pump blood somewhat. Fuck it wasn’t easy though. I don’t want to explain the process, because the science of it made no sense to me, but it involved a lot of rapid heating and cooling. I calmed down a bit before taking off my shirt, yep, there was now a scar running down my chest, joy. Hopefully though this would fix it. I held onto the heart and clenched my teeth before shoving it into the scar. ”FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!” It hurt a little. I twisted it around inside my stomach and only let go as I felt my chest heat up. I crossed my arms over the scar as the burning increased, and only kept getting hotter. I screamed and started slamming my head into the workbench; this was so much hotter than all the other fires! I kept bashing my head over and over until the burning finally peaked before cutting out completely. Grunting, I sat up straight and moved my arms from my chest to see the scar burning over itself. In my joy I’d barely noticed that my chest was glowing slightly which could only mean one thing, the heart was burning. ”FUCK!” I slammed a fist into the workbench and broke it a bit while my jaw reset itself from being slammed into the now broken workbench; I guess it was karma or something. The biggest downside to now having a slightly glowing weak spot was that I would have to keep getting it replaced now if I wanted to keep porting around. After a few minutes of cursing loudly and breaking my workbench into a new pile of wood I calmed down a little bit, then I heard a scream behind me. I slowly turned to glare at the ponyquin behind me, though it was hard to call it that now. It was still made of wood but had someone gained a black coloured coat with a red, wool-like mane. I kept looking over it as it composed itself, straightening up into a sitting position while its eyes followed something only it could see before I bonked it on the head. “Ow” Woo, this one’s got a tongue on ‘im ma’! Better get that bar o’ fat ready just in case! He looked up at me while managing to pull off the ‘I’m looking down on you’ look at the same time. Silence reigned supreme for a while before I rolled my eyes and bonked him on the head again. ”My name is Johnny, your name is Prime, I made you out of wood so try to avoid fires and remember that I could kill you at any time, now go have fun with the ponies!” I didn’t let him get a word in as he opened his mouth to speak, only to scream when I flame-ported him into the castle of the Purple Pony Princess of Pals. Hopefully, that would be a good surprise for her when she finished the game. If you honestly couldn’t guess she was at the tea party then shame on you, who else would make a perfect Tweedle-dum? Though I guess it’s more Twili-dum. Twilights Kingdom, Twili-dom, Twili-dum, get it? Me neither. I have no idea where I got Twilights kingdom from. Moving onward, I stepped up to the fireplace while calmly calling down the Timberwolf tenant. ”Get down here Kronk!” I might’ve been a wolf-whisperer in a past life because he came down obediently with his head low to the ground. ”Well aren’t you just adorable, now then, onto business.” I struck a dramatic pose, one hand behind my back as the clawed one pointed to the roof. My hat flew over to land on my head as I announced ”Pull the lever Kronk!” I emphasized the pull a fair bit but shrugged I off as Kronk somehow managed to convey the stupidity of his situation with glowing, empty eye-sockets. He pulled down on a lever and I was about to smile for the first time that day before the ground opened beneath me. ”Wrong lever Kronk!” I don’t remember installing another lever though, or a trapdoor, so how this had happened was a complete mystery. I just shrugged as I fell and clicked my claws together, lighting myself on fire and dissipating away into blue embers just as the ground came up to meet me. Kronk for his part just shook his head and made his way back upstairs, wondering whether or not the free accommodation, meals and protection were worth the harassment Canterlot, eastern wing of the castle. Blueblood. One of the most disliked, yet favored nobles in Equestria. His title as Prince as well as his connection to the royal sisters easily bumped him right towards the top of social hierarchy. Though no pony is without their faults. For every kind word he has said to one noble he says an entire paragraph about them behind their back, usually in the most unkind ways. He felt as if he couldn't help it however, his ranking among the elite aided to assure him that it was in his place to do so. He was raised more by those around him than his own parents. On one fateful- no. On one destined day, a crux in the turning point of Equestrian history, Blueblood met her. The night sky its usual dark purple as Blueblood strolled through the gardens. Over the years the life of a noble had grown weary, the constant bickering and distaste for anything deemed lower class driving him to isolate him further from the rest. For even if he had grown up around them, he never felt that he had truly fitted in. It was only natural of course, with his position he was practically isolated from having a deeper relationship with others. As the stars above twinkled and glimmered he was reminded of this. For he would not have realized what he'd truly become until Auntie Luna had told him directly. Auntie Luna, something he had never even considered. He thought he was close to Celestia, maybe even closer than Twilight Sparkle, and yet she had told no one of her long lost sister. ''Long lost had been the term that suited her most, as her memory of the days of old had shown him the errors of his own actions. She had pulled him apart from the other nobles during one evening and told him everything he'd both hoped and dreaded to hear. Apparently Celestia had told her just what he used to be like, a child with dreams of being a hero. It was the dream of most little colts at some point, but his dreams were encouraged by Celestia herself, even if they were beaten, broken, downtrodden, trampled, destroyed and utterly annihilated by the nobility, he still had hope. Luna had told him how the nobility of old had become as such not through birthright, but through achievements. All except those of Princess Platinum's lineage however,"as they had been spurred towards becoming some of the greatest scholars in history. They had written and collected every piece of Equestria's history, storing it all in the forbidden wing. I'm getting off track however. Blueblood dragged his thoughts back towards the night sky, of his Aunties, of the very state of Equestria. Had he truly even tried being a hero? Maybe he could be one, all he had to do was take a step towards change. These thoughts were quickly brushed aside however, his own negligence to change driving him back. How could he ever be a hero? He wasn't strong, he wasn't magically powerful and he wasn't very smart. He was certain that he would be doomed to die an unimportant noble, one the history books barely mention as they talk of the true heroes. Certainty is only a fleeting thought however. This realization had struck him the moment one of the stone pedestals had caught fire. Not the overpowering flame of an insatiable hunger, but a calm, golden flame that looked as though it needed to be there. He barely registered in a passing thought that the stone pedestal was the one on which the Nightmare had stood many moons ago, the plaque on the front seeming to melt and shift as the words had changed. The flame rose, a dress coming into existence in thin air, not one for ponies but one for a bipedal creature as his Aunt had taught him through countless visits to the Minotaur homelands. The dress seemed almost on fire itself, a small voice reminding him how it seemed just like the glow of his Aunties magic on the Summer Sun Celebration. Soon the dress'wearer came into view, frail arms almost as pale as bread, stretching behind the air above while a ghostly yawn ran through the air. Blueblood stood there dumbstruck as the figures head became visible, a white mask with a smile carved into it present on her face that left her golden eyes visible, her hair almost the same as her eyes but maintaining the fiery appearance of her dress. Howdy! Blueblood sputtered and fell over in shock as the creature had somehow appeared beside him, falling flat on his back as he stared up at what he'd figured was a she. The mysterious woman tilted her head slightly, the mask looking as if to frown while she slowly reached out a hand and placed it on his head. Initially he had flinched, but within seconds he had calmed down as she petted him, still shocked silent from what'd happened but slowly coming to his senses. He'd knocked her hoof away as swoon as he realized what was happening, a faint blush on his cheeks as he stared up at her, regaining the posture of the high and mighty. "How dare you touch me with your filthy appendages, state your business or I shall call the guards immediately!" His posture failed slightly as he was caught in those eyes of hers. She giggled slightly as her mask seemed to return to the smile he'd seen earlier. With almost no hesitation she reached out to him again, and he felt reluctant to pull back yet did so. He was unable to avoid her as she seemed to flash and appear in front of him, staring into his eyes while she cupped his head. ""Aww, poor little Blueblood, so unsure of yourself. She moved closer, her eyes only an inch or two away as her voice rang through his head, a quiet whisper in his ears becoming the words he thought over countless times in an instant; "Do you want to be a hero?" The words on the plaque now replaced by a single letter: A