//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: A darkness inside // Story: Melody of Nightmares // by NightStream //------------------------------// Then the howls of Timber wolves were heard and Nightmare stood up as her cutie mark started to glow a deep red. Then she started to laugh. “So more of you have come to play then, don’t keep me waiting.” She turned around as her body became solid black. “Nightmare?” Melody asked as she looked on at her friend. “Stay by Nightstream, I have some business to take care of.” Nightmare then walked towards the Timber wolves, but as she was getting closer towards them they started to fall back and cower before her. She cocked her head to the side “What is wrong, I am not good enough to play with you?” She then lit her horn and trapped each one in a ring of black fire, one tried to escape from it but was turned to ash as soon as it touched the fire. “Oh I wouldn’t try escaping now, that would ruin my fun.” She started to smile maliciously. “Nightmare what are you doing?!” Melody shouted at Nightmare, but Nightmare didn’t even look back at her. Nightmare then got to the first Timber wolf that was trapped. It was whimpering heavily as she came right in front of it. “Shh, don’t worry it will be over soon.” She still had the smile on her face “So that is what you fear is it? Time for it to break you” then she had the used her magic to make a second ring of fire cover its head and it started to back away from her as its eyes grew wide and suddenly its head exploded and Nightmare laughed evilly. Melody watched in horror as her kind and gentle friend became so cruel and heartless. She cradled Nightstreams head close “Please wake up, Nightmare is becoming the opposite of what I knew. NIGHTSTREAM PLEASE WAKE UP!!” Nightstream then groaned heavily and slowly opened one eye. “I’m up, what do you want?” “Nightstream!” Melody exclaimed in joy as she hugged him. “That hurts you know.” Nightstream said with a smile. “Sorry,” then Melody remembered what was going on. “You need to help Nightmare, she-she is different from how she normally is. “What?” Nightstream then looked towards where Melody was pointing and he couldn’t believe what was going on. Nightstream went over towards Nightmare as she was closing in on the last Timber wolf. Nightstream put a hoof on her shoulder and told her to stop. She raised a hoof and made it in a claw and knocked him on the ground. He coughed up blood at this and looked at her in the eye. “Nightmare come to your senses, this is not the real you.” Nightstream said as blood was coming from his mouth. “Come to my senses, I am punishing these creatures for what they did.” Her smile became even more menacing “I will watch each and every one of them suffer for what all that they did.” Nightmare then went back towards the Timber wolf and was about to do the same thing to the others when Nightstream stepped in front of her. “STOP!” “I will say this only once, step aside.” Nightstream didn’t budge at all, Nightmare noticed the pain on his face and chuckled. “Do you honestly think a pony in your state would be able to stop me?” “We shall see.” “That we shall.” She then raised a hoof and it changed into a claw again and slashed him across the face. Nightstream yelled in pain and five bloody streaks appeared on his face. Yet with the pain he stood defiant in front of a changed Nightmare. She then pushed him to the ground and started to crush his chest. While she did that the timber wolf was about to escape when the flames collapsed around its skull and killed it. She then turned her attention back to Nightstream. “Any final words before I finish you.” Nightstream struggled to say anything but nothing could come out. Nightmare smiled at this and was about to finish the job when she heard singing. She turned toward where the song was coming from and saw it was Melody. She sung of pain and sorrow about losing a friend and loved one, and it reached Nightmare. She turned her gaze back to Nightstream and her appearance changed to normal and tears formed in her eyes as all that happened rushed back to her. She let go of Nightstream and stared at her hoof in horror. She put her head in her hooves and cried out in horror as the memory came back to her in full force at what she did to Nightstream. Melody came over and tried to comfort her, but Nightmare just ran towards the mountains. “Melody, what happened?” Nightstream said weakly. “Nightmare ran off. She remembered what she did and she couldn’t dare look upon you as she knew that she nearly killed you.” “We need to help her.” He tried to get up, so Melody helped him up the best she could. “I’m sorry, I am not strong enough but this is the best I can do.” “It is fine. I need to talk to Nightmare,” He looked down “I need to forgive her for breaking our promise.” “So you remembered it?” “Yes, I assume she told you?” “She did, and she said something else as well.” Before Nightstream could ask Melody stopped him “I will not say what, it is best if she tells you.” “I hope it will be soon, who knows where she ran off to?” “Towards the mountains.” “Please be safe Nightmare.”