//------------------------------// // Stuck In the Everfree (Part three) // Story: The Fall of Spike the Dragon // by Wrangle Wolfe //------------------------------// So many... Too many... Why so much... Death? I can't breathe. How could I when hundreds of familiar doors had disappeared? Some of them had lived very wonderful, long lives. Others... were just foals. Newborns, toddlers, teenagers... so many children have died. They hadn't grown up and experienced life in all its glory. Their lives were cut short because of one dragon. I gasped as I saw another door disappear. I didn't want to believe it, but it was none other than Derpy Hooves. She was... such a wonderful, sweet and innocent mare. She was somepony who knew what it was like to not fit in. She made me feel like somepony cared. Why did she have to go... I looked to see that most of the ponies in Ponyville had survived. His home... No matter how heartless he tries to be, he can't ignore the fact that he does indeed have a heart. He loves his home and everypony in it. Maybe... there is still hope for Equestria. Perhaps he will snap out of it when he realizes that it's not worth it. I saw a few doors disappearing in front of me and cringed. "Or maybe not..." I mumbled. I looked to my left and, with hesitation, walked inside the door. What I saw... I just wanted to run back out of the dream and pretend that I hadn't seen such a thing. But I couldn't. I was stuck in fear and horror at the sight in front of me. I saw Spike... his eyes were glowing red and fire blew from his mouth and nostrils as he ran through a town that was destroyed. Homes were burnt to a crisp, debris was scattered everywhere, and ponies ran. Some were on fire, others had missing limbs, and others looked like running corpses. This was the dream of a foal. No... not a dream, a memory. A horrible, horrible memory. I decided that I didn't want to go through another door. I was afraid of what could possibly be there for me to witness. I couldn't bear seeing so many of my innocent subjects dying so tragically. It was too much to take. Too painful to watch... I was finally able to get out of that nightmare with a sigh. A few tears fell down my face seeing that horrific scene. "You see them suffering..." A deep, sinister voice echoed everywhere. "Wh-who?" "That's how I feel inside..." The voice growled. "S-spike...?" "For every life I have crushed under my claws... for all of the blood that is on me... It represents the blood of one that nopony cared about... the life that you have taken so cold-heartedly because you didn't think he had feelings..." I looked down and saw blood on me. It was freezing cold. "That is Spike's blood... you killed him. You are responsible." "No..." "Along with Twilight...." An image of Twilight appeared in front of me. She was... dead. "And her friends..." I then saw the rest of Twilight's friends huddled together and crying. "And all of Equestria..." I saw a very gruesome image of Equestria. A large portion of Equestria was destroyed. It was empty and dreary as green flames slowly began spreading around the country. "S-spike... I'm sorry." "I don't want to hear that nonsense!" Darkness yelled. "But I really am sorry! I'm sorry I didn't help! I'm sorry I couldn't stop this!" I cried. "It's too late for sorry. Now all of your subjects shall burn in my fire... you can't save them. You are a monster." He growled. Monster... no! I-I'm not a monster. Am I? "A horrible, disgusting, monster!" No... I am not a monster! "No matter how much you try to fight the truth..." A mirror appeared in front of me. It showed me... but I looked horrible. I was black, had fanged teeth, and I had dragon eyes. I... I was a Nightmare. "You will always be a monster. You never cared about how others felt. Only yourself..." "NO!" I had nightmare's voice. "You ignore others. You hurt others. You kill others. Nopony else matters to you. All that exists to you is yourself." I could see clones of myself surrounding me. They all smiled maliciously. They all focused on me, their evil eyes never looking away. "No..." I croaked. My voice was weakened as I cried. "To you.... all that you can see... all you ever care about... is yourself..." Darkness' voice whispered sisterly in my ears. "No... no... no... it's not true..." I said, crying silently. "I-It's not true, I curled up in a ball as I cried. "Luna..." "Leave me alone!" "Luna!" "Go away!" LUNA! "Luna!" "H-huh?" I woke up to see the manticore's worried face. "Are you alright?" He asked me with a look of concern on his face. "Y-yeah..." I stuttered quietly. "You're crying..." He said, not believing my lie. "What's wrong?" "I-I..." I swallowed, trying to stop crying. The manticore frowned and hugged me in his large paws. "It's alright... you can tell me what's wrong. " He cooed. I blushed in embarrassment, feeling like a little foal. "I don't want to be a monster..." I cried. "But you're not a monster." He insisted. "I am! I let those ponies die... I only thought about myself... I could have stopped this." "You didn't know this was going to happen, Luna. This was a mistake." "MY mistake. Look at what that mistake caused." "I know it's horrible, but you didn't plan this. You didn't want this to happen. No matter how you look at it, you are still a nice, kind, beautiful mare. Not a monster." He hugged me tighter. "Do you really think so?" I asked. He looked down at me and nodded. "I know so." He said. We sat there for a moment looking at each other before I shook my head and looked away with a small blush. "W-we should probably get going." I said hastily. "Uh... yeah." He said, putting me on his back. As we rushed through the forest, I wondered what that was all about.