The Everfree Chronicles: The Alchemist

by Roran Dreamon

Chapter 2: Nightmares and Painful Training

After passing out for a second time in the same day, I realize that I might as well get some sleep before I start my new life with a mare that not only ruined my life, killed all chances of being normal, and also being the infamous 'Mare in the Moon', my life could not get anymore worse, fate on the other hoof had things planned a little differently for me.

The world was dark, the moon hanging over head, casting off a pale blue glow, the moon was full, and the Nightmare Moon was still trapped within its folds, but that was only the normal part about this place, looking around the place was like a bloody nightmare on the worst hallucinogenic plant in existence.

As I look around, the tree's were alive and moving on their own, the creatures within the forest started to move and fight the now living tree's and having no success in the process. That was when I saw the overly large claw going right at my face, and knowing that I was gonna die no matter what, I just stood in that spot and took the claw headlong, and without missing a beat, I died.

The old ponies said that when you die you see a bright light at the end of a fairly long tunnel.

Well, they lied and that was no light at the end of a tunnel, that was a train, and let me tell you something.

That train freaking hurts, feels like it ran me over, came back to make sure I was down, than ran me over a second time to make sure I was not getting back up.

You know that when you dream that you can die and not worry about the consequences once you wake up, well the dream I had made me realize that you can still feel pain even though it is nothing more than a dream, and this dream hurts.

"Ow...that dream actually does leave a mark..." I said as I groan from the phantom pains, knowing that since it was a dream and that I died in it, thinking that their would be absolutely no pain, I was so very wrong, their was pain and a lot of it.

"Why must the strange dreams always be the one to cause me to wake up sweating and almost falling off of the bed...wait a minute...how did I get into this bed again?" I said with a hint of confusion. Looking around I realized I was back in Nightmare Moon's chamber, and that I was sleeping in her bed...wait...I was sleeping in her bed, than where does that leave...

I turn my head to my right, and I see that Nightmare Moon was looking at me the entire time, and not in the creepy stalker way either, it was more of the 'I am watching you, and your discomfort amuses me' look. And by that look, I was having exactly and only these two thoughts. "MY god I am going to die." and also "Well, their goes my plan of finding a nice place to live for the rest of my live."

"Don't worry fool, as if I would actually stoop that low and do that to a colt that is both underage and also not yet ready for it, and besides, that dream of yours was fairly entertaining, except for the part where you just stood their slack-jawed and took that manticore claw to the face without even moving out of its path. It also seems that you must improve your body and mind, and I think I know just the place for your training." she said, her voice almost at the pitch for the 'Royal Canterlot' tone, but still loud enough to force me out of the bed and land butt first onto the floor.

"Alright, and for this training...what is it exactly?" I said confused, not knowing if this training is that when she returns that she will make me her royal guard, or be the one to instruct the new legion of soldiers that will do her bidding.

She gives me a very confident grin, one that tells me that when this training is over, I will not only be able to enact my revenge against Ponyville, but also be unstoppable for my conquest of anypony else that dares to challenge my power and my future authority.

"Do not worry Nightshade, or should I say 'Sir' Nightshade" Nightmare Moon speaking with her authoritative voice, basically saying it as a command."As of now, as my first royal subject and also my first Lunar Guardian, your first order is to become stronger and to be worthy of bearing my seal, you must be stronger than you currently are, and must master all of the magic that I will teach you, you will be strong and powerful, if you fail in this mission, than I will banish you to the moon in my placement when I return to this mundane world. Am I clear!" nearly shouting all of it until the very end, that last shout quite literally sending me flying into the wall, leaving behind a pony shaped dent into the wall.

"Yes..I understand...just...please your Majesty... can you not, use that voice on me, it is hard on my ears, and I am sure you rather have servants and citizens that can hear your enchanting voice than those that can not." I say, trying to use what little logic I can, knowing that she does not have to listen to what I have to say.

"Also, during my training...erm...may I ask, what will I be training with, and how long will I be training?" my voice cracked with worry for my own personnel health and safety.

"My most loyal subject, you will be training with a ghost from my past, a loyal guard that stood by my side, even when I became myself, and for how long you will be training, from when the sun rises to the time the my beautiful moon rises to greet the world with its night." her voice now filled with pride that I have accepted her offer, or in my case, my sudden uplifting into her good graces, if I only knew that she had any left.

"Alright, I am ready...I hope, let us begin..." I also whisper out "Once I am strong...they will all pay....pay ever so dearly..."

The sun has partially risen into the sky, letting its warm rays bask me, as I just sit their, feeling warm for once after passing out face first into snow, sleeping with Nightmare Moon twice, and basically getting my sorry flank kicked up and down the courtyard by a ghost, A GHOST! How is that even possible I will never know, but I do know that it hurts like I was just ran over by a carriage.

"Can we please stop...if I keep fighting like this I might as well just throw myself at a brick wall until it falls on top of me." I moaned, my body in so much pain that if I somehow managed to give it so somepony else, they might be screaming in agony, but not me, for some reason I still feel pain, instead it feels like it has been numbed out by some sort of enchantment or some spell that was placed onto me when I wasn't paying attention.

A ghost was looking right at him, not the kind where only half of its body is their and the rest is just a single wisp of smoke and was floating in the air all pale white, no this ghost looked just like a regular pony, except was a ghostly silver, was wearing what appeared to be old royal guard armor, and was giving me a deathly glare.

"Get off your sorry flank and continue your training this instant you fool before I come over their and give you such a thrashing that you will not be able to sit down for an entire month!" the ghost shouted.

It has been 5 grueling hours of non-stop beat downs for me, every time I would get up, the ghost would find a new way to make me groan in pain, and each time I groaned in pain, I faintly heard an evil cackle somewhere, laughing at my pain.

"You know...I thought it was impossible for a ghost to be able to touch a solid object...I can now clearly say that myth is completely full of nonsense....ow." I groaned again.

"At least I have only 10 years to go through this....oh wait...I forgot 10 years is a long time...I can see the pain now..." I groan again before standing back up.

I take one last look at where I was sitting, and knowing that I will right in that exact spot for years to come, my training will most likely never end, but if it does, that will mean I am worthy for Nightmare Moon's loyal army, and soon my revenge will take a step closer, and by a step closer, I mean a large leap right next to the victory line.

Waking up again, just like every other time, wake up, make breakfast, clean the palace, do workout by pushing heavy blocks, sparring practice, more heavy lifting, lunch, magic practices, more cleaning, and than dinner than bed, and ever so rarely giving the palace a quick look-over so I know that it is clean once I wake up.

I slowly groan and walk over to the mirror, making sure I do not fall over again, knowing that my instructor will most likely have set up a trap for me, but to my pleasure, no traps have been set.

Looking into the now dust free and completely repaired vanity mirror, I look into it, and I still see the same me, but I have changed, and those 5 years of constant combat drills and magical practices have really did a number on my body and on my mind. I look at myself as I grin deeply, my body grow out greatly, I now have muscles. MUSCLES! Big, thick strong muscles from all the lifting and pushing of the heavy stone blocks back and forth in the court yard, and also from the constant sparing practices I was forced to take with my ghostly instructor. As for my mind, I can now lift and throw the same stone blocks I have been hauling around, making it easier to repair the castle and bring it back to its former glory, as well with an array of new spells, creating fire, teleporting short distances, telekinesis, enchanting spells into objects, and best of all, transforming myself into almost anything that is somewhat the same size as me, in a funny term I can turn myself into a pony sized rock or into a small tree, or in my case when I pranked a manticore, I turned myself into a tree and it ran right into me, I almost died of laughter when it kept running, looking for me and to no avail, lost me when I was behind it.

I just keep grinning to myself, thinking that in only 5 years I have grown into a confident, and somewhat insane unicorn that is as strong as a normal earth pony while at the same time has the dexterous movements of a pegasus. As I look at myself, I realize that something was missing, and I realize that it was that I was still a blank-flank, which drastically dishearteningly made my day bad, now feeling like I have only made myself better but not finding my special talent, which is most likely not even close to being a royal guard for Nightmare Moon.

"So...better looking...stronger...smarter...and more agile, but no cutie mark...what a lame waste of 5 years...hopefully in the next 5 years I receive it before I go mad..."

I look around the room, everything is dust free and now has a faint glow of flawlessly clean to it, even the bed which looked old now looks like the way it was before the currents of time has taken hold on it.

"I wonder...I am still young...and yet with all this training...it gave me a body that makes me look older...hmm...eh, might scare some of the creatures inside the forest to back off from me....hopefully." I said, my voice has certainly gone deeper over the past 5 years.

"Maybe I should go back to Ponyville...see how it changed...maybe I can finally get some new fabrics...or steal some...seeing that I have no money...might have to a bit of a criminal while there...eh..like I care..." my voice is now switching back and forth my normal voice to my otherwise darker more venom filled voice.

Ponyville...a place that I have condemned to my wraith 5 years ago, and I am coming back, not to inflect harm onto anypony else, but for supplies and other goods, but with no money, magical theft is the only option, that or getting a job. I keep debating on what I should do in my head, fighting myself to figure out how in the bloody hell that I am going to do this without blowing my cover and most likely, exposing myself that the exile has returned and be condemned to death this time instead of exile.

"You should go to the town, take what you want, when you want, and don't let those stupid ponies get in your way, they left you to die, it is only fitting that you return the favor and leave them with nothing so they can suffer, just like you have suffered at their hooves." spoke a dark voice in my head, and I know that to be my shattered self, the part of me that died that day and twisted into a corrupted spirit.

"No...I will just stealthily go into the town...take what I need and get the hell out of there before anything happens...and that is that." I said with confidence in my voice.

"You are no fun...killjoy." my mind says back.

I put on my cloak, long has it been damaged and left unamended for those years, but once again I must wear it. It is a tight fit since I have not worn it for such a long time and that it was meant for a small colt for the rainy days instead of a regular use cloak.

To Ponyville I go to, and hopefully, not get caught.