//------------------------------// // Chapter Eight: The Nightmare // Story: The Nightmares of Equestria // by The Warmaster //------------------------------// A few weeks ago... Joe/Nightmare’s POV      “Wha - where am I?” I asked, squinting as sunlight from the sunset burned it's way into my eyes. I was in a lush, green field, in an unfamiliar landscape. A large mountain stretched out from the ground to the East, with what looked like a city built into it. To the West, a city loomed in front of me, with what looked like….horses? Walking around, with not a care in the world.      “Horses? What? Where's all the people?” I asked again, sitting up off my rear and walking towards the city. I then saw my hand as I got up. It was a black, furry hand, with long, dangerous claws at the end of each finger. I stared at it for a moment, moving it around, back and forth, confused. Then it clicked as I remembered what had happened to the suits.     “Who the hell would give us actual suits?!” I yelled, glaring at everything. The ponies, the city, the mountain, the- wait, ‘ponies’? Why did I call the horse things that? I stared once more at the equines walking around the city. While they did look like horses, they were….different. For one thing, they were all pastel-colored, like some crazy artist of poor talent decided to slap whatever colors they could grab onto a horse. They were also smaller, kinda short, really. But the real clincher was that some of them had horns, while some others had wings, and were flying about the sky.      “What the hell?! What is this place?!” I asked myself, eyes wide as I looked around.  “Okay, calm down Joe, just calm down….let's just walk into the city, hope no one runs in fear, and maybe ask them just where the hell I am!” Sighing and putting a hand on my chest, which, as expected, was just like Nightmare’s, I slowly walked towards the city, my heart pounding.   ××××××××××××××××××××    “Excuse me, but where am I?” I asked the first pony I saw. They appeared to not hear me, instead just walking on like I had never spoken. “Rude. Hey, excuse me!” I growled, grabbing it's shoulder. Only to be shocked as my claw passed through the pony. It shivered, looking around, before returning to whatever it was doing before. I just stared at my claw, and another pony phased through me, as if I wasn't even there.    “What the...hell….” I stuttered, clenching my claw. “I'm….not physical? I'm...a ghost?” I sat on my legs, staring at the floor, before screaming. It sounded horrid, like a creature baying for blood.     “What has happened to me?! Why, why, why?!” I roared, punching the ground.          “Because the world hates you…” A voice echoed in my mind. It was strangely familiar, but dark and sinister.      “What? Who's there?” I asked, glancing around. No one was around, as it had apparently become night during my tantrum.     “I am you...the real you…” The voice came again, and I backed up towards a wall. I then felt a breathtaking pain in my chest, and collapsed.     “Oh God...what's this??” I gasped, gripping at my chest. “Something is happening...I can't explain...something inside me, a breathtaking pain! Devours and consumes me! And drives me insaaaaaAAAAGGGHHHH!” What had started as a word soon turned into a scream of pain as pure agony stretched across my body, which was twisting and convulsing in pain. It was as if microscopic needles were being pushed into every pore in my body. “Suddenly… uncontrolled!” I felt another spike of pain, this time in my mind, as another conscious entity attempted to force it's way into my head. “Something is….taking hold!” Another spike of pain. “Suddenly, AGONY!! Filling me, killing..me?”      I flopped onto the ground, pain unlike any I've ever felt before driving spikes into my nerves. I suddenly found I couldn't breath. “Suddenly, out of breath! What is this?! Is this -argh!- death!”    As the last vestiges of my consciousness slipped away, I heard another voice. “ “Freeeeeeee……” ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷    “Good night, dear.” A mother said, kissing her daughter on her forehead, before closing the door. The little mare snuggled up into her blankets, before falling asleep.     Unbeknownst  to anyone in the house, a large figure walked into the room through the wall, phasing through it. He was invisible to mortals, after all. His massive, tooth filled maw split into a sinister grin as he walked closer, reaching his clawed hand out to the mare. When he was close enough to touch her, he stopped, tapping her head before vanishing. ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷   The mare ran for her life. A creature had started chasing her through unfamiliar streets. She passed many strange vehicles, but paid them no mind as she ran, for if she stopped even for a second, the monster would get her. Glancing behind, she saw it was still chasing her, it's black body almost invisible in the night. But the shining claws and teeth shone clearly through the night, ready for a nice snack. She tripped, falling on her muzzle. Glancing behind her again, she saw it was a pothole of sorts.      Forgetting the pothole for now, she continued her run, before turning a corner and finding herself face to face with a brick wall. Turning around, she saw the monster had cornered her, talons ready to rip her to shreds.       “No...please...I… I don't want to die!” She screamed, before a claw slashed across her face and across her right eye.  ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ The mother ran up to her daughter’s room as a shriek of pain blasted through the silence that had permeated the house.      “Twinkle, are you-” She stopped as she entered the room, and saw the massive gash stretching up her daughter's face, and into her eye. “Oh my god!” ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷    The creature ran across the rooftops, chuckling and laughing maniacally to himself. “I feel alive! Free at last! Free to bring suffering to all the girls and boys once more! But more importantly, I feel alive!” It roared into the night, giggling at it's blood-stained claw. “And I can only feel more alive..” It grinned. ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷     “Princess Celestia! Urgent news from Trottingham! Apparently, some creature had attacked the Colts and fillies there last night, inflicting terrible wounds!” A messenger said, running into the throne room. Celestia dropped her tea, the cup crashing to the floor.     “What? Dispatch the guard at once! We must catch this creature before it can hurt any more innocents!” The Princess ordered, angered at whatever dared to hurt her precious ponies.     “Th-that's the thing, your majesty.” The messenger shuffled his feet. “The..creature...is attacking them from...their dreams.”     “What?” Celestia asked, confusion and rage slowly building in her chest.