The Nightmare King

by Lt_Lance

Chapter 3 – Red Dawn

Red Skies was a proud pegasus stallion who never in his life had lived off the charity of others. Growing up in the cold heartland of Sireberia had taught him to be sturdy and strong. Or that was the story he gave any passerby who asked. Red Skies was a traveler who never seemed to be able to catch a break. He had a crimson red coat and a short black mane and tail. He had a simple five pointed star on his flank. He had no real profession to speak of. He traveled the roads of Equestria alone searching. For what? Even he didn’t know. His only companion on his journeys was his drink. Tonight was like most nights he was camping out under the stars and a new faceless moon. He like all ponies in Equestria were relieved when the sun was raised and day returned to the land. But tonight he was ready for a night with just him and his vodka and the stars. Poor vulnerable Red Skies never was one to catch a break. He was beginning to feel a familiar warming feeling in his chest when the bushes at the edge of the forest started to rustle. Red Skies started to inch away and was trembling slightly. Then when he was almost certain some sort of terrible hell spawn would crawl out of the woods… a little white bunny jumped out. Skies let out a sigh of relief.

“You almost scared me there little one” he said to the rabbit.

He was about to turn back to the fire when the bushes started to rustle again he looked into the forest again.
“More little rabbits?” he asked the small bunny before him.

Strangely enough the rabbit took one look back and its ears perked up and then it ran at speeds Red Skies never would of thought a rabbit could run. Whatever was coming out of the woods was not a rabbit.

No this wasn’t a rabbit at all. A beast rose from the forest and stood before him.

It was tall and walked on two legs. It had long arms hanging from its shoulders that ended in five razor sharp claws. He couldn’t see its face because it was covered in a dark mist but where it eye should have been were two piercing green lights. As the beast approached the campfire began to stutter and flicker. Its steps were silent the only vocal indication of its approach was the sound of its breathing which came out in rattling exhales. Red Skies Irises shrank as he was paralyzed in his fear. When it stood before him the fire died out completely the only thing he could see was two green lights. The lights approached his face. Red Skies started to scoot back his hind legs refusing to function.

“Niet! uĭti ot menya gnusnyĭ demon!”

A mouth filled with razor sharp teeth opened beneath the eyes and spoke

“Are you afraid?”

Red Skies steadied his voice and whispered

“Niet”

The face scowled down at him and the mist began to clear revealing green snake like eyes. It screamed in his face.

“Liar!”

His whole world turned to white. He looked in all directions shocked and afraid. “H-hello?” he spoke into the white void before him. “Is anypony there?” Gradually his world started to color and take shape. His face paled at the sight he was being exposed to.

He was in a long hallway made from stone. Every ten feet a naked light bulb hung from the ceiling. Further down the hallway on both sides was nothing but darkness. The setting itself would be unsettling to most ponies but the worst part of all was the walls of the hallway. They were almost completely covered in dried bloodstains and splatter patterns. “W-what is this, what do you want from me!” he was answers by silence. Two lights at both ends of the hallway blew out.

“AAAAAHH!!” he screamed from the sudden noise.

Then five seconds later two more blew out. Every five seconds on the dot two more would blow out. The darkness was steadily getting closer and closer. When there were only ten lights on either side of him he began to hear noises. It sounded like somepony scraping metal against metal. Like the sound of sharpening a blade. Another light blew out and Red Skies began to cry. He laid down and covered his eyes with his forhooves.

“Make it stop” he cried

The noise became so loud it was almost unbearable the last two lights around him went out leaving just one above him. He heard hoofsteps walked up and stop right in front of him. Red Skies heard somepony speak in a calming voice

“Are you afraid little pony?”

“D-Da” Red Skies spoke through his tears.

“Okay!” This new pony said excitedly

Red skies opened his eyes and saw he was back at his camp his fire was back up to its former glory and his bottle was at his side.

“Was it… just a dream?” he asked

“Kinda” said the same voice from his dream. He turned around to see… A dark blue earth pony stallion, he had a grey mane with brown streak going through it. His eyes were shielded by black sunglasses.

“Technically speaking you were in the dreamscape but you weren’t by definition asleep. the explination I would give you would be overly complicated and make you question the definition of reality. Then you would end up stairing at a spinning top for hours on end...”

“Chto?”

“Is that vodka?” the new earth pony said.

Red skies eyes were twitching and the sound of grinding gears could be heard coming from his head. He nodded

“Da?”

The dark blue earth pony smiled “My little pony from this moment on you are my new best friend! Let me in on some of that beautiful drink.”

Red skies shakily pulled a couple of glasses from his saddlebag and poured this new pony a drink and hoofed it over to him.

“It’s okay nothing is going to hurt you now. I'm sorry about that, but you were the first pony Iv'e seen and I needed to charge.” The blue pony said calmly

The strange pony took the glass from the pegasus and started to laugh slightly looking at the glass in his hoof. “It’s best not to question things like this you know.” The pony said looking at red skies. He drank the whole thing without stopping for breath.

“Aaaaaaa” he put down the glass “refreshing”

Red Skies was still very very confused but he still downed his glass at the same pace of this new strange companion.

“Ha you really know your drink don’t you comrade?”

“Can I have another? I’m kind of celebrating tonight.”

“What’s the occasion?”

“My continued survival!” the strange pony said

“Da, tis always good to drink to life!” Red Skies said with equal enthusiasm.

They drank in silence for a few more minutes until Skies broke the growing awkward silence.

“What… er who are you?” he asked

“Who? Names Lance friend. What? As of today I have no idea.”

“Chto? What is that supposed to mean.”

“Well you see there’s a story to that.” The strange pony who turns out to be Lance (Who saw that coming?) said to the crimson stallion

“It all started when I woke up this morning!” he began his explanation

“Well… fuck.”

Was all I could think to say. “I need a mirror bad.” I began to look around franticly but of course I didn’t have mirrors stored all over the Everfree forest just in case of self-image emergency.

I sighed “Well I need to get moving no one ever accomplished anything sitting on there ass.”

I tried to get up but fell down again. “Oh come on I don’t feel exhausted!” I crawled up to the nearest tree and propped myself against it. I began to recall the dream in its entirety.

The uneasy introductions, the helplessness I felt, and the pseudo cannibalism I partook in.

“That guy… was a dick.” I said with a sigh.

“Well third times the charm” I thought standing up still leaning on the tree. I took one step forward and… it held. I took another step and then another. “Walking accomplished!” I said happily. I used my newfound power to start walking into the forest.

The forest was quite. I shifted my eyes left to right. Too quite. I stoped and look around the forest.

“It is a lot less intimidating during the day. It could almost pass for a forest back home.”

A few minutes of silent walking later I stumbled upon a river cutting through the forest. “Thank god! I was getting thirsty.” As I took a knee to cup some water out of the river with my freaky new hands I stopped.

“My face! I look just like that bastard.” i thought looking at my face in the water

Looking at my face put me in a sour mood. I was too busy wasting severel minutes grumbling to myself to even try to take a drink. I begrudgingly drank a few handfuls and used the water to rinse my face and was struck dumb for a second time. “My eyes!... you know I should of really seen this coming.” I had the same slitted snake eyes Nightmare had.

“Well… this sucks” I began to study my body more clearly in the river.

“Well I guess I do look kinda awesome. In a creepy I’m going to eat your face kind of way.”

That’s when something just had to happen. The river began to shake and I could hear what sounded like singing come from under the river. And who else to arrive out of the depths of the Everfree forest river than the one the only Steven Magnet!

“♪~Oh what a wonderful world I see

A gift from a wonderful mare I received

I am at peace because of her generosity!~♪”

“Is his name actually Steven? Well when has YouTube ever been wrong before!?”

“You have a spectacular singing voice Mr. Magnet.”

“Oh thank you sir I know isn’t it?” he turned to face me but his eyes were still closed.

“HOLY BLOODY HELL… it’s actually his name?” “It’s a shame you don’t have an audience but I suppose such things are rare in the Everfree.”

“Oh so true but I digr-” he finally opened his eyes and at one glance opened them as wide as a sea serpent can. (You would be surprised what a creature with multiple eyelids can express with their eyes) “W-what are you?! How do you know my name!?”

“Calm down Steven, I just took a guess and I’m not here to harm you.” I said in a calming tone

He raised an eyebrow and put one of his webbed fingers to his chin “You just guessed… my full name?”

“…yes” I said with the best of poker faces

“…Okay then” he said lowering his hand but keeping his eyebrow raised

I had to break the awkward silence somehow. “…Uhh I like your mustache!”

“Why thank you! I really do look fabulous don’t I?” he said with flaming flamboyance.

“Well I really wouldn’t go that far.” I said

“What!” Steven said with a shocked expression “Care to elaborate on that small one!”

“Wow touchy” “Well it’s just that your mustache doesn’t match man”

“I’ll have you know that this was a gift for when my mustache was brutally and viciously murdered by a tacky cloud of smoke!” he began to sniff the air. He narrowed his multi layered eyes

“Smoke that smelled an awful lot like you!” Steven said now a mere three feet from my face.

Did I mention how huge this guy is? His arms were at least seven feet long and from head to tail he had to be somewhere around thirty feet. I gulped

“Now now now let’s not be too hasty here and do something we might regret.”

“you… You!… YOU MADE ME HIDIOUS!” his eyes turned blood red. And the river… dear god the river. When rarity calmed the serpent down the river was thrashing and uncrossable. When I pissed the same serpent off the river became deadly. The rapids in this thing would of made the most experienced kayakers piss there pants. Steven raised his left hand to strike.

“How many times do I have to face death until the bastard gives up!” and with that remark I was airborne. I had just received the most devastating pimp smack in my life possibly the most devastating one to have ever befallen mankind. Needless to say I was only semi-conscious when I hit the water.

I woke up in the white void again “Don’t tell me I’m in purgatory…” I looked around “No wait this is the dreamscape again. Odd... does this mean I’m alive!” I started to walk around

“Hell yea walking powers still active!” I smiled to myself I looked down at my hands “Damn still ugly”

“I resent that” My eyes widened in horror and shock.

“You bastard how are you still alive. Show yourself!”

“I am immortal you can’t ever kill me”

“Yea but didn’t I “destroy all that you are” or something?”

“Heh you must have not eaten all that was on your plate so to speak Mr. Myrvang.”

“What?” I began to replay our encounter in my head again the attempted possession followed by my first bite and… “The fingers!”

“That’s correct Mr. Myrvang some of me still remains and I highly doubt you will be able to locate my remains an-”

“Found them!” I sad holding up two black fingers

“Wait... But… What!”

“They were just on the ground here, is this where we fought?” I looked around “Hard to tell it’s all just white.”

“That’s just not fair!”

“Oh boohoo! You win some you lose some Nightmare it just turns out that you are a loser!”

“You insufferable foal! Do you have any idea who you are talking to!? I once ruled an empire! I had control over the sky itself!”

“And now your nothing but an over glorified voice in my head. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Turn me back to normal right now or I will really destroy all that you are!”

“I can’t” I took a small bite off the base of one of the fingers an index finger by the looks of it.

“AAAHH!” he screamed in pain

I chewed on the piece slowly savoring the flavor “You were saying?”

“Please don’t do that” he said in a soft defeated tone.

“Then change me back” I demanded

“I can’t! Don’t you see I am nearly destroyed?”

I looked around “…No?”

“You are now the vessel of all my power. You need to change yourself back.”

I looked down at myself and said “Neat. Now how would a guy go about doing that?

“Have you ever heard of changelings?”

I smiled “Why yes I have, actually.”

“Good then you know of their transformations?” I gave a short nod “That fire that engulfs them during their change is called glamour flames it is a dark magic that they use to trick their prey. But it is dark magic all the same. You are now the vessel of my power and that includes all dark magics. Picture yourself as you would like to be seen and will it onto your skin.”

“Do what now?” I asked raising an eyebrow

“You need to will your skin to change. The glamour only changes outward appearance changing your internal structure is dangerous and unnecessary.”

I pictured myself as I remembered exactly as I looked now but with more color. My whole view went up in green flames and when the fire receded I was me again. “Hell yea!” I yelled in triumph.

“Nightmare you have bought yourself some more time on this earth congratulations” I said looking up into the sky “However is there anything else I should know?” I grew a scowl “Any unwelcome surprises and I will eat one finger”

“Well your eyes don’t change with the glamour changelings use a different spell for that and it’s not really reliable”

“Anything else you want to tell me about yo- ehem my power?”

“well…”

“Spit it out”

“…” I took what remained of the index finger and brought it to my mouth.

"Wait!” I stopped finger still in front of my mouth

“I’m waiting”

“I kind of cursed my power a little…”

I narrowed my eyes “You will elaborate on that sentence this instant or I will find a way to make this finger last for six hours!” I yelled into the void.

“You already know how changelings feed correct?”

“Please tell me you didn’t make it so I could only feed on love” I said putting my face into my palm.

“Well for you it’s kind of worse” I took another small bite of the finger.

“BY THE STARS!”

“You suck at this whole elaborating thing, out with it already!” I yelled

“The only thing that will be able to nourish you is the fear of other sentient creatures!” he was panting in pain (how does he even breath if he doesn’t have a form anyway?)

“You little bastard, fix it right now!”

“Well the only way to do that is if you relieved all your power back to me. And if you do that I will probably kill you.” “Honest aint he?”

“I swear it’s probably not as bad as it sounds I mean you could always just get it from nightmares.”

“Me and you are going to have a long talk Nightmare and when we’re through you will be lucky to still be alive” he gulped

And so Nightmare and me talked for hours on end. The damned demon was hard to press for information but it fears for its life like most things. However his fear is unable to nourish me so I’m going to have to find something to scare later. I learned how to manipulate the Dreamscape and create an environment. I learned some basic dark magic like temporary blinding and the dark tendrils (which just gives me some extra limbs) I was unable to use actual magic like telekinesis and other unicorn tricks. I had to take my leave so using my new control over the dreamscape I left of my own will.

“Well that was enlightening I wonder what I should do now?” a cute fuzzy bunny hopped in front of my path. It took one look in me and made a b line in the opposite direction

“oh what the hell I’m gonna follow it” I decided.

As I was following the rabbit I began to smell burning wood and see a faint glow over the bushes when the rabbit broke through the bushes I heard a soft deep voice with what appeared to be a Russian accent.

“You almost scared me there little one”

“And that’s the story of my survival!” Lance said excitedly

“Chto!” Red Skies was staring at his new drinking partner wide eyed.

“What is it friend? Oh yea I don’t think I got your name. Care to introduce yourself?”

“…” (I would like to use this awkward silence to remind the reader that throughout story time these ponies have been drinking... heavily.)

“Helllooooo anypony home” lance said waving his hoof in front of Red Skies’ face.

“I do not understand… So you are some kind of weird demonically possessed alien from the future?”

Lance couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of what he said and how it was kind of true.

“No I’m not demonically possessed I kinda possessed the demon. It’s all a little... complicated.”

“Da you could say that again comrade. My name is Red Skies it is good to meet and drink with you this fine evening Lance.”

Lance laughed “Yes of coarse that’s your name it’s very fitting.”

Red Skies looked lance up and down studding his form

“But you look like an everyday earth pony now comrade.”

“That’s the power of the glamour friend, I can look like whatever I want whenever I want. However the cutie mark is a surprise.”

Lance and Skies both looked at his flank (get your minds out of the gutter everypony)

Lance’s cutie was a solid black crescent moon facing his tale with what appeared to be a unucorns head sticking out. The horn of the unicorn was really oversized and that combined with the evil eye it wore could only make the symbol one thing. It was the symbol ponies used for the mare in the moon. For the infamous Nightmare Moon.

“I have to say… it’s very fitting”