I Dreamt of Her

by ben717

Chapter 10: Alone?

I was alone.

I was walking.

It was dark outside, it was cold and foggy. I couldn't see very far in front of me. There was a chilly wind. The air smelt like late Autumn. Yes, that has a smell. I'm walking down a road. Straight down the middle of the street. Odd, where's the sidewalk? I don't know, I couldn't see it. All I was sure of was the pavement beneath my feet.

I walk a good ways, stumbling in the dense fog. Unsure of what to make of it.

I reach up and scratch my head... Wait, that's odd... What happened to the stitching? My arm is as good as new!

I quickly reassess my arm and the rest of my body for that matter. No signs of the struggle that had happened earlier today.

I continue on my mysterious walk, not entirely sure if I should stop, or keep going straight. But since I don't have an answer I continue on my way.

In the distance, I see a faint light. Just barely visible in the fog. It's my only clue as to what's going on here.

As I grow closer, the light begins to take shape. It's a street lamp. The only one I can see that is lit. Next to the lamp is a bench, I think.

I squint to see better in the dense fog, but it doesn't really do me much good, considering its nighttime and foggy. I really need a night vision spell. Where's Twilight when you need her?

Or a fog vision spell. Is there such a thing as a fog vision spell? I'll have to ask.

I finally reach the lamp post. It's bulb is an old one, the light is giving off a slight flicker.

There is a bench next to it after all. Maybe I should sit down for a bit.

I sit down next to the flickering light post. It's nice for a bit, I really wish I could see though. Such a peaceful night deserves a clear sky.

I rest my head on the back of the bench. The wind subtlety whistling in the night.

I hear the rustle of a paper. I jerk my head out of the comfortable position it's in to find the source of the noise.

I look, in the fog I can see a paper fluttering in the breeze. Curiosity gets the better of me and I reach out to grasp it. Where did it come from?

I pull the paper in, I open it up and read what it says.

"What do you fear most?" It reads.

I read the paper, confused. It seems like its almost, asking me personally. Just something about it feels, off...

The wind picks up a bit. I lose grip of the paper, it whisks away in the wind. I don't feel like chasing it.

I stand up from the bench, the air seems to be getting heavier. Something doesn't feel right, something doesn't feel right, at all.

The fog is beginning to clear, wind still howling. I am able to see the street I was walking down. Where am I?

This is Ponyville. I am in Ponyville, but something's wrong. The buildings, they seem drab, and grey. Windows are busted out and doors are boarded up. What happened here?

The city is abandoned, the place is a ghost town. The moon, still big and bright, overlooks the bleak city. This whole place gives me the creeps.

What do you fear most?

The light I am standing under begins to flicker violently. I look up and hope that it doesn't go out. It's the last thing I have.

I watch the light in horror, as the flickering slowly fades into nothing. The light sputters out pitifully.

Looking up at the now dark light, I feel alone. Completely, and utterly. Alone.

What do you fear most?

I look down at the dark city, then at the moon, which is providing my only light. At least I have that...

I look at the street I was just standing on. In the distance, I see a figure. It looks like a man!

I'm not alone after all!

I call out in the darkness, "Hey!" I wave my arm at the man to get his attention.

But wait, something's wrong.

His arms are too long, his legs seem all out of proportion...

Is that a suit?

...

F***.

I look to the right and see an abandoned home. I duck into it, maybe the Man didn't see me. I HOPE the Man didn't see me.

Inside the house, there's an eerie silence. I shut the door behind me, in hopes to keep Him out.

I look through the windows, and see Him walking in the distance, I don't think he spotted me. Thank the Lord.

I turn away from the window, it looks like I'm in a kitchen. There are cookbooks, utensils, and even empty drawers peppering the floor. I have to be careful not to step on a knife or something. I open the fridge. Inside, the fridge is empty, no light kicked on to greet me, and mold everywhere. It looks like this thing hadn't been on in years.

I close the door and move into the next room.

It appears to be a living room. Or at least what's left of it. There's a chimney that still has some logs in it. To the right I see a couch, that is in fairly good condition, granted, it's a bit dusty. I go over and take a load off.

It's nice sitting inside this house, safe from... That thing outside.

After a minute or two I notice something odd... There are photos littering the floor.

I gather several of them up in my hands, I turn them all over and begin flipping through them.

The first, is a picture portrait of a family, or at least, what's left of one. There is a child, a filly, and who I assume is the mother.

I flip to another one, this one is a photo of the same foal, playing on a playground. The same playground that is next to Cheerilee's schoolhouse. She has a cute little helicopter hat thing. You know what I'm talking about.

I flip to another, this one actually has Cheerilee in it. She's handing the filly an A+ paper, a proper achievement if I do say so myself. Good old Cheerilee, never causes no trouble. Didn't do nothin' to no one.

So many pictures of happy ponies. What happened here? What could've caused this?

Then I hear something from upstairs. I look up from the pictures and to the ceiling. The sound seems to be coming from right above me. Is that? Music?

I glance back down at the pictures, and nearly have a heart attack. I drop the pictures and they scatter all over the floor.

The pictures in hand that were once of happy ponies, playing and having a good time. Are those? Anarchy symbols?

I take one and get a good look at it. An A placed in the center of a circle. Definitely an anarchy symbol. But what is it doing here?

The music continues from upstairs. Sounds like a music box.

I drop the photo and attempt to find a way upstairs.

I find my way through the debris in the house. Soon I stumble upon a stairway.

The upstairs isn't in much better condition than the down. Though, there isn't much room. It's basically a corridor but at the end of the hallway, I see a faint glint of moonlight shining through a crack in a doorway. The music is coming from behind the door.

The door opens with a *creeaaak*

The room is surprisingly in tact. You wouldn't have even known anypony was gone.

The room was pink, at one side of the room was a bed covered in stuffed toys and animals, the other was a big open window with a toy chest underneath it.

The sound was coming from inside the chest.

I walk over and open up the chest. Then suddenly, the sound stops.

Inside there is a collection of more toys and animals, and a little music box. I pick up the box, which seemed to be silent and open it up. It was like any ordinary old music box, wind-up, ballerina type deal with a mirror behind it. Except this one is slightly different, instead of a ballerina doing her dance, it's a strange creature like I've never seen before.

If I had to describe it, it was similar to a Chinese dragon in body shape. But it had legs, arms, and wings. It was like a strange mismatch of all sorts of creatures. From what I could tell, the little figurine only had one fang. It was in a position as if it were singing. Odd.

I rummage through the chest a bit more.

I dig a bit more, at the bottom. I find a slip of paper.

It reads, "You shouldn't go through what isn't yours."

The music box I had set down next to me suddenly bursts open and begins playing music again!

I jump about fifteen feet in the air before landing back down on Earth... Or Equestria rather.

I grab the box up and flick the switch to get the wind-up box to shut up. Good lord that scared me.

I look down at the paper again.

"What do you fear most?"

What. In. The. F-

I throw the paper down and pack the stuff back into the toy chest. I look up and out the window at the abandoned streets below. No sign of life anywhere. This is maddening. What happened, where is everypony? Why am I hiding in this house in the first place?

I hear a bump downstairs.

Uh oh...

I creep over to the stairway. Deathly quietly.

Without going down them I glance into the room below.

The front door, which I made a point to shut, is hanging wide open.

He. Is. In. The. House.

My heart rate goes through the roof, not only is he in the house, I don't know where He is.

He's 9 foot tall! How do you lose him!

I don't know!

I can't risk going downstairs, He's down there for sure.

I creep back to the room at the end of the hall.

Now I'm trapped upstairs, now what?

The window!

I go to the window, how the buck do I open this thing?

As I'm fidgeting with the window I realize, I may not be able to get it open.

I step back from the window to get a better look at it.

My foot brushes against something. I look down and see another sheet of paper lying on the floor next to me.

"Found you."

A chill runs down my spine, I don't have to look to be able to feel the presence behind me.

Fear begins to take hold, I try to let out a scream, but it yields nothing. Just me, screaming here silently, to die. Alone.

What do you fear most?

Caught. Trapped. Doomed.

I only have one chance. The window.

This is going to hurt.

Using every ounce of courage I have left, I hurtle my entire bodyweight at the window.

The next five seconds involves the shattering of glass and leaps of faith.

The glass and wood crumple behind the force of my body flinging through it in a vain attempt to escape the Slender Man.

I glance at the ground below, it doesn't look too awfully soft.

I hit the ground, I roll about seven feet or so before settling completely, I find myself on my back and with the wind knocked out of me. Laying in the middle of the street never felt so good.

Whenever I regain my breath I stand up and brush the dirt off. Oddly enough, I'm not injured. I expected to at least break a bone, or something. In fact, it didn't even hurt.

I don't have much time to ponder the state of my own body.

Suddenly, I hear a scream in the distance...

Sweetie Belle?

I hear the scream again. It was Sweetie! What's she doing here? And with the Man about!

I lace up and start booking it in the direction of the sound.

Soon the source of the cry comes into view. It really is Sweetie!

She's standing under another street lamp. It seems to be the only one lit on the entire street.

"Sweetie Belle? What are you doing? What happened here?"

She says nothing, she just looks at me with a tear in her eye.

"Sweetie?"

Her eyes get wide. Her mouth goes agape. Her face is full of fear.

"Sweetie... What's wrong?"

She lets out another scream and runs away.

"What in the hay are you...?"

Then I felt it behind me. The chill down the back of my neck, the feeling of a hole being gazed into your back.

The first thing I saw, was the shadow of the man stretch extend in front of me. The extent of it seemed to span a lifetime away in comparison to my own shadow. The light I was standing under flickers out. Leaving the only the Man and I standing, in the moonlight. Our shadows being cast against the ground. His being infinitely longer than mine.

I turn to face my pursuer, who towers over me. I look up into the face of fear itself and see nothing. The eternally blank, pale face. I feel like a bird to a snake. Trapped by its gaze, unable to move. Frozen. By fear.

I am able to move a foot back. I trip, I stumble, and fall, onto my back. Now completely at the mercy of the Slender Man.

All seems lost, I am frozen in time. Frozen by fear of the Slender Man. Left to die, completely and utterly. Alone.

What do you fear most?

Then... Something changes, the air softens. A sweet scent of lavender fills the air. A warm breeze hits my face.

I look up at the Slender Man, his towering body silhouetted against the moon.

I find myself looking past my pursuer, and at the moon. My eyes fixed on its warm gaze. It's light seems to dwarf the Man. I am no longer afraid.

Then, there is a blinding flash of light and a gust of wind. Dark clouds roll in as if from nowhere. I shield my eyes to block the rays of light from handicapping me.

I hear a shriek of pain from the Man. I can't see what's happening. Is it dying?

There is another blast. I unblock my eyes just enough to see what is happening. I see the Slender Man. He is no longer facing me, he's facing something else. I can't make it out, it looks like a ball of blue-ish, white light.

Then another blast of light flies from the orb. The Man lets out one final shriek as light erupts from his chest. The light spreads from his chest, to his limbs, and to his face. His entire being seems to fade away, to nothing. Like rock crumbling into pieces.

The wind dies down. The light fades. Everything seems to calm down. I lie down where I was cornered, and just breathe. Adrenaline is still coursing through me. My mind can barely comprehend what had just taken place. I close my eyes and just try to calm down.

It was peaceful lying there, the air was warm, the breeze was perfect. It felt like a perfect summers night. And it was still winter last I checked. I hear the wind whistling through the... Grass?

Under me, the asphalt no longer feels like asphalt. The ground is soft, the air smells like wildflowers.

The feeling is calm and serene. I feel safe for the first time in a while.

Before I can get too awfully comfortable, I feel a tap on my nose.

I open my eyes, it takes a second for them to become adjusted to the light.

I find myself staring into a pair of big blue eyes. There's a blue mare standing over me.

"Uhh... Hello?" I say.

"Oh! What a relief! We thought we had accidentally killed you!" She says.

"Oh no, I'm still breathing, not sure how though." I respond.

I roll over to get a better look at the pony standing over me.

I blink for a second, I can't exactly believe my eyes.

Wow. Just. Wow. I have to rub my eyes.

Good lord, she's pretty! She looks somewhat familiar.

"Who are- ha- have we met?" I manage to squeeze out. Mouth hanging slightly open in awe.

"We would hardly call it a meeting." She says simply, "I dropped in and found you fidgeting with the royal horn." She gestures to her horn, which is rather large.

It all comes back to me, I recall how I was reaching up to see whether her horn was sharp. Was that really the same mare?

I am still awestruck, never before have I found myself so drawn to a pony. Or anyone for that matter. Just wow.

Before I can stop it, it slips out of my mouth, "Wow. You are gorgeous."

I facepalm a little on the inside. Did I really just say that? Why did I just say that? God, I probably sounded like a huge dork.

Her face is filled with surprise. Then, is that a little red I see?

She smiles and laughs, "W- we- We thank thee!"

She laughs a bit, "We apologize! It's just we did not expect the compliment! We are not often greeted in such manor. And in our surprise we found amusement."

I was still too busy admiring her to even hear her. The way her mane fluttered in the breeze, the way the moonlight glinted through it. It seemed almost magical. I was still trying to comprehend why I was even feeling like this.

I mean, good lord, why am I all of a sudden so attracted to this pony? Is this even legal?

She seems to notice me staring.

"So we suppose you are wondering why we are here." She says trying to change the subject.

"Oh I'm wondering somethin'." I say slyly.

I take a second. I am kind of curious actually.

I humor her, "So why are you here?"

"We are here to defend your dreams."

"My dreams?" I ask, now extremely curious.

"Yes, your dreams." She says.

"How do you do the 'defending', exactly?" I ask.

"We come into a ponies dreams and combat the nightmares." She says.

"Is there any real reasoning to it?" I ask.

She responds with a cryptic tone, "There are some creatures that wish to gain access to this world, using fear and nightmares to get into ponies minds. Making them a reality."

"Sounds intense..." I say, unsure of what to make of the information just handed to me.

Then I start thinking, "Does this mean, that someone, or something, is trying to break into my mind?"

She answers, "We are unsure, your dreams intrigue us."

"They intrigue you? Why? Or how?"

"We can't exactly put a hoof on the source of your nightmares. I have done what I can to combat the nightmares, but I'm afraid the rest lies on you." She says.

"Hold up, hold up. You said something was trying to gain access to my mind? Does that mean that the Slender Man is really trying to kill me?" I ask.

"This 'Slender Man' of yours is simply an agent, a symbol used to represent your greatest fear. Being used by whatever it is to gain access to you. Who or what it is, is a mystery to us. It's strange, it doesn't act like other nightmares. It seems to be focused solely, on you." She responds.

I let that chilling bit of news sink in a bit. So is she saying someone, or something out there. Is after me?

"What can I do?" I ask.

"You must learn to face your fears. Or the nightmares will continue." She says, "You haven't been sleeping well, have you?"

I think about it, "No... No I haven't. But wait... Does this mean that, this is all a dream?"

"We assure you that you are asleep." She says.

"That explains a lot actually." I say, looking down at my arm.

"But when you wake," she continues, "your fears will still exist."

"My fears will still exist? What do you mean?" I ask.

"What do you fear most?" She asks me.

I look down at my hands, at my entirety. What do I fear most? The Slender Man? I could say that, but he's not real... What do I fear the most.

At first I don't have an answer, but as I'm about to open my mouth, it hits me.

"What do I fear most?" I ask, "If I had to say anything, I would say I'm scared of..."

"Scared of what?"

"I'm afraid of being alone..." I say with every honest cell in my body. "I'm scared of being alone."

Her gaze softens, and I feel like I can look directly into her soul.

What is she thinking?

"What frightens you the most?" I ask her.

She seems confused by the question, "What?"

"What about you? Everyone's got fears, what's yours?" I ask.

She looks down at her hooves, then back into my eyes.

"We've never thought about it before..." She says, "I don't ever want to be alone again."

"Well I'm here... I guess that means neither of us are alone!" I say.

I look up at the sky, "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"

She smiles and looks up, "Indeed it is"

I decide to cook up some small talk, "When I first got here, I was amazed by all the magic, and wonders of this place."

"Oh?" She asks.

I roll up and sit down in the grass, looking up at the sky.

"Yeah, I was amazed by all the magic of this world, the first day Twilight flew me through the air like I was an airplane!"

"An airplane?" She asks.

"A flying machine, but it's not important. One of the first things I saw that was unlike anything I've ever seen was the sunrise and sunset."

"Really? Don't you have sunsets where you are from?" She asks, sitting down next to me.

"Well yeah, but nothing like here. Like every night it's so spectacular. The way the moon rises up from the horizon! The way the stars seem to paint themselves across the sky! It was breathtaking." I say.

She looks down at the ground and smiles. She pokes the ground a bit.

Fireflies began to fly out into the night, as they rose from the grass below us they lit up around her, she seemed to have a glow. Maybe that was just me.

"I really liked how it," she looks at me and I find myself lost in her eyes, "how it- how- how it-..."

I completely lose words as I take in the entire scene, the moonlight shining through her hair, the kind smile on her face, driving me wild. The fireflies all around us. I can't help but smile.

What is this sorcery? Why am I so drawn to her?

She starts giggling, "What?"

I look away quick, embarrassed, "Sorry I was just- uhh..."

"It's ok" she says with a smile.

I smile back. Good lord, I'm such a loser.

Then, the wind picks up. The moon becomes brighter.

She looks up and frowns.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"I have to go." She replies, spreading her wings to take off.

Holy crap that's amazing.

The wind really begins to pick up. It feels like the whole world is collapsing towards the moon.

"Why so soon?" I shout as she takes off.

"You are waking up!" She shouts back

"Will I ever see you again?"

"Soon!"

"How soon?" I shout.

"Soon!" She shouts back.

"But wait!" I shout, the world sucking in.

"I never even caught your-"

I wake up with a start.

"-name..."

I guess it really was just a dream.

I try to move my arm, and feel a slight twinge of pain. I look and see the stitches back where they were.

I look around and find myself in the hospital bed. Sunshine shining through the window.

It was morning.

Author's Note:

In explanation, as I said earlier, the events of the prologue are still happening, just they are most likely going to be slightly different. This being the case. I met her in a dream, same as the prologue, just not the same dream. Also, I wonder who's trying to get into my head? Hmm.. A mystery. Remember to leave some feedback. Love me dat feedback.

Comments

[rikusorasephiroth]

Screwball?
Really?

[ben717]

2691886 something wrong with Screwball?

[rikusorasephiroth]

2692892 Not Screwball herself. I just don't see Discord revealing that he has a daughter to a foreign entity. Especially when Luna could potentially use her as blackmail if she finds those photos in a dream.

[ben717]

2692907 I see your point. As I was writing it, I just saw it as me stumbling onto it, less like he showed it to me. Also the character still has no idea who Discord is or that this little filly is the daughter of a chaotic diety. And why would Luna blackmail him? As far as everypony knows he's on their side.

[rikusorasephiroth]

2692914 If he is on their side, why is he involved in the nightmare?

[ben717]

2693189 quote: "We can't exactly put a hoof on the source of your nightmares..." Unquote

[rikusorasephiroth]

2693488 That still doesn't invalidate my point.

[ben717]

2695173 my point is... None of the characters know that Discord is actually involved. Luna has no evidence or any clue that Discord is involved, she chased off Slendy. That was her job. As far as Ben knows, he's having a really weird dream. We as the audience are perfectly aware of what's going down. The characters don't know anything. An English teacher would call it Dramatic Irony. Even if Luna did know. She still wouldn't blackmail him, that's completely out of her character.

[rikusorasephiroth]

Update?

[Mr_Moon]

Face your fears?

As in face slender Man?!

How are you supposed to beat slender man?

A game of red light green light? But he's the best at it.

A gun? Probably