A Faceless Nightmare

by Phantomslayer230

Chapter 6

Twilight and Discord sat in the Philadelphia police stations interrogation room waiting for Phantom Seeker to arrive. After overhearing his little outburst moments ago, the two interrogators were beginning to have second thoughts about their plan. But there was no time to recollect their thoughts. Now the time has come to meet with the 'mad pony', and now they would finally get some answers. As the door to the room opened Twilight finally got her fist glimpse of Phantom. His dark brown coat, his jet black mane, his bright hazel eyes. He looked like any ordinary pony. Yet once he entered the room, Twilight felt....strange. Like a sudden chill just swept into the room. She glanced back at Discord only to him give off a similar reaction. Phantom's guard entered behind him and bowed politely.

"Your highness. The prisoner is here, as you instructed."

"Thank you. Please, leave us."

With a small nod the guard left the room. Phantom slowly approached the table Twilight sat at and took his seat across from her. The two of them shared a brief moment of silence before Phantom spoke in a calm tone that Twilight wasn't expecting after the outburst she just heard.

"Forgive me if I don't act as respectful as I should towered you. Being locked up in here has kind of shattered my trust of others."

"It's no problem Mr.Seeker. We just want to ask you some questions to try and better understand your......experience."

"You mean my encounter with death. Yes I remember. Let me guess, your the good-cop, and Discord is the bad-cop."

Discord gave of a barley audible curse that the pony had seen right through his plan. Twilight just smirked before she replied.

"No actually. I just want to hear about your experience from your point of view. Princess Celestia believes your encounter may not be as far-fetched as other believe it is."

"So your saying you believe me?"

"I'm saying I'm willing to listen."

"Fair enough. Go ahead, interrogate me."

Twilight didn't like being told this was an interrogation. But she shrugged off her uncomfortable feeling and began asking her questions.

"What happen that night? Where were you going? What were you doing?"

"Well, I was on my way home. I had just bought some new equipment for my ghost hunting and I was planning on using it the next day. As I was walking, I head a voice coming from a alleyway. Thinking it could be some kind of spectral being, I took out my trusty E.M.S and walked into the alley. As I traveled deeper into the alley, it got darker. Until I could see anything. I called out to the voice I heard, when a pony came out in front of me. A unicorn. He lit up the alley with his horn. Though it was still dark. I can't recall any distinguishing factors other then he was a unicorn. But he did have a pretty long mane."

"Ok." Twilight was jotting down as many notes as she could as Phantom talked. "Please, continue."

"Well he starting saying some pretty weird stuff. Stuff about, hunting darkness and being ill-prepared to face it.......then."

Phantom shuddered and brought his hooves to his temple.

"I'm sorry. It's just......to much to recall."

"It's ok Phantom. If you don't to recall anymore, I won't force you."

Despite what she just said, Twilight still need more information. And even if she couldn't get more information about the exact events. There still something she could do.

"Discord, can you help me out here?"

Discord walked to Twilight's side and rated his hands on the table. "What do you need Twilight."

"You can sense magical imbalances right? Can you take a look at Phantom and see there is any magic affecting him?"

Discord simply nodded with a smirk before he turned his attention the pony before him. Discord stared deep into his eyes. After a few seconds discord began feeling the ponies face with his lion paw and his eagle claw.

"Discord what are you....?"

"SHHHHHHH. I'm focusing."

As discord continued he eventually closed his eyes hand began felling Phantoms facial features. Finally discord let out a subtle gasp as he opened his eyes.

"Discord what it is? Did you find something?" Twilight eagerly questioned Discord.

"Well Twilight, I can tell you thing. This earth pony has more magic surrounding him then he should. There is defiantly something magical going on with him. However it's so small and subtle the i can't tell what it is. I almost didn't even notice it."

As Twilight scribbled down notes, Phantom was completely lost.

"Wait what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, there is magic influencing something about you. I can't tell what, or where the magic came from. But it is defiantly there."

"I don't understand."

Twilight finally to she notes and decided to clarify what discord found.

"Well, you see. We believed that your....'visions of darkness' may have been caused by some outside magical force. So, my theory is that the magic that discord can sense in you, is actually causing you 'insanity'."

"So your saying I just dreamed everything?"

"I'm saying, I think the unicorn you encountered planed all this. And he wanted people to think you went mad. What I don't know, is why."

As Twilight pondered her findings, Phantom was simply glad to her he wasn't losing his sanity. As the two of them sat there satisfied, Discord remembered one little detail that was important.

"Ummmm Twilight, if the unicorn Phantom met did all this? How can we stop him if we can't find him?"

Twilight pondered this question for a few moments before her face suddenly lit up.

"I've got it, I know exactly what to do."

Twilight rummaged through her saddle bags until she pulled out a large and dusty spell-book. Entitled "obscure spells for the magically adept."

Discord leaned up against his wall as he waited for Twilight's plan to unfold. "This should be good." He muttered to himself as a bag of popcorn appeared out of nowhere.

Phantom looked slightly worried as he read the books title.

"Ummmm, what are we going to do with this?"

Twilight flipped the book open to a certain book-marked page. "There is a spell in the book that could help us identify the pony you met in the alley that day."

"What kind of spell?" Phantom asked. The skepticism in his voice could almost be seen.

"This spell will allow be me to look into your memories. I will see exactly what you saw. That way, I can see if I can recall the unicorn when I see him."

"So let me get this straight. Your going to experience my experience from my point of view first-hand?"

"Yes." Twilight was beaming with pride as Phantom explained her plan.

"Ummmmmmm, won't that be dangerous. Or at the very least won't it give us a really bad migraine."

"It shouldn't. As long as both of us remain completely focused. Nothing bad should happen. And if something does happen, I will brake the spell immediately."

Not wanting to argue with the princess, Phantom just nodded and began to clear his mind in preparation for Twilight's spell. As they sat together, Twilight's horn began to glow. As a stream of light purple aura starched from her horn, to Phantoms forehead. Soon enough, Twilight sight went pitch black. After a few seconds, she could feel a cold breeze blowing against her coat and she began to feel the hard concrete beneath her hooves.

******************

Twilight opened her eyes to find herself in the city. it was dark and she felt.....different. Twilight tried to light up her horn but nothing happened. She went to stretch her wings but failed to notice that they had disappeared. In a slight panic Twilight ran to the nearest shop and looked into the glass window at her reflection. Her questions vanished as soon as she saw herself. She was no longer her usual Alicorn self. She was a dark brown earth pony with a jet black mane and to top things off, she was stallion none the less. Twilight could hardly contain her excitement from correctly executing her spell. She walked down the sidewalk with a spring in her step, completely forgetting about why she was there in the first place. That is, until she heard a voice coming from a dark alleyway next to her. the voice was quiet and weak. It almost sounded like a whimper.

"Please, help me"

Twilight nearly sprinted into the alley. Yet she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the source of the voice. a unicorn stallion stood in front of her. he was slightly smaller then her brother. Twilight couldn't make out any identifying features except for his red coat, and his dark blue eyes. his voice was deeper now. sounding more powerful.

"Well your even more predicable then I thought. Tell me, what was going through your mind thirty seconds ago?"

Twilight instantly remember what her mission was and put on a more serious face. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Why I just wanted to meet you. After all it's not every day you get to speak with royalty." He said that last word in a rather sly tone of voice. As if he was mocking Twilight for no understanding something.

"What......How do you know who I am?"

"I know exactly who you are Ms.Sparkle. But that's not the question is it? The question is who I am right?"

"Yes, and I intend to find out who you are."

"Well good luck, cuz you'll never find out. I won't tell you and I'm a ghost in the real world."

Twilight was confused by this last statement. "The real world?"

"Oh did you forget you in Phantom Seekers memories all ready?"

"How do you know that?"

"Well it's really simple actually. I met Phantom, implanted a memory into his head and protected it with a spell that only you could brake through. After that I drove him mad knowing that Celestia would send you to fix things. Now let me ask you something. What do you think I am?"

"Your a unicorn, I can see that."

"sigh Such a shame. Blinded by what your eyes are telling you."

"Then correct me, what are you?"

"Oh Twilight you'll learn what I am soon enough."

The unicorn walked closer to her, and his eyes shifted from their blue color to a deep, dark red.

"You'll find out who I am.......When your world BURNS!"

The unicorn stomped on the ground and fire flared up everywhere. yet the stallion remained just as dark and shadowy.

"And when your world is consumed by fire......you shall burn with it."

The stallion eyes burst into flames. and just as the fire around her began to burn her coat she was then yanked from her dream, and she found herself back in the police station screaming. The doors to that small room burst open as Sharif Redwood and several guards ran in.

"Princess are you all right?"

As Twilight continued screaming, Discord grabbed her shoulder, turned her around and gave her a firm slap to the face.

"TWILIGHT CALM DOWN!" Discords action were met with a shocked expression and a now silent princess.

As Twilight began to calm down she finally spoke. " Thanks Discord, I needed that."

"What happened in there? What did you see?"

Phantom was standing and looking at Twilight with a worried expression. Twilight stood up and began walking to the door.

"No time explain I have to write a letter to Princess Celestia at once."

Phantom grabbed her leg and help her in place. "Your not going anywhere until I get an answer."

"Twilight pried her leg free before speaking. "I couldn't see him well enough to tell who he was. But he did tell be something."

"What?" everyone asked i unison.

"He said I would meet him. When our world burns."

Author's Note:

Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. I was extremely busy last week. But now that marching band is starting to wind down a bit I should be able to get new chapters our on a fairly regular basis.

Thanks for all your support so far. I really appreciate it.

Comments

[Scorch191]

Great chapter I don't understand why people down vote it though

[Phantomslayer230]

5048091 guess some people just don't see greatness like others do.