Chronicles of Arche

by Spellbounder

Ch.15- Recurring Nightmare

Two whole days had passed now since the Equestrian Games. Arche had remained secluded in his basement since then, unable to face the outside world. How could he, after the horrific encounter with his dead comrade Zed Blaze? The corpse of the changeling Arche had killed that day during the Royal Wedding looked as if it was staring down on him. Judging him, a reminder of his endless cause. For the eradication of all changelings. Yet his mind was cracked, thinking such horrible thoughts he’d never conjure in the past. There was no way Arche could ever do anything wrong to Celestia. If it wasn’t for her, he doubts he’d be where he was today. Time and time again, he wanted to give up, the trauma those changelings inflicted upon the poor unicorn burned deep into his soul. Princess Celestia kept him standing when all Arche wished for was to fall, caring not what fate had in store. She truly was the light to his darkness, and she still could be.

“I have to see her. This pain…it’s just too great for me to handle alone.”

“You were never alone until that day, Admiral.”

Covering his ears with his hooves, Arche tried desperately to block out the voices. Silence was never possible for him. If not the luring taunts and vengeful roars from the voice of his deceased comrade, Zed Blaze, Arche would hear the sound of hissing. The hissing of a changeling, preparing to strike, feast on his love, end his life. Tears began to drip down his eye, his whole body shivering in fear.

“Why is this happening to me? When will it all end!?!”

Zed Blaze stood beside the tank. His pale glare was truly a haunting sight for the unicorn admiral.

“Just leave me alone, Blaze! You won’t haunt my mind with your blasphemous words!”

“You really think that’s the reason I’m here? It is your guilt, your fear, your ANGER that summoned me. Celestia can’t take that away from you. She’ll only suppress it, just as horrible and pathetic as taking those pills of yours.”

The bottle laid on his desk a few feet from the tank. Taking them now seemed pointless at this point. The effects weren’t permanent, and Arche would be suffering the same mental trauma all over again since the games. No, there had to be another way to rid his mind of this cancerous illusion.

“Sleep…..I haven’t slept in two whole days…..yes…that’s all I need….then I’ll be able to face her majesty with a focused mind.”

Getting the smallest bit of courage to stand, Arche slowly began climbing the stairs, refusing to look at Blaze, or the changeling tank.

“You’re doing it again, Admiral. You’ve claimed a changeling can’t deceive you with its disguise, but what about the disguise you’ve made for yourself? Masking your pain, smiling in the face of the common ponies. You’ve done this for decades, and what have you to prove of it? It’s eating you alive, Arche. Sleep alone won’t cure it. You know, and I know what needs to be done!”

Arche slams the door behind him, making his way to his bed. He tries to ignore the pile of mail by his door, a blue envelope lays on top of it all. None of that was important to him. Arche had to clear all unwanted thoughts from his head if he was ever going to come down from this. Laying his head on the pillow, covering his body with a blanket, the unicorn attempted to simply close his eye, and go to sleep. At first, the hissing consumed his mind. Visions of their glaring buggy eyes stalking him like a hunter preparing to strike. Arche found himself back once again in the Everfree Forest. This sent unimaginable shivers down his spine, already feeling the black vines wrap around his hooves. The hissing grew louder once more, then the voices returned. The horrific nightmare he endured at the Equestria Games had been unleashed a second time.

“No…please no…..I don’t deserve this….I DON’T DESERVE THIS!!!!”

“You…must…..pay…..YOU KILLED US ALL!!!”

This time, the vines dragged Arche below ground. What appeared before him made the poor unicorn scream in absolute terror. The corpses of his squad were crawling through the black vines like cockroaches. Five of them in total, each grabbing one of Arche’s limbs to feast upon.

“You killed us all!”

“Death is all you deserve!”

“You’re a fool, believing in your Princess!”

“Where is our justice!?!”

“Suffer as we have!”

All Arche could do is scream, tears flowing down his eye, begging for it all to just end. Little did he realize, it was about to take a completely different turn. The vines quickly hurled Arche out of the ground, but the corpses of his squad followed after him. They climbed through the dirt like the living dead, limping towards Arche with moans of sorrow and pain. His whole body was shaking. This was true fear Arche hadn’t witnessed in a long time, similar to that horrid day.

“You can’t escape your past.”

“There is no hope for you!”

This is when a flashing light erupted out of the forest. One of the deceased ponies suddenly is blasted with a blue glow of energy, causing it to vanish. It had come from above.

“What do you know of hope, foul monsters?”

That voice, Arche was thinking, it sounded so familiar.

“Back to thy nightmarish pit from whence you came!”

Another blue glow strikes the rest of the undead ponies, all vanishing before Arche. He looks up in shock at the sight before him. Elegant wings flapping in the air, a mane flowing with such majestic beauty. They had never met personally, but her name was known throughout all of Equestria. It was the sister, the beautiful Alicorn who watched over all dreams, from filly to foal. As well as mare to stallion. It was-

“Princess…..Luna?”

She descended in front of Arche, a smile on her face. The Admiral was speechless, if she was here, then this was all just a dream?

“It….It all looked so real….am I…actually still asleep?”

“You are, Arche Stone, though you haven’t in quite a while. Your dreams are to be a place of comfort and safety. Yet there is only danger here. I couldn’t bear to just lay witness to this any longer. I am here to help you.”

Author's Note:

Introducing our special guest, Princess Luna!!!! What shall the Princess of the Night do to help the suffering Admiral?