Jewel Of Nightmares

by Darksonickiller

A New Land, A New Horror

Chapter 2
A New Land, A New Horror

It was a bleak light that Rainbow woke up to, her eyes squinted as she tried to see and make out the world around herself. Everything seemed to be near dark but never truly crossing over, yet the dim light was hardly enough to see things moving beyond twenty feet at best. Beyond that everything seemed like a blur as the wind blew dust around, carrying a faint howl of a wounded animal with it.

Slowly Rainbow followed what she heard seeking out the animal in question. As she drew closer and closer the animal appeared to be moving further away from her, taking a chance Rainbow jumped as she spread her wings only to feel herself fall down and fumble. Stopping for a moment she flapped her wings as hard as she could, only finding she could come off the ground by a foot at the most.

Yet even still she only fell back down panting and wheezing for air, with a groan she turned her attention back towards the animal she heard. Only to discover it had gone further out of her hearing. Taking a step forward Rainbow felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, the faint sounds of movement just outside of her sight made her jump and twitch with each.

“Who’s there?” She asked hearing the movements again as they sounded to be encircling her.

The first to attack caused Rainbow to jump away from it, only to find herself face to face with a creature the likes of which she never seen before. Its body appeared to be non-existent as smoke waffeded off its body, its eyes shined a dark orange before slowly turning a blood red. Even its body changed from a calm wafting appearance to violent jet streams shooting away.

As it tried to bite Rainbow she quickly dove to the side, with a faint bit of luck she didn’t find one standing there and ran as fast as she could. She could hear the creatures giving chace, constantly trying to bite her, some even jumped at her only to tackle their fellow members and attack them. Rainbow couldn’t see it but she heard one crunch as she ran, followed by the sounds of a few pack members devouring the dead.

Running as fast and for as long as she could, Rainbow tried to keep up with the landscape as it came at her. Before long she soon found herself running into a cave only to hear the creatures growl and dig at the ground towards the entrance. Something was keeping them out, what she didn’t know but was more than grateful to feel a sense of relief from them.

As she calmed down, Rainbow soon saw a few pages and what could only be a part of a journal cover. *I don’t know how long I’ve been here since I opened the gate, but clearly this world is not like my home.* The first of the few pages read as Rainbow gathered them up, *Even the creatures here are different in how they act, it doesn’t matter if they eat their own kind to them food is food. I tried eating what little vegetation is here, but the taste alone was enough to induce vomiting. The water is even worse as there is a foul smell that comes from it, I don’t know how these creatures survive. But clearly no pony I know would be able to live here. One thing I have noticed, there are some areas these creatures don’t go. And it often depends on which creatures can’t go where, like something blocks that group or only allows a specific group through. I can only ponder what it is and why.*

“Somepony has actually been here?” Rainbow groaned as she looked at the last couple of pages, only to see random scribbles and markings that made no sense to her.

Looking around she soon saw an old saddle bag covered in dust, it wasn’t hers yet she felt she it could come in handy later. For what reason she didn’t know. All she could be thankful for is the fact those creatures were forced to sit and pace outside of the cave.

The notes Rainbow had were clearly incomplete, and missing far more pages than she could hope for. Looking at what remained of the back binding, the journal had to be at least twice as thick as any Daring Do book she had. But who would carry around a journal that big, and for what reason?

Answers she knew she would have to look for later as one of the few pages she had mentioned something she saw earlier.

*In all honesty I should have just left that damn thing where I found it. That damn jewel has been nothing but trouble, bringing me here when it pleases, often keeping a rift open for months on end with these horrors pouring through. I can be thankful that most of them die off just after crossing over, not sure what causes it or why, but I’m thankful all the same. The only group that didn’t die, and still plague my home land are those damned shadow beasts. Not sure what else to call them, but it seems fitting, the smoke coming off their body almost makes them appear like they are shadows. Our only saving grace is that they can’t seem to take the sunlight in my world, they must have evolved to this harsh environment and extreme low lighting. When I went to hunt them down, I caught one straggler in an open field just as the sun came over the horizon. The painfilled scream it let out still haunts my darkest nightmares, when I close my eyes I can sometimes still make out its shape and how it squirmed in the sunlight. Its death took the better part of two hours, and yet the pain was so intense to the creature that it couldn’t run to save itself. And I was too paralyzed by its screams to do anything for it. I pray they never evolve beyond what they are, for if they even gain a small amount of resistance to our sun, I don’t think any living thing will stand a chance against a horde of them. When I get back home, I’m going to use the runes I’ve discovered in this world to bind that damn thing. And then I’m going to cast it into the darkest reaches of the dream realm, where I hope nopony should find it. Or at least if they do, they never mess with it.*

Thinking back Rainbow recalled the jewel sitting in Twilight’s castle, how it just dragged her into this world. It then became clear to Rainbow that this world has had only one other visiter, but how they got out each time was the real question she needed answered. The obvious thing to her that he had got out was his statement of being pulled in at random, how he planned on dealing with the jewel, but most of all his extensive knowledge of this world that he brought back with him.

Whomever this pony was, they clearly would have kept the more important parts of the journal. But what fell out and was left behind could help to give Rainbow the best way out, or at the least she hopped for. Looking at the shadow beasts Rainbow examined how the reacted to one another, at best she could tell they didn’t have any hierarchy among themselves as they seemed to fight each other.

And should a fight make contact with another beast, that one joined in till at least one died and the others feasted upon its carcass. It was hard for her to tell how many were there as the smoke rising from them mixed and blurred, but for now it didn’t matter as the cave was the only place she could rest for the time being. She hoped they would grow board and leave soon, but what seemed clear to her was the fact they were hungry and any meal would do.

Looking out at the sky Rainbow noticed it slowly grew darker, and not a single star shined in the sky. She had hoped it would be easier to see at night, using whatever passed for a moon or even the star filled sky to light her way. Sadly it seemed that was not the case as the world outside grew darker with each passing second.

Once it was pitch black Rainbow heard the beasts start to whimper and growl, though the sound suggested they were turned away from Rainbow. Trying to guess what was bothering them Rainbow soon saw a white figure slowly crawl out of the ground, how she could see it was anypony’s guess but the sounds of fear from these beasts almost made her feel safe. Slowly it walked towards her causing the beasts to, for a lack of a better word, go crazy as they seemed to petrified to move.

As this new creature neared the cave, Rainbow felt around and found a large boulder to hide behind. Peeking out she saw this new creature appeared to be a unicorn, while at the same time it wasn’t. Across its body where fur should have been she only saw dragon like scales, thinking about Spike; Rainbow noticed that while her purple little friend’s scales were slightly more rigid.

This creature however, the scales were smoother and more rounded than Spike’s. As it came to a stop Rainbow was almost glad to see a pony of some kind, she nearly came out of hiding to greet her would be saviour. Only to dive back behind the boulder as she watched its face take on a horrid look, its eyes began to grow darker than the world around it, its mouth became elongated as it let out a low bellowing sound.

Rainbow could only hear what happened as the sounds of a fight started soon after. She didn’t know who to cheer for, the ones who guarded her only way out or the scary new figure that came out. Rainbow was unsure of how long the fight lasted between the two, only that when it came to an end she wished she hadn’t flown through Twilight’s window today.

“I know you’re in there.” A soft voice called out to Rainbow, “Please stop hiding, you know how I hate to have my limits tested. Or are you still the same conniving bitch I always remembered you as?” Rainbow slowly stepped out to see the white creature standing unharmed, as if nothing had ever happened to it despite the sounds of conflict earlier, “Don’t keep me waiting, your runes may keep me out, but there is nothing stopping me from collapsing the cave in on top of you. Even if you did live I’d make it your tomb.”

Looking up at the creature Rainbow waved her hoof in front of its face, “You’re blind?” Rainbow asked causing the creature to twitch its head towards her voice.

“Someone new?” It asked as it leaned down to smell the air, “Strange, you don’t smell new to me.” Taking another deep whiff it faintly sighed, “Then again your kind always smelled the same to me, even that third one who came here.”

“Somepony else is here?” Rainbow asked in excitement hoping to have more help.

“Was here, she left this place eons ago.” Looking to its left it continued to explain, “Though she didn’t leave this place as she came her, she was different, something latched on, but that parasite always did linger around that gate. I’d have to say that of all those who came here she was the lucky one, dropped in right next to the exit.”

“Can you tell me where that is, I’d like to get back home.” Rainbow pleaded with the creature, hoping it would listen to reason.

“Now why would I allow you to leave so easily?” It asked as its face slowly returned to the horrid look it gave before the fight bringing with it a deeper more grading voice, “When its been so long since I’ve had a taste of your kind, the sucklant flavor that almost makes my mouth melt as I taste it. These hounds do nothing for the taste, and I haven’t eaten since she was here.”

“Since who was here?” Rainbow asked as she sat down to hug the satchel.

“Why the first of your kind to come to this world, our first visiter from a new place, oh how she learned to trick and tease me. I would pull her back into this world with my hunger, but I could never make her land where I wanted her. So I would hunt her down, only to lose her as she escaped.” Rainbow couldn’t see it yet she could hear the dripping of saliva as the creature spoke, “She learned how to keep me from dragging new victims here by branding my flank, I could never remove it and I never learned how she caught me off guard. How that bitch angers me so, and yet I want to eat her flesh. Tell me, where is she now?”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” Rainbow whimpered causing the creature to relax and regain its casual face.

“Telling me the truth won’t save you, yet I’ve always found it more fun to play with my food.” Pacing back and forth it groaned as Rainbow now hoped there was somepony in this world who could help her, “I’ve got it. To the South West of here is a cave she once hid in, make it in two days and I won’t eat your leg. Fail and you will wake up with one less limb. In that cave you will find more pieces of whatever that bitch kept tearing apart, not that it would help you as she kept most of it. I think she did it to taunt and toy with me, that thing carried her scent for months driving me crazy. If I had to guess it was unimportant beyond that playing around.”

“So if you don’t know what it was, then you are blind aren’t you?” Rainbow asked hoping she could use the same trick that last pony did to trick her new tormenter, though all she had to use was her mane and tail hair to pull it off.

“Sight is relative in this world, as she and I no doubt guess you as well have learned. The way you see, and the way any of us here see are different and varied. These beasts for example track using their minds, they feel out the psychic world around themselves and chase after the tiniest bit of weakness in this world.” That bit of information was enough to give Rainbow an explanation as to why they ate their own and why their eyes didn’t have pupils, “When I started to come out of the ground they felt nothing and knew what it meant, my mind was clear and empty causing confusion among their younger members. The more experienced were looking for a way to escape, but knew I wouldn’t let them get far.”

“And you see by sense of smell.” Rainbow stated as she felt around for something sharp to trim her hair.

“Catching on.” It replied slowly turning to walk away, “My counterpart is coming, and I’d rather not be here when it arrives. When conflict between us is had, nothing within ten miles is left standing. And anything between that tenth mile and two hundred further out is blown away and killed. Maybe one day when I grow tired of this life I’ll seek out death and have one last glorious fight.”

As it walked away Rainbow called out to it, “Wait, which way is South West?”

“She figured that out, why can’t you?” It replied as the distance between them grew greater till Rainbow could no longer see it.

Before long Rainbow could hear then soon feel the ground shaking, as something walked by her. Without warning Rainbow soon felt a gust of wind kicking up and blowing dirt and dead beasts around, yet she could see nothing as it moved through the area. Was this unseen thing the counterpart that creature spoke of, and if so then where was it?

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[Grey Goat Gal]

When I get back home, I’m going to use the runes I’ve discovered in this world to bind that damn thing. And then I’m going to cast it into the darkest reaches of the dream realm, where I hope nopony should find it. Or at least if they do, they never mess with it.*

As soon as the dream realm was mentioned, I thought of Luna.