Origins of Sunny Town

by Zero Zivan

Deadly Nightmare

Sunny Town – Deadly Nightmare
By Zero Zivan A.K.A. Skyjagged
A fanmade response to a fanmade game
Story of the Blanks
Inspired by My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
With a guest OC appearance: OverlordK’s Midnight Shadow

I open my eyes. I’m standing in a dark forest, surrounded by nothing but trees and brush. I’ve been here before. Just like it was before, the forest is sealed. There are no exits. And although I am safe, I know that I soon won’t be.

Scarlet lights begin to appear in the deeper recesses of the forest, hidden in shadows. Each line up close together, making pairs of eyes. It’s all I can see of what life was once held in them. Each pair of eyes stares at me, beckoning, menacingly. Their stares spell out only one word: death.

The world shifts around me. Even though my legs aren’t moving, I am getting closer to those eyes. I try to back away, to go the other way, but there is no stopping it. My body continues to slide forward by some invisible pull. The red eyes begin to glow brighter. I’m close enough now that I can smell the rot coming off of them. Voices murmur almost inaudibly from their direction.

I’m almost in the darkness with them, now. They have all clustered together, waiting for me. Mouths hang open, blackened teeth barely lit up by the eerie glow in their eyes. There are five of them, in all. I don’t have to wonder at who they might be. But worse still is the knowledge of what will happen next. It’s impossible; I know it would never happen. But that doesn’t close out the fear as I enter the trees. The five monsters staring at me move in. I can now see their mangled bodies, alight with the same red fire in their eyes. Flesh and bone separate and intertwine all along their frames. It’s not them I’m looking at, though, as I turn to my right. A sixth creature is right beside me, staring at me like they do. This one is different, though… or at least, I had thought she was different. She lurches toward me, her hollow red eyes and skeletal grin the last thing I see before everything goes red. My body is filled with an inexplicable pain; it feels like I’ve been set on fire from the inside out, the horrible pain eating at my flesh and destroying my soul. When it finally reaches my brain, I scream.

“GHAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

I lurched out of bed, screaming in agony. My coat was covered in a cold sweat, and my sheets were soiled. I had to take several deep breaths before I could calm my racing heart, and then I rolled out of bed and curled up on the floor.

This wasn’t the first time I’d had this nightmare. It had been only a week since my visit to Sunny Town- may that name burn along with the town that carries it- and for the past few days, the same nightmare has plagued me each night.
The nightmare of my return to Sunny Town.

A bright grey hoof appeared in my doorway, followed by the head of a pony. Mitta looked in on me, her ruby eyes alight with concern. Her equally scarlet mane was ruffled from sleep, and she looked exhausted. “Jag?” she asked cautiously.

I could only sigh, berating myself for intruding on her sleep again. “Yeah, same nightmare.” Mitta walked into the room, standing over me protectively. “Where were you?”

“In the forest, just outside the path.”

Mitta dropped to the floor and curled up next to me. “They are getting worse,” she commented. It was no longer a question to her; she’d heard the nightmare before.

“Not worse,” I mumbled. “Just closer. It’s still just as bad as before.”

She nuzzled me gently. “It is only a dream,” she said, but the encouragement sounded hollow. I sighed, knowing it was useless to challenge the idea. “Yeah, I know…” I said instead.

“They can no longer hurt you.”

“No…” I muttered, trying to fall back asleep. Failing.

The rest of the night was spent in uncomfortable silence. I felt sure that Mitta was awake beside me the whole time, watching like a guardian angel. I couldn’t sleep anymore, so I kept watch, too. I only wished I could have said it was to reciprocate.

That morning, Mitta encouraged me to see a doctor, and I agreed after a weak resistance. Unfortunately, the diagnosis was no better than it had been the last time I visited, even though I had specifically chosen a different doctor.

“Physically, you’re just fine,” the tan-coated colt said, packing away his stethoscope. “Aside from a minor lack of exercise, there’s nothing wrong with you. The only explanation I can think of is emotional stress. You say these nightmares involve a close friend of yours, right?”

I sat up on the examination bench and glanced at Mitta, sitting on the floor beside me. To all other ponies, she was essentially invisible and inaudible, a ghost, so the doctor couldn’t possibly know that there was a third pony in the room. “Yes,” I answered.

“Was there a fight between the two of you?”

I looked back at him. More than you know, I thought, but the fight wasn’t between us. Instead, I said, “You could say that.”

“Then I think that’s where the issue is. I’d recommend counseling. If that’s what’s keeping you up at night, you’re never going to be able to sleep well until you get the problem solved.”

“Okay.” I didn’t bother to mention that the counseling would be one-sided, considering that I would have to speak for both Mitta and myself, unless I explained to said pony a story that would turn their world upside-down and probably do far more harm to them than help to me. I climbed down off of the table and made for the exit. The doctor called out good-naturedly, “Have a nice day!”

“You too,” I called back. This was the second time counseling had been brought up, but unfortunately I couldn’t put my faith in that system. The only solution I could hope to use without being branded a lunatic was to find something that involved me and me alone. Mitta tagged along as I walked. “I’m sorry it couldn’t have brought different results,” she sympathized.

“There wasn’t anything for it,” I responded calmly. “Fact is, I’ve just had a little trauma. All I need is some rest and I’ll be back to my best.”

“I only wonder how you can get that rest,” Mitta responded. I could tell that she was feeling a little down, herself, and I knew why. I stopped walking and faced her for a minute. “What happened was not your fault, Mitta. Not to her, and not to me. I don’t want you to be sad anymore, okay? I’m so happy to be your friend, and I just want you to be happy, too. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she responded, looking away. “I am sorry.”

“Don’t be. Really.” I patted her shoulder and looked around. “Now, in order to get some rest, all I need is a little therapy. There’s, uh…” I looked down the road in Ponyville to the nearby spa. The ponies who ran the place were good at what they did, sure, but… somehow, an all-out spa treatment just seemed a little too girly for me. Okay, a lot girly. Besides which, it was pricey to get in.

That left only one other place. It made me shudder to think of going there, but…

Mitta stepped in front of me. “Is something wrong, Jag?”

I blinked a few times, clearing my head. “Uh, yeah. I mean, no. No, nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking of where to go… I think Zecora’s place would be the best bet for me.”

Mitta blinked. “Zecora? Is she not that… Zee-brah pony that you told me about?”

“Zebra, yeah.” I shrugged, turning around to start out toward the local herbalist’s home. “Hey, she knows better about potions and remedies than the spa does.”

“That is not what concerns me. Are you certain you want to go back? You should not push yourself so hard if…”

“I’ll be fine, Mitta.” I leaned against her a little bit as we walked, trying to be playful. “That old forest doesn’t scare me anymore.”

Mitta kept quiet as we walked. I could practically hear her thoughts in my own head, though. The forest where Zecora lived wasn’t what was supposed to scare me. Six mares had gone into the forest and come out just fine. Later, one of those same six had gone in with a little filly and again left safely. I had even gone in myself just as they were leaving, and gotten out unscathed.

Well, unhurt, but probably not unscathed. It was during that trip to the Everfree Forest that I met Mitta and her… unlucky friends. On the night I went in, I learned not only that there was a town in the forest, but also the terrible truth behind that town. My subsequent escape was something that had haunted me for some time, but having brought Mitta back with me had made it less of a trial. I wanted to be strong for her, to prove to her that there was no longer any reason to fear Sunny Town, because we were never going to go back.

And now, here I was, going into the Everfree Forest. It was hardly a return trip to that accursed town, but it was enough to give both Mitta and me our share of worries. As soon as we reached the edge of the path leading into the forest, Mitta hunkered low to the ground and wouldn’t budge.

I didn’t bother asking what was the matter. “You gonna be okay, out here by yourself?”

“I would not dare set hoof under those trees again.” Her words were firm, much unlike the wide, scarlet eyes that stared up pleadingly at me. “Must you go in?”

Honestly, I blanched inwardly. If I had hesitated, though, I was certain that one of us was going to jump on it, and I would never be able to visit Zecora. For her, if not as much or more so for me, I responded immediately, “Yes. I do.”

I didn’t mean for it to come out sounding authoritative, but I thought it did. I quickly bent down to apologize. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to be rude. I just… I can’t sit around, brooding like this forever. It’s a great way to get a grey mane at an early age, and I prefer green. Now, I shouldn’t be gone long. You just stay here, and if you see any red eyes, you run the other way. Okay?”

That last part was meant to be a joke, but neither of us saw the humor in it. Mitta just nodded. “Okay,” she responded, copying my nonchalant vocabulary. “I will.”

“Good. Back before you know it.” I left Mitta to stare at the ground in her silent way.

Even in daylight, the walk through the Everfree Forest was as uncomfortable as I’d expected it to be. I kept glancing everywhere, making sure no eyes were following me, that the ground wasn’t stirring as something dug its way up from underneath. Twice I forced myself to keep my eyes forward, but it was an uneasy habit I just couldn’t shake. The discomfort forced me into a trot, and then a light gallop. In seconds, I was standing outside of an old tree, one that had grown so large that the owner had cut a door and two windows into the base. From the candlelight inside, I could see all sorts of colorful and oddly-shaped bottles hanging from vines. I decided to wait until I was inside to admire the decorations; staring into the windows would be prying and awkward. I lifted a hoof and knocked on the door.

“Um… Miss Zecora? I have a problem I think you can help with…”

No answer. I waited for a few seconds, then shrugged. Guess she’s not home, I thought, turning to walk away. Maybe it was for the best; I wasn’t all that good at making new friends, and introducing myself to a pony – well, zebra – from out of the country would be even more difficult. I sure wasn’t giving the spa a second thought, but maybe counseling wasn’t such a bad idea after-

The door creaked open. “Who is this at my door I see?” a deep mare voice questioned to herself. “A brand new face; a pegasus pony!”

I turned back. Zecora stood in the doorway with a friendly smile on her face. Even if those stripes weren’t unmistakable, the gold hoops draped around her neck, right leg, and tail and clipped into her ears definitely weren’t. “Um, h-hello…” I stammered.

“Well then, come, come, my young pony friend!” Zecora turned and walked into her home, beckoning me to follow. “Let’s see what needs I must attend.”

Her odd speech aside, I’ll freely admit I was a little curious to follow, if only to learn more about the herbalist and not to get help for my dilemma. I followed her inside and got my first look at her home.

It was surprisingly well decorated, and as I looked around I had to wonder just how long our latest Ponyville addition had lived here. Masks adorned the walls, and even more bottles lined shelves all over the place. Where did she get all of this stuff? I found myself wondering. If all of this grows in the Everfree Forest, is it really as dangerous as we thought, or is it just the animals? She’s sure been taking care of herself easily enough. But, she is from another country… maybe they’re less gentle than we are. I mean – is that a leopard-skin bed??

“Welcome to my humble home,” Zecora announced, sweeping a hoof around. “Now, what sickness do you need atoned?”

“Oh. Well, it’s not a sickness, per se… at least, I don’t think it is. I’ve been having nightmares, and they’re all the same. I think I need to get something out of my head… I can’t think of much else.”

“More details, please! I must know all to make the proper potion for your house call.” Zecora started to shift through herbs as she spoke. Even to a total stranger, she seemed surprisingly willing to help.

“Um, okay… It’s about something I kind of stumbled into the last time I came to the Everfree Forest.” This was the first time I’d been prompted to discuss Sunny Town since my visit to the princesses a week ago. How could I possibly discuss something like this with a zebra I’d only just met? Maybe it was better to start at the beginning – no, a history lesson probably wasn’t what she needed. An acquaintance, maybe? Somepony who we both knew, who also knew about Sunny Town… no, impossible. Zecora only knew a handful of ponies, and only two could –

Actually, now that I thought about it, Twilight Sparkle had been the main reason Zecora had managed to find a place in our society. And the only reason Twilight had been willing to face her was because of Apple Bloom, the same little filly who had left the Everfree Forest at the same time I went in that night. Not only that, but she had specifically said that “Zecora was right”, “she couldn’t trust the night”. Mitta had even corroborated my thoughts just before our escape from Sunny Town, saying that Apple Bloom had indeed seen just what I had seen. That was my best bet to keep from sounding crazy. Then again, if I was going to compare my sanity to the strong imaginations of little fillies…

Zecora was now sitting on her flanks, watching me patiently, but obviously expectant of an answer. I swallowed hard. “Well, you know Apple Bloom, right?”

“Indeed! How is the little one?” Zecora smiled again. “I have not seen her since the fear was done.”

I had to guess from her odd, rhyming words that she meant either her acceptance into Ponyville, or the more recent escapade into Sunny Town. I chose the latter. “The fear? I guess you mean what happened a week ago, then.”

Zecora cocked her head, the smile replaced with confusion. “Tell me, please, what do you mean? I recall no such time that I have seen.”

“Well, it was really just hearsay,” I muttered, rubbing the back of my mane with a hoof. “I just overheard her talking about something you told her that night, that’s all. You said that she couldn’t trust the night, and she was talking about how she’d been scared…”

I looked up, and instantly regretted saying anything. The zebra’s face had hardened considerably, and she was watching me almost in suspicion. Nevertheless, she continued to press me. “You seem not the pony to choose forests over sky. Is this what you are troubled by?”

“Not exactly.” Her icy gaze was starting to creep me out. “It’s because I saw what scared her.”

Zecora was not surprised. She got to her hooves and walked over to her cauldron, beckoning me again. After I was a few hooves away from it, she stopped me as she gathered ingredients and mixed them in, chanting all the while in a strange language beyond even her rhymes. I shuddered as smoke rose from the cauldron, somehow causing not warmth, but a chill to spread in the room. The candles all blew out at once, leaving only the green glow from the oversized pot for visibility. I almost tried to run out the door, but something kept me seated there, some enchantment or maybe just my own curiosity. Zecora sat back across from me, barely visible through all the smoke, and continued to chant, staring at the cloud forming overhead. I could see her eyes filling with fear, and somehow, deep in my bones, I knew that she was seeing what lay just outside of her home.

The chanting stopped abruptly, the smoke withdrawing into the cauldron perfectly on cue. The entire enchantment had ended as suddenly as it had begun, and I jumped to my hooves in surprise. “What was that? What did you see?”

Zecora only walked up to me and started to nudge me toward the door from behind. “Zecora, please, what happened?”

“My help is not what you should seek,” Zecora said bluntly. “Your friendship is what started the events of this week. The only way to repair this terrible curse is to do what you did in previous verse.”

“What does that mean?” I struggled to get my hind hooves firmly against the floor, but she was pushing me out the door too quickly. “Come on, Zecora, give me something to work with, here!”

By now I was out the door. With one final shove, Zecora launched me out onto the dirt path that had led me to her home, and now held the door in one hoof, in case I tried to get back in. “It is not I who can help bring about amends. To put a stop to this-” Zecora raised her other hoof and pointed out of the forest – “look to your friends.”

With those parting words, she slammed the door shut.

I returned to Mitta dejectedly. She was exactly where I’d left her, though now she was watching the woods carefully, waiting for my return. “What did she say?” she asked, trotting up alongside me as I emerged from the woods.

“I’m not really sure,” I mumbled. “She was talking in rhyme. But she did say that the only way to fix this is to get help from my friends.” I decided not to mention the ‘curse’ part Zecora had mentioned; it was probably nothing, anyway. Still, if the whole Sunny Town thing still had a role to play, I preferred not to tell Mitta she wasn’t done with that horrible place.

“You mean one of your friends can help with your nightmares? Do you know a… sy… psy…chiatrist… personally?”

I smirked, noticing how Mitta was freely accepting that Zecora would inexplicably know a cure for nightmares would be friendship related, even though it made no sense. “No, not a psychiatrist… but there are only two friends here, besides you, who could help.”

“Then, should we visit them?”

“Well, Leech isn’t easy to find until nightfall,” I said, thinking out loud. I noticed Mitta wince, drawing another smirk from me as I remembered their first encounter. I let it go and pressed on. “Then again, the Doc is hardly ever around anyway. Always says something about how he has to fix problems in the timeline, or something… I guess we may as well search for Leech. Doc’ll probably show up sooner or later.”

Mitta frowned. “Will he be as much trouble as the last time we met?”

“Aw, come on, Mitta. He’s not that bad.”

“He called me a foal,” Mitta mumbled, finding something interesting in the dirt again as we walked.

“He called you a ‘dummy’, and that was because he thought you weren’t real. Like a statue. I thought we discussed this that night.”

Mitta still wasn’t happy. “Cheer up, Mitta. If you don’t want to talk to him, you don’t have to. I can find him on my own, if you want. You won’t even have to see him-”

“Too late.” A third voice jumped into our conversation as a colt’s face dropped from the air just in front of us. Mitta stopped in mid-stride, while I jumped back, making a foalish whinny of surprise.

“Aww, I’m not that scary, am I?” The tanned colt asked, putting on a fake frown and turning over in mid-air. The Pegasus lowered himself to the ground on equally dust-colored wings, folding them over a vanity-mirror cutie-mark. “I heard you two talking about me. Wasn’t it the last time we met you said something about ‘we have better things to discuss than your ugly mug’?” he grinned, as if he’d accomplished some major triumph.

“You are being vain,” Mitta responded, turning her snout up a little in the air.

“Just stop, guys,” I held out a hoof to Leech’s chest. “You’re giving me a headache.”

“Ruin my fun,” Leech shrugged. “Well, you were looking for me. What did you want?”

“Well, since Mitta and I got out, I’ve been having nightmares.”

“Pssh.” Leech grinned. “That’s all? You don’t think maybe it’s just because you had a bad night? I’m pretty sure it’s normal to have nightmares after you walk into something that serious-”

“They are the same nightmare,” Mitta snapped. “He is pulled into the forest and killed. And every night, he is closer to the forest than the last. I believe this is a message.”

“Oh, please. You two are just overreacting.” Leech jumped into the air and started to circle us on his wings. “I guarantee if you want this out of your head, just go to a haunted house or something – a good one, mind you, not those stupid fake ones – and you’ll end up having nightmares about that, instead. Seriously, colt up. It’ll pass.”

I thought that over for a minute. Maybe he was right… maybe this really was all just in my head. Something that time would fix. Mitta, however, was not convinced. “There is more to it than that.”

“Fine. If you insist, I’ll scare it out of you myself.” Leech swerved in the air, poising as if he was about to tackle me.

“That’s not going to work,” I said, watching him closely. “If you can’t help, say so. Don’t beat around the bush with all that ‘I’ll scare it out of you’ stuff.”

“I didn’t say I couldn’t help,” Leech answered, his good attitude spoiled by my belittling. He glared at me as he dropped to the ground again. “Scares are a perfectly good solution to these kinds of problems.”

“Pass. Honestly, just drop it.” I picked up where I had left off before Leech had appeared, continuing toward Ponyville. Mitta silently followed behind me. “Maybe Doc will have something for me.”

“What?” Leech didn’t take the cue to leave, and instead trotted up on my left, opposite Mitta. “You think some crazy old guy with a bunch of electricity and metal is going to have more for you than me? That’s dumb.”

“It’s called ‘technology’, and it’s a far sight better than your stupid scare tactics.” I picked up speed, trying to outdistance him as politely as possible. My attention was aimed fixedly at the main entrance to Ponyville, so I didn’t notice the strange shape darting out of the trees to my left. Before I could react, the dark black shape of a pony had plowed into me, knocking me sidelong to the dirt. Mitta screamed, but before she could do anything, I felt something sharp dig into my neck.

I thought for a minute that the sudden nature of the attack had stunned me so badly that I couldn’t even feel my body changing, the way I could in my nightmares. At least the lack of agony was comforting…

Somepony started to spit. “Well? Pffffft… bleck. Well, did it work?”

My eyes opened slowly, and I only then started to realize that I’d closed them. “Huh?”

“Get away from him!!” Mitta practically screamed, shoving my attacker off of me. “What is the matter with you??”

My assailant got to his feet, the pockmarked legs recognizable even before I saw the rest of him. The insect-like shell that ran along the back branched off into equally hole-filled bug wings. Normally, the wings, combined with the horn on his head, would have given the impression that he was an Alicorn. Then again, Leech’s kind was far from being normal ponies. “No!” I yelled. “No, Leech, it did not ‘work’! I told you to forget about that scare tactic! Ugh… I think you gave me a freaking heart attack!”

“Good, then my work’s done!” Leech grinned yet again, showing off the vampire fangs that he’d dug into me. In his true form, Leech looked possibly more fearful than Mitta and her old friends did. But then, I knew what the Changelings were like, and their brand of misbehavior did not even begin to compare to that of the Nightmares. “Just holler if you need anything else.”

“Why am I friends with you, again?” I growled, rubbing my neck. “Am I bleeding?”

“Undoubtedly.” Mitta’s voice was stone-hard and ice-cold.

“Again, you two are overworked.” Leech rolled his eyes as he pointed at me. “You’re not bleeding, dude, I barely got the tips of my teeth in your neck. See? Check your hoof. Any blood?”

I didn’t bother to comply. “Come on, Mitta. We still have to find the Doc.”

“Awww, why’s it always gotta be like that?” Leech trotted up alongside us yet again. “Come on, don’t brush me off like that. I’m a sensitive colt.”

“You’re so full of it.” I glanced over at him as we followed the beaten path. “Honestly, some friend you are. All you’ve ever done is get yourself into trouble and generally piss me off.”

“Not until recently.” Leech lifted himself into the air so that he could raise a front hoof in objection, his wings buzzing like a fly’s. “Ever since Mitta showed up, you’ve been a lot more touchy. Besides, if it hadn’t been for my help, you would never have even gotten her up to the Princesses. Or was that a lie, too?”

I sighed. Unfortunately, he was right. My escapade in Sunny Town had left me far more sensitive than usual, and if I’d never met him, Mitta would never have been able to be at peace with the royalty of Canterlot. “All right, all right. You’ve had your share of usefulness.”

“Darn right.” Leech smirked, but I noticed a glimmer in his eyes of genuine pleasure.

I decided that had to be corrected. “Still doesn’t explain why you’re following us around, though.”

“It is obvious,” Mitta put in. “He is lonely, and has nothing better to do with his time than to prey on the only ponies who will at least tolerate his presence.”

“Oooh, cold burn,” I murmured, smiling.

“Now, that’s not fair,” Leech said, now hovering over the two of us. “You know I literally can’t live without you two. I feed on love, and you’re the only friends I have.”

Mitta glanced at me. “I was not aware there was love here.”

“Neither was I.” I looked up at Leech. “There something you know about us that we don’t, Cupid?”

“We’ve been over this,” Leech said, folding his legs over his chest and pouting like a foal. “Any positive emotion toward another pony is a form of love. Friendship might not be as powerful or tasty as direct love, but it’s definitely enough to keep a Changeling alive.”

“Well then, I’d say I’ve paid you back for all the little favors you’ve done for me.”

“And well beyond,” Mitta added.

“Oh, knock it off, you two. I may be a punk, but I don’t hold a grudge.” Leech patted our shoulders from his buzzing midair perch. “I still want to help. So I’ll stick around until your little nightmare problem is solved.”

“What joy,” Mitta mused bitterly.

After a long walk, we had managed to ask everypony who might have had even a minor clue as to where the Doc might have been about his whereabouts, with absolutely no luck. Leech had switched back to his tan-coated disguise just as we entered the town, and had even flirted with some of the mares as we came and went (with as much luck as we were having on our search, much to the amusement of Mitta and myself).

“This bites,” he grumbled, hanging upside-down in the air. “Is your buddy always this hard to find?”

“You’re one to talk,” I answered, my good mood back in full swing now that he was getting his. “The Doc’s got a pretty odd job. Most of what he says doesn’t make sense, but from what I’ve gathered, he travels across time and space to fix problems with-”

“Whoa, whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa.” Leech moved up in front of us, swinging his hooves to signal a stop. “Time and space? Please tell me this ain’t one of your friends from that ‘God’ world with two-wheeled carriages and weird holidays.”

I grinned openly. “Well, now that you mention it, yeah.”

“Oh, Celestia.” Leech covered his eyes as if he was fighting a migraine, and then turned to Mitta. “This is exactly why you can’t be around him all the time. You’ll feed his ridiculous ideas, like this crazy scientist pony who doesn’t exist.”

Leech was getting the wrong idea again, although with him it wasn’t all that surprising. Lifting a hoof, I said, “He’s not a scientist. Well, he doesn’t call himself that, anyway. He goes by-”

“The Doctor,” a new voice put in, this one the bright English tone of a colt who had fun even in troubling situations, and never gave two bits all the while. “Yes, that’s me!”

“Speak of the devil,” I muttered, glancing between Mitta and Leech with a knowing smile before turning around to meet our new arrival. “Doc! I’ve been looking all over town for you, man, where were you?”

“Actually, I’ve been here for about an hour, but I can’t find anything in this sleepy little town to suggest a break in the timeline,” the milk chocolate-colored colt replied, offering a hoof, which I shook. “I thought perhaps the TARDIS had experienced a bit of a flutter, but the old girl just won’t let me leave. Tell me, what’s the trouble out here in Ponyville?”

I blinked. “Um, there’s not a situation here, as far as I know.”

“Shame. Well then, I suppose I’ll just have to keep searching! Be seeing you, SkyJagged, my friend!” He turned to leave, flashing his hourglass cutie-mark.

“Um, wait, wait a minute, Doc, I just wanted to ask if you could help me out with a problem of my own.”

He turned back. “Well, of course! Maybe that’s the problem I’m looking for! What is it?”

“Well, something pretty bad happened when Luna returned to Ponyville. You know, the Princess?”

“Of course, all too well. What exactly happened, then?”

“Well, I think it’s been resolved, but I’ve just been having some pretty bad nightmares since then. They’re all the same thing. I was just wondering if you had some way to help me out with that.”

“Hm.” The Doc rubbed his chin. “Is that all? …Well, I suppose that this could affect your well-being and change whatever contribution you have in the future. That’s easy enough to fix. There’s a sort of hypnotist living in Canterlot who specializes in dreams. His name is Midnight Shadow. I’m sure that if you visited him, he could help fix this problem of yours.”

“Canterlot?” I sat back and rubbed my eyes. “That’s a ways off. Last week’s trip up there burned out my savings, and I haven’t had much better pay for weather duty. Barely have two bits to rub together…”

“Well, if that’s the only trouble, I’d be happy to take you there myself. That is, of course, if the TARDIS will be willing to let me travel now.”

The announcement was far from what I had expected. For just about the third time that day, I had been completely shocked by the turn of events. “…What?”

“Well, what better way to see if this is the event I’m looking for than to help you out, eh?” He turned tail and started off on his merry way. “Come on, come on, then! We haven’t got all day!”

I turned back to Leech and Mitta. Both seemed even more put off than me, but Mitta, at least, was doing her best to be supportive, waving me on with a small smile. Leech was just staring after Doc. I smiled at them, trying to offer my condolences for having to leave them behind, when Zecora’s parting words rang through my mind. “To put a stop to this, look to your friends.” It wasn’t a singular; Zecora had said ‘friends’. I had a feeling – just a feeling, nothing more, but still, it felt like Zecora’s purpose in that last line wasn’t just to keep the rhyme scheme going. I stood up and took a few hoofsteps forward. “Uh, Doc, I can’t just leave like this.”

He stopped and turned back. “What’s stopping you, SkyJagged?”

“Well, I just have this feeling… I want to have my friends with me. If it’s all right with you, I’d like them…” I stopped, realizing that Mitta was invisible to anypony who’d never heard of her. “Uh, I mean… I’d like my friend with me.”

“Not a problem, none whatsoever!” He turned away and continued walking, oblivious to my correction. “Your little friend and the other Pegasus are perfectly welcome to join us. Come along, then, best be on the move!”

I didn’t realize he had mentioned Mitta until the she and Leech fell in at what were apparently their official positions at my sides and we walked on. “Dude, he just said ‘your little friend’,” Leech whispered in my ear. “Have you told him about Mitta?”

“Not a word,” I muttered back. “Haven’t seen him since before this whole incident. But he is a Time Lord, so maybe he’s able to see things normal ponies can’t.”

Leech frowned. “But, then… why hasn’t he said anything about me?”

“What about you?”

There was more confusion in my voice than my face, but I think he noticed both, because he growled and rolled his eyes at me. “If he can see Mitta, what’s to say he can’t see what I really am?”

“Oh.” He had a fair point; the Doc hadn’t confronted Leech as being a Changeling. I couldn’t speak for him, but after a few seconds to think about it, I decided to give the best explanation I had. “Well, he didn’t say anything about Mitta being a zombie pony. Maybe he can only see part of what you look like. Sort of like… being able to see the good in a pony from the outside.”

“I don’t like it,” Leech grumbled, his eyes drifting ahead again, to where the Doc had stopped. “Not sure I want to come along on this trip anymore. Especially if it’s in that thing.” He pointed a hoof at the small building the Doc was waiting by, parked in a small patch of grass. Well, small was an understatement. It was hard to see how the thing could fit him alone, much less the four of us. But, if the thing was able to cross universes and time itself, maybe it worked like a wormhole or something. Step in from one side, and instantly step out through the other.

“Everyone inside!” the Doc called, pulling open one of the walls, which was apparently a door. From a closer perspective, I recognized it as an old phone booth from the world Leech was so skeptical about. Overhead, the words POLICE BOX were printed on the frame. The old thing looked about as English as the Doc himself. But then, it made sense. “Step lightly,” he continued, ushering us inside. “Watch the buttons, and don’t be pulling any levers. That’s my job.”

I went in behind Leech and Mitta, followed shortly by the Doc, who locked the door. The room was entirely different from what I had expected; rather than standing inside of a cramped phone booth, having to climb over each other for space, we were standing in an expansive metal room. It looked pretty plain, aside from the round booth in the center that offered all shapes and colors of buttons and levers to work with, but given that we were in a room that defied the limits of reality, the drab interior design was a minor deficiency. Openings on each side of the room led into even more rooms, revealing that the TARDIS was even more expansive than this single entrance implied. I started to move toward one, but the Doc cleared his throat, gathering our attention. “Now then,” he said, pulling out a small machine from a hidden drawer, “I’d like to know why you’ve got a beastie of a pony following you around.”

Mitta and Leech blanched, glancing around as covertly as possible, probably searching for a hiding place. I sat back and raised my hooves. “Doc, I can explain…”

“It seems we have a bit of an infestation here,” he continued, brandishing the odd cylinder, which seemed to be a laser, in his mouth. “I think he had better leave, or we may have trouble.”

“Whoa, hold on! Wait a minute!” I waved my forelegs, trying to bring down the threat level in the room. I heard a loud thump and skittering hooves against metal, which told me Leech had ducked for cover, probably behind the control panel. “Doc, he’s not a threat! He’s a friend!”

“For each encounter with a Changeling I’ve ever had, not one has been friendly,” he replied, skillfully moving his tongue around the device in his teeth. “How can you prove that this one is any different?”

“That’s easy! Because he’s been here for years, and nopony’s been hurt in all that time! Isn’t that proof enough?”

I glanced back behind the console. Mitta had joined Leech in his cover, and was apparently consoling him. I couldn’t make out a word she was saying, mostly because I was already focused on my own discussion. “I haven’t been here in that time,” Doc said. “And there’s no way you can know for sure that he hasn’t caused some manner of trouble here in Ponyville. I need proof from the man himself.”

The lack of the pony-related speech impediment that we had a common disconnection from aside, it was clear that the confrontation relied entirely on how well-behaved Leech could be.

He was dead.

We all turned to where Leech was still cowering behind the control board. “Well, come on, then.” The Doc tapped a hoof on the floor. “Get over here, Mr. Leech. I need to hear it from you.”

Surprisingly, Leech obediently got to his hooves, and with some light nudging from Mitta he walked up to the Doc, face-to-face. There was a moment of silence, and nopony stirred. After a few seconds, Leech dropped his disguise and started to speak.

“Look, I don’t know how to prove myself to you. Really, I don’t. All I can say is that I want to be around to help out here. I was following them because I want to make sure Jag gets some peace of mind. That’s all. You can lock me up or something if you want, just… please let me do this one thing.”

The Doc’s eyes narrowed. Mitta started to turn away, but my eyes were glued on the thin ice ahead of me. The Doc seemed just about ready to bite down on the button to his little contraption…

“That’s good enough for me.” He turned and walked back over to his secret drawer and opened it to drop the item inside. Then, without another word, he made his way back to the computer and started pushing a few buttons.

I found myself sharing stares between Leech and Mitta. “So…” Leech mumbled. “That’s it? You’re just… okay with that?”

“It’s a matter of profession to know when I can trust someone, Mr. Leech, and I can assure you that what you’ve just told me is all I need to know for you to have my trust. At least for the moment. Now then, once I’ve pushed this button here…”

He had slipped into a total monologue, leaving the rest of us to ponder his behavior. Leech turned away, beckoning us to follow him. “Is he for real?” he asked, covering his snout with a hoof. “Seriously, this has got to be a mind game of yours.”

“I told you already, I haven’t seen him in weeks. This is all new to me. Maybe you should just be happy he didn’t blast you with that whatever-thing of his and stop being secretive like this, before he changes his mind.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Leech, I promise that my sanity is in tip-top shape,” the Doc called from behind us, clearly realizing just what we were talking about. “The only thing we- Ah! Well, would you look at that, we’re moving!”

Mitta glanced around. “Are we?” she asked. “The room is not moving.”

“Shock absorbers, my dear!” The Doc replied, circling around the control booth. “The old girl’s full of them. Makes it far less of a bumpy ride than without, I can assure you, but unfortunately it doesn’t help much in the event of a crash.”

“Crash?” Leech’s ears shot up. “This thing has hit stuff before…” his eyes grew wider as the Doc stepped up beside him, “…and you’re not even driving??”

“Any time it has happened, Mr. Leech, was because the TARDIS was either under attack, bumping into other ships, or crossing an anomaly in space-time. I really doubt there are other ships or any kind of threat within space-time in this universe, and anomalies hardly even bounce the TARDIS, so just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

“We’re on a freakin’ death trap, and you expect me to relax? Especially after having a weapon aimed at me?”

“Oh, the sonic screwdriver’s hardly a real weapon, friend. I use it for repairs around the ship! Can’t even be used to harm a living thing, anyhow. The worst it’d probably do is knock you back a few paces.”

Leech’s glowing blue eyes dimmed. “You mean… that whole thing back there was a bluff??”

“Well, of course! I never threaten anyone if it’s within my power to send them on their merry way. I’m no killer, my dear Mr. Leech.”

“You scared the hay out of all three of us!” Leech yelled. “And worse still, you two don’t even care!” he glared at Mitta and me. “How am I the only pony here who’s bothered by this?”

“Leech, calm down,” I sighed. “He had to make sure you wouldn’t be a gremlin. Especially not on board a moving vehicle.”

Leech just cried out, holding his head. “English, man!”

“Meaning someone who causes trouble. Well, someone who will break things or hurt us. You’re plenty of trouble.”

He dropped to the ground, looking more miserable by the minute. “Not now, dude… I’m not in the mood for more belittling.”

“Oh, get up and stop whining. We’re all friends here.” I started to nudge his side with one hoof, and was minorly surprised to find that, despite the tough shell along his back, his body was actually still as soft as a normal pony’s. I poked him a few more times for good measure, honestly enjoying what little time I had to mess with him.

“We have arrived!” The Doc announced, turning toward the door where we’d come in and opening it slowly. “Everybody out, please. Watch your step, miss. Ah, Mr. Leech, are you coming?”

Leech had stopped just behind me. “Yeah, just a minute…” With a quick green flash, Leech disguised himself once more as a tan Pegasus colt. “I forgot how annoying it was switching back and forth all the time…” he muttered as he hovered over us.

“Well, it’s still pretty cool that you can do that at all. It’s just sad that those with powers always end up being better than those without. Sooner or later, I’m sure earth ponies will be looked down on. Then maybe Pegasi. And then, assuming Alicorns have repopulated by then, the Unicorns.”

“That is a very dismal thought,” Mitta said.

“Well, that’s why I think it’s necessary to emphasize what makes us the same, not different,” I answered. “We all have hearts, we all live in the same world and time. We all get around on four hooves. And, most importantly, if we didn’t have this kind of diversity, Equestria would be one boring place to live.”

“Seconded.” Leech lowered himself to the ground to my left. “It’s a lot more fun having different ponies around to spend time with. Although, knowing an Earth Pony and a Pegasus isn’t as interesting as being around a Unicorn who can bend reality to their will.”

“Wow, big words! I’m impressed.” I chuckled. “Yeah, well, I don’t meet all that many Unicorns. The only ones I know about are the library pony, that turquoise harp one, and the white jazz one that does the cross-country DJ stuff.”

“Yeah, point made. Not many Unicorns in Ponyville.” Leech turned to look at the Doc, up ahead of the rest of us. “Hey, Doc, where are we going?”

“Just up the hill here,” he called back. “We’re looking for an office with blue shingles. It’s set up just near the Royal Guard headquarters, which should be just around here… Ah, here we are!”

The Doc stopped around the corner, looking up at what had seemed to be the borders of Canterlot castle from behind the curb. Now, though, it was obvious that there was a larger entrance built out from this side of the wall. “This is the Royal Guard HQ, so somewhere nearby here should be the office of one Midnight Shadow-”

“Do you mean this building?”

We all turned to find Mitta standing across the street, looking into the window of a smaller building which offered the name ‘Midnight Offices, Psychiatry of Dreams’. The Doc moved across without pause, with Leech and myself following after checking the road for coaches. “Good show!” he said, patting Mitta on the back. “Yes, this is it. I think you’ll not find a better man for sleeping problems than this fine fellow.”

“Personally, I think it goes beyond a simple sleeping problem,” I replied as I opened the door to a tinkling bell, “but you’ll find that out during the session, I think. Assuming he won’t have any problems with letting you guys in.” I stopped and turned to the desk on the left. “How does this work, anyway?”

“I’m not quite sure about that myself, actually,” the Doc said, moving past me. “By my understanding, he will put you to sleep and then observe your dreams, possibly for abnormalities or small representations caused by your mind that he can point out to you, to prevent the nightmare from being quite so painful or frightening. I believe that’s why I like him so much; he’s a man of science and fact, and uses that to fix what should not be.”

“Yeah, sounds like a real sugar cube.” I turned back to the desk, looking over the edge at the secretary sitting behind it. “Excuse me, ma’am, but I’d like to make an appointment.”

“Certainly,” she answered, offering a smile. “May I ask when you were planning your visit?”

“Now, if possible,” I answered bluntly. “I have the feeling it’s a matter of some importance, and it’s a drain on my physical health, too.”

“I see,” she answered, offering a look of sympathy. “Well, it seems you’re in luck. We have no more patients to visit today, so it’s possible Doctor Shadow will be willing to see you in. I’ll warn you, though: last-minute appointments aren’t something we’ve had before. He may not have the time to see you today.”

“That’s all right.” I nodded politely. “If it’s not time he has to spare, then I’m sure it can wait until tomorrow.”

“I sincerely hope you won’t have to, if it’s affecting your health,” she offered her sympathies again. “Well, please have a seat. He should be out shortly.”

We took our seats. All but the Doc, anyway, and I had to jump up and chase him out the door. He hadn’t made it more than a few paces outside when I managed to get his attention. “Doc, please… I think I may need you around for a little bit longer.”

“Why is that?” he asked. A smile spread across his face. “You’re not going into something dangerous, are you?”

“I really hope not,” I answered. “But if it comes to that, I’ll need your help. You need to hear the whole story, starting from when it began a thousand years ago. I’d prefer discussing it with this Midnight Shadow guy in the room. It’s a little harsh to discuss more than once.”

The Doc stared at me, probably doing that same trust-stare he’d used on Leech only a few minutes ago. With a resigned sigh, he shrugged. “If the anomaly is not yet repaired, then I suppose I have no choice. Very well, I will accompany you for this.”

“Thanks, Doc.” I smiled weakly and opened the door, allowing him back in ahead of me. The time had finally come to fully confront that horrible fear that had been plaguing me for days, but now that it had come, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go through with it. I couldn’t very well go through with this whole thing again-

Then Mitta’s entry in the old Clockworks journal came to mind. Even in the face of trying times, the harshest truths are greater than the sweetest lie. Mitta had realized the day she’d been set free that no good could come of hiding the truth. Just as she had embraced that, now I had to, as well. But what would my friends think of my dragging them into this? They might support me, yeah, but could I really live with revealing something to them that was beyond frightening? Neither Leech nor the Doc knew the full story behind Mitta’s existence. How would they react? Another passage from Mitta’s entry cut through my thoughts.

When a pony wants to support you, to help you carry yourself through the troubles, that is a true friendship that cannot be matched. Leech had begged the Doc to give him the chance to go with me into this Dream Specialist’s office, even if it meant being chained up, maybe even imprisoned forever, to make sure my well-being was assured. The Doc, too, made it his business to correct problems that could and would adversely affect other ponies’ lives. It would be a crime to deny them their right to help. I looked over the room at each of their faces: Mitta’s gentle, caring smile, Leech’s arrogant grin, and the Doc’s seemingly aloof stare, which betrayed compassion and attentiveness unmatched by most. They were truly my friends, and I felt so blessed to share life with them.

Just as I took my seat between the Doc and Mitta, the door at the far end of the room opened, drawing my attention to it. A large white Pegasus stallion with a flowing blue mane marched out of the back room, followed by a smaller, dark-coated Unicorn colt wearing square-rimmed glasses. “Good luck in that examination of yours,” he was saying. “Just remember my advice and you’ll be well on your way to a speedy recovery.” He noticed us, then, and offered a curt nod. “Gentlecolts. What can I do for you?”

“Doctor?” The secretary spoke up. “These folks are here for a session.”

“This is Doctor Shadow?” I muttered to the Doc, looking over Midnight Shadow’s nearly-black blue coat. “He looks like he could be Luna’s twin. Well, bar the magic mane, but…”

He smiled. “That’s been a common topic for his visitors. Try not to bring it up.”

Doctor Shadow turned to us. “I see. Well, I haven’t taken any on-the-hour appointments before. Besides which, I wouldn’t have the time to see all of you today.”

“This is just for me, sir,” I interrupted, standing up and offering a hoof. “SkyJagged. I’ve come here from Ponville to meet you.”

He accepted the hoof and shook it. “Midnight Shadow,” he introduced himself. “Pleased to meet you. But, I am confused… If you’re the only one here for an appointment, then who are these two ponies?”

“We’re here because he asked us to join him,” Leech spoke up, also standing up.

“Excuse me?” Dr. Shadow blinked. “I don’t follow.”

“Well, sir, it’s about nightmares I’ve been having. To be honest, I get the feeling that they’re caused by an outside influence.” This only got even more confusion from the darkly-colored colt. “In any case, I’d like them to be present. I can explain once we’ve all gotten comfortable.”

Dr. Shadow glanced around the room, but got no response from the two of my friends he could actually see. He sighed. “Well, this is unorthodox, I’ll admit, but if you feel more comfortable having them present, then I’ll allow it. This way, please.”

“Thank you, sir,” I offered, following him into the back room.

He led us into a fairly large office which offered two chairs and a couch, each obviously meant to give any given visitor as much comfort as they could get. With different upbringing came different comfort zones, of course. But then, I doubted even Unicorns could replicate the comfort of a cloud into cloth and cotton. Still, it was far from my place to complain about the help this would theoretically offer me, and took a seat on the sofa. Leech took up one of the chairs, and after a brief and quiet argument between Mitta and the Doc (which Dr. Shadow watched with growing confusion, making me remember that she was invisible to him), she accepted the seat, leaving him to stand behind the sofa.

Dr. Shadow cleared his throat. “Well, then. Mr. SkyJagged, was it?”

“Jag is fine.”

“All right, Jag. Before we begin, I’d like an explanation about these dreams of yours. You say that you think they’re being caused by an… outside influence? If you have any ideas why, I want to hear about this, first.”

“Yes, of course.” I paused, looking for the right words. “A thousand years ago, Princess Luna felt as though she was being shunned from all of the natural world. The resulting resentment caused her to become Nightmare Moon, a mare who desired to cause eternal night, so that no pony could deny the beauty she could create.”

Midnight Shadow nodded, patiently listening to the story. But I got the impression that he knew this part already. “Skip ahead about two days,” I continued. “Starswirl the Bearded has already made a prophecy that Nightmare Moon will escape from the moon. Though most ponies don’t fear this prophecy, because they will be long gone in that time, some fear for the well-being of their descendants. One confronts Princess Celestia personally, declaring essentially that she is unable to protect them from such dangers. He suggests moving out of Equestria, or as far from it as possible, to ensure that no threat will come to them. But his only viable plan is to settle in a forest that had long since been abandoned by the Princesses themselves. Therefore, few are willing to join his resettlement. Five of his closest friends, however, do.”

At this, he blinked, cocked his head, and picked up a sheet of parchment and a quill in a glowing blue grip of magic energy, marking down some notes.

“From there, the story takes a turn for the worse.” I close my eyes, realizing that I can no longer keep myself balanced unless I do so. “The six ponies do manage to find a safe shelter near the edge of that forest, where no creatures roam. What they do not realize, however, is that the reason it is safe from other creatures is because it is a place of darkness that even the sunlight cannot protect them from.”

It took me several minutes to recount the full story as Mitta had told it to me and the Princesses, and just after I told him the most critical point, Midnight Shadow suddenly interrupted.

“Ma’am! How did you get in here?”

I looked up, noticing that he was staring right at Mitta. I opened my mouth to speak, but the Doc was quicker. “Why, she’s been here all along. Didn’t you notice?”

“Certainly not! You two were the only other ponies to come in here-”

“If I may, doctor,” I cut in. “She truly was here this whole time. You see, she’s been affected by a curse. I’ll continue, and I think you’ll realize what exactly that is.”

He paused, once again looking over each of us again. I think he was particularly disturbed by the feeling of not being in control of who entered his office. But the simple fact that he was able to see Mitta proved that he at least believed my story. At least, I hoped it did. I had told part of the story to Leech before, and later that day he had met Mitta. Maybe he had believed me, maybe not. I just hoped for the prior. But, Dr. Shadow indicated for me to continue, showing that I hadn’t quite lost him yet.

“All right. After the murder… well, the six ponies went to sleep feeling very drained. I think some of them even realized what was causing it. But nopony was prepared for what happened when they woke up the next morning. The sun was dim, covered by dark clouds. When they left their homes, the town was a rotting black wreck, everything looking like it had been burned…” I quoted Mitta’s horror-filled statement from our encounter with the Princesses- “just as she had been. Their bodies had decayed similarly, and each of them looked like they had been dead for years.

“Mitta, here, is one of them.”

Midnight Shadow looked over his paper at me, waiting for an explanation.

“A week ago,” I said, breathing deeply, “I found a page of records my great-grandponies had written that mentioned the six ponies leaving. They had no idea what had happened, or if those ponies were safe. They had never been heard from since checking out of Canterlot, after all. So I decided to investigate myself. I didn’t know that the Everfree forest had once been a place the Princesses ruled over, but based on the descriptions of a forest where the ‘weather changed and animals took care of themselves, untouched by pony hooves’, I was pretty sure that was where they had gone. Probably by dumb luck, I stumbled into a town there, just like the book had said. The ponies there called it Sunny Town, and through the few minutes I spent there, I learned several things; first, that none of the ponies in town had cutie marks. Second, that a little filly had been there just before me, and had left in a panic. And third, that a pony had died there, and her remains left in a fireplace. This last part I learned only after being sent to the outskirts of town by Mitta, after a little bit of arguing about whether I should leave immediately. Obviously, I was against that idea. When I returned to the town, I found everything just as I described it to you. Burned, desiccated, and with only zombie ponies there to indicate any life. The five of them attempted to catch me, saying something about making me one of them. It was only through Mitta that I manage to make it as far to the edge of the Everfree Forest as I did, and even then, I was trapped at the exit with nowhere to run. When Mitta arrived to defend me, a bright light filled the area, and when it cleared, we had been transported outside of the forest. I can only guess that something about my cutie-mark helped me to escape with her alongside me.”

“So, you’re saying that these six ponies are alive, and she is one of them.”

“Yes. If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to relay my case to Princess Celestia. I was able to get an audience with her and explain the story. She also believes that Mitta is who we say she is.”

“Well, getting a response from her on short notice will be unlikely, so I’ll take your word for it. Is that all?”

“Almost.” I grimaced, picturing those nightmares again. “Since our escape, I’ve been having nightmares about the incident. In each one, I’m outside of the Everfree Forest, with those five ponies staring out at me. They aren’t normal, though, they’re in the zombie forms I last saw them in. The glowing red eyes are all I need to see to know that the dream isn’t going to be good. In each one, I get pulled into the forest by something I can’t see, and once I’m inside, they close in on me. But…”

I clamped my teeth together. This was the hardest part to talk about, because it was the one thing I hadn’t told Mitta, and I had no doubt it would hurt her as much as it did me. I braced myself and forced the words out. “Before any of them do anything, Mitta appears beside me, and… attacks me… herself.” I sighed and collapsed into the sofa. Now that the words were finally out, I couldn’t bear to look at her. “I can feel real pain at that moment, as if I’m on fire, burning up from the inside.” I looked up at Dr. Shadow, feeling weaker by the minute. “In each dream, I’m a little bit closer to the forest each time, and whether I turn to run, or try to convince myself that it isn’t real, the same thing happens every time.”
Midnight Shadow put down his writing utensils. “So, then, the outside force that you think is causing this…?”

“I have no doubt that those other five are still in the forest,” I answered. “Maybe because Mitta is connected to me now, or some other thing I can’t explain, I don’t know, but I think they’re purposefully making me experience this. It feels like a warning, like there’s no question that what happens in my dream will actually happen. And from the fact that I’m closer to the forest each time, I get the feeling that it will be soon.” I took another deep breath. “That’s all. That’s my story.”

Midnight Shadow stood up from his chair. “My specialty is dreams, Jag. In this case, it’s finding ways to prove to the ponies who suffer from nightmares that what they’re experiencing isn’t as real as it seems. What I’m going to do now is cast a sleep spell on you. As you dream, I’ll be watching you and what you see. If necessary, I can guide you to where you need to go. The pony psyche is a very complex place, so I can’t afford to meddle too much.”

“What if something happens while I’m dreaming?” I asked.

“In the event of an emergency, I also know a spell that will force you to wake up. But if you become violent during these dreams, I can’t let your friends stay.”

Mitta sat up. “I live in the house with him. SkyJagged has not moved while he dreams; only woken up… screaming…” She sounded reluctant to talk about it, and given what she’d just learned about her role in my dreams, her withdrawal wasn’t surprising at all.

“I won’t be any trouble,” I added. “But, I only wanted them here so that they could know about Mitta and my dreams. In case I do end up back in the Everfree Forest, I just want them to know that it’s better not to come looking for me.”

“That ain’t gonna happen,” Leech piped up.

“Certainly not,” the Doc added, nodding. “You won’t have to revisit a place like that so long as I’m here. In fact, give me just a moment. Thank you for giving me your time, Jag, Doctor Shadow. I may be back shortly, but until then, goodbye.”

He walked out the door. Dr. Shadow brought back my attention. “They are right, Jag. It may not be at the end of this session, and it may not be until the end of the month, but I promise that we can put a stop to these nightmares. All you have to do is trust us.”

“I will, Doc,” I answered, nodding grimly. I curled up on the sofa, the way I normally do when I sleep. “I’m ready.”

Dr. Shadow’s horn filled with the blue magic energy he held in his body. “Just remember, if you feel lost or need help, I will be watching. All you have to do is ask, and I’ll help in any way I can.”

“I will. Thanks.”

He touched his horn to my head, and then I was out cold.

I opened my eyes to a dark, vine-filled jungle. As usual, I was in the Everfree Forest. This time, though, I hadn’t started off outside. I was already inside the forest, and that meant that the Sunny town ponies weren’t far away.

Actually, they weren’t as close as I thought they’d be. The red eyes gleamed in the darkness, but as always they were distanced from me, watching from even darker shadows.

I looked around. There were only five sets of eyes, and this time Mitta wasn’t nearby. I wasn’t sure if I should be disturbed that she was no longer with me, or relieved by the fact that she wasn’t attacking me. Either way, I didn’t like it.

Grey Hoof was the first to speak. “Glad you could join us again!” he said. “We were so hoping you wouldn’t miss the party.”

It was something else different. Until now, none of the ponies had spoken, either to each other or to me. Suddenly I realized I had no clue what would happen in this dream.

In that case, it wouldn’t hurt to try talking back to them. “Where’s Mitta? This isn’t what happened last time.”

“She’s waiting for you at the back of town,” Three Leaf replied, her voice a lot smoother than I remembered it. “Why? We’re not enough company for you?”

“Stay out of my way. I’m going after her.” Somehow, I just knew that was where I had to go. My mind was set.

“Go ahead,” Grey Hoof answered. To my complete and utter astonishment, the eyes shifted to each side of me, offering an opening in the woods for me to enter. “Just remember,” he continued, “you may not like what you find.”
I glared at the eyes suspiciously. “Dr. Shadow? You can guide me?”

“Yes. Wherever you need me to.”

“Okay. Let me know if they come at me.”

Gladstone laughed, harshly. “We knew you would try to get help, SkyJagged. Your viewer isn’t going to change what happens here.”

“Shut up, all of you!” I snapped. “I don’t have time for this!” With that, I rushed forward. As I had expected, one of them moved toward me, but this time they didn’t wait for me to see it. “On your right, Jag!” Shadow called, and I obediently ducked left, hearing something land on the ground behind me. In a mad run, I circled through the walls of Sunny Town’s ruins, following the horseshoe path that led out to the old hut. More zombie ponies rose out of the ground, these ones in even worse condition than Grey Hoof and his followers. I recognized them as the Bone Fiends Mitta had told me about, the dead ponies whose bodies had been reanimated after the town had been built. They were a lesser threat than the others, but I knew better than to let them get near me. Moving between shredded paths and sluggish dead ponies, I managed to get past the gates that divided Sunny Town from that old hut. When I turned left, it stood just where it always had, against the trees. This time, though, a red light glowed through the shutters of the building, revealing the fire inside.

“Mitta!” I called out, rushing up to the door. “Mitta, are you in there? Come out!” As I neared the door, I reared and kicked it with my hind legs, breaking it down easily. I spun back and went inside, looking around for any sign of her. “Mitta! Come out!”

Doctor Shadow spoke to me again. “In the fireplace, Jag.”

Shocked, I walked up to the fireplace, hoping against hope that what he was suggesting wasn’t in there. On top of the burning wood, I could see the blackened remains of a pony’s bones burning. They were in the same position I remembered them being in last time. “No,” I said. “That’s not Mitta.” Relieved, but still disgusted by the sight of a pony’s body so desecrated, I turned away.

“Actually, it is.” Three Leaf’s voice again, unfortunately. Of all the ponies of Sunny Town, she was the one I liked the least, but I wasn’t quite sure why. “That isn’t Ruby, SkyJagged. It’s Mitta. You couldn’t protect her, and now she’s gone.”

“That’s a lie,” I snarled. “The real Mitta is here, with me, in the office room. You can’t fool me. This is only a dream.”

“Foalish colt,” she answered. Suddenly, another light started up in the room. I glanced left, wondering what it could be, to find a pair of hollow red eyes staring at me. Teeth appeared, silhouetted by another red light. They moved in time with Three Leaf’s words.

“This is far from a dream.”

Three Leaf rushed me, and before I could react she had me pinned to the floor. I felt something against my neck, and then the pain I knew all too well was filling my body again. I was in untold anguish, set ablaze once again. There was nothing I could do to stop it, despite my wordless protests against the injustice. Then the pain stabbed into my brain, and I screamed.

Mitta and I watched the two of them in silence, Jag lying on the sofa, with one of his front hooves now dangling against the floor, and the Midnight Shadow guy standing over him with his eyes closed.

“I don’t like this,” I muttered. “If they were making this happen to him, they could probably do worse now that somepony’s connected to him.”

“I feel that it could be worse than that,” Mitta answered. I turned to face her, and when her ruby eyes connected with mine, I could see genuine fear in them. “I believe that they planned for this all along. Down to the very point where he seeks medical help.”

“You really think so?” I asked, and turned back to look at them. “Maybe we should stop this.”

“I wouldn’t recommend that,” the Doc put in, pushing open the door to the office and bumping it into us. As we scooted away from it, he walked the rest of the way into the office and closed it.

“Doc. Where’d you go?”

“I am a Time Lord,” he answered, raising a hoof to his collar. “It is my duty to repair any abnormalities in time. I traveled back to repair the damage that this town caused.”

“What?” I sat back, staring at him. “You idiot, you probably reset so much stuff that we never even meet! Isn’t that a time parody thing? What did you even do, keep Luna from getting jealous?”

“No.” He stared at me like I was the real foal. “Changing an event like that would, indeed, cause a time paradox. No, I was referring to preventing the murder of this young mare. That would have prevented the curse from befalling them, I believe.”

“Wait… so, did you?”

“I believe not,” Mitta answered. “I am still here.”

“Quite. Unfortunately, I was unable to find you, Mitta, and by the time I arrived, they had already killed the poor girl. The bloody TARDIS didn’t arrive inside the forest, as I predicted; it stopped on the edge.”

“So, you didn’t do anything at all. Good job, dude.”

“In my profession, it is entirely fair to accept that certain events are unchangeable. I believe I may still be able to correct this problem, though, if I visit the town now. Perhaps there will be some way to reason with them, now that they have had so many years to ponder their actions.”

“They’ve had this long, yeah. So don’t you think if they did regret what they did, they might have… you know, moved on or something?”

“There is no way of knowing until we try,” he answered. “Besides, we can’t assume-”

An awful scream shook the room, and I whirled to see Jag and the doctor. Jag had fallen to the floor, curled up into a fetal position and shaking like a scared foal. His eyes were squeezed shut, which told me he was in pain.

“I think it’s happening again,” I said. “I think they got him.”

“His flank,” the Doc said, pointing. “Look at his flank!”

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, but there was no way to explain it. Unless we were hallucinating at the same time, something was actually bending reality. Right in front of us, SkyJagged’s red-tipped shield cutie-mark was actually fading in and out, disappearing from his body and then reappearing a second later.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, another wail split the air, this one female, and right next to us. I turned back in shock. Mitta was leaned back against the wall, holding her head and baring her clenched teeth. Doc spoke up first. “Tell Dr. Shadow to wake him up,” he said.

“Don’t tell me twice!” I bounded completely over the chair that was in my way and tapped the guy’s shoulder. “Doc, you have to wake him up! Right now!"

Midnight Shadow shuddered, his own eyes squeezed tightly shut, too. I grabbed his shoulders and shook him. “Come on! You have to wake him up!”

That got through to him. The doctor opened his eyes, and after a quick glance at me, he walked over to Jag, leaned down, and touched Jag’s head with his horn again. Jag’s eyes snapped open instantly, and he jumped up. Relieved, I turned back to the Doc and Mitta, only to get yet another shock. Our eyes met, and I could see that he was as worried as I was. But before any of us could talk, Jag spoke up.

“Ughhh…” He shook his head, rubbing his eyes with one hoof. “Did… did it work?”

“I’m not quite sure,” Doctor Shadow answered. “This time, you were already in the forest, and although one of them attacked you, you were allowed into the village to find Mitta before they got to you. That’s much different from the story you told me.”

“I think we have a bigger problem than that,” I put in. “We have to move, now.”

“What?” Jag looked up at me, then the Doc. “What’s wrong?

“Uh… actually, maybe the Doc should tell you.”

“Me?” he stepped back as I turned to him. “You were the one who brought it up. It may as well be you who explains yourself.”

“Explain myself?” I bristled. “I didn’t do anything!”

“Tell him, then.”

“No, you tell him!” I snapped, pushing him away. “I ain’t about to piss him off!”

“Tell me what?” Jag asked, annoyed beyond all belief, from what I could see.

I sighed. “All right, fine. The biggest thing is… well, your cutie mark disappeared for a minute when you hit the floor.”

“What?” he looked at his flank, apparently making sure it was back. “How is that possible?”

“We believe that event was connected to your dream,” the Doc put in.

“Well, we’re pretty sure both of them are,” I corrected.

“Both? What else happened?” he looked around the room. “Wait a minute, where’s Mitta?”

I took a step back. “Well, she’s gone.”

“What? And you two didn’t stop her? Which way?” he leaned low to the ground, ready to rush out the door like an athlete.

“Dude, listen to us! She’s gone, okay? She didn’t run out. She disappeared!”

“Where to?” he asked, sounding really mad.

“That’s not the point. She disappeared, Jag. She screamed right after you hit the floor, and when we looked, she faded away. Like a shadow, or something. Just like your cutie-mark.”

“What?”

“Mitta is gone, Jag,” the Doc answered, somberly.

I snorted. “A hundred bits says we know where.”

“Welcome back, Mitta,” Grey Hoof’s voice whispered to her.

She was trembling violently, but she did her best to follow SkyJagged’s advice to her: ‘Be brave and don’t let anyone tell you you’re not worth it’. “Stay away from me,” she ordered, though the words came out as more of a whimper.

“You knew this day was coming, Mitta,” Ronio told her. “You shouldn’t have pretended it was a dream. When you realized he was having the same dream, you knew what was happening.”

“You can’t make him come back.” She stood up, glaring at the creatures around her. “There is nothing you have to hold against him.”

“Have you learned nothing from those dreams?” Three Leaf answered, her sweet tone hiding a far more bitter heart. If she yet possessed one, of course. The ivy green pony leaned in, the tip of her snout nearly in contact with Mitta's own. “We already know he will come. It’s his allegiance to you that brought him this far. We don’t have to bring him back."

Her eyes flashed into scarlet, and with that change, all of the ponies surrounding her were briefly replaced by their ugly, corpselike counterparts.

“You already did.”

To be concluded…
Chapter 3: Village of Despair

Comments

[Zero Zivan]

1206929 Hahaha! This was actually a project in the making since about the beginning of the year. Donitz gave me permission to develop a story for it, and personally I think it's the best out of the two others I've read.
Unfortunately, that does nothing to change the insanity of the Sunny Town ponies.

[Zero Zivan]

1207517
Yeah, unfortunately FIMfiction was being incredibly hateful and wouldn't let me upload it as it was in Google.docs. .....Assuming that's what you're talking about. I don't really see why double-spacing is necessary, but if any more people say that it's hard to follow otherwise, I can go in and change it.

[OverlordK]

The story is coming along really nicely. I also approve of how well that you've portrayed Midnight Shadows, my only criticism is that Midnight has a nightmare moon color scheme rather than a luna color scheme. Other than that it's great.

[Zero Zivan]

1217028
Yeah, totally forgot about that. This is why I like to have my friends double-check it!

[videogamehunter]

I know there was an update for this on Equestria daily but there link was broken and I somehow found it on this site. I'm so glad I did. Keep up the good work.

[Zero Zivan]

1227226
I am so glad that someone found it!
The administrators and I just couldn't fix that problem. Ultimately, I left a note to everyone saying that it was available here and on Deviantart. I haven't had any responses though, so I'm worried that the ones who were so excited to read it may never get to see parts 2 and 3...

[Csquared08]

Oh hey. This is on Fimfiction. Excellent. Nicely done on the first chapter. I enjoyed the game, and enjoyed the story even more. Now to read Chapter 2...

[Csquared08]

So that was certainly an interesting chapter.

Just a small thing, though. When you switched perspectives to Leech, put a little more space there so the reader isn't confused by the sudden switch. But other than that, good stuff.

Happy writing

[Zero Zivan]

1254936
Thanks! Yet another follower managed to find this elsewhere. Stupid EQD... J.K. I love that site. It just doesn't love me back.
Well, I already double-spaced that paragraph, and whenever that happens in books it indicates either that a lot of time has passed or that there was a shift in perspective. Trust me, I read a lot. I know these things.

[Csquared08]

1255919
Books also tend to have a "***" or some sort of marker to indicate a shift in perspective or time. I read a lot too

[Zero Zivan]

1256126
Yes, I've added that effect to Chapter 3, and may go back in to do that with Ch. 2.