A Red and Green brush

by Netherweaver

Chapter Twenty-five: Return

I had managed to drag the girls back home, and they were all snuggling up together on the settee. I was outside, and nagging feeling in the back of my skull was telling me this day wasn't quite perfect. I couldn't see anything, so I ignored it. I was still slightly unnerved by the feeling so I went back inside to sit with the girls. As I walked through the door I immediately saw what was wrong... the clock slowly ticked to a stop. Their breathing slowed, and the world around me froze. A white glow surrounded my vision. I was panicking, and I tried to run over to the girls to find out what was happening. As I reached the end of the settee, my vision flashed and I hit the floor.

"He's coming through! Get back!" I heard an unkown voice shout as my vision began to return. "Okay, he's stable. Send them in!" I looked around. White tiles, halogen lights and a strange ring-shaped contraption. This couldn't look any more different from my living room. "Max. Can you hear me?" the voice said again. I tried to stand up, but there were several straps holding me down.

"Let me go!" I yelled at the unseen speaker. "Let me go home! What have you done to me!?" I continued, my voice becoming more strained as I began to panic.

"You are home, Max. The straps are for your own protection." I started to calm down, but a cold fury began to replace the panic.

"Send me back. NOW." I growled, realising that I had been taken away from my family. "I said send me back." I felt the rage build as my arms began to strain against the straps.

"Why? You're home after fifteen years, you should be happy!" another voice said.

"Send me back to my family before I raze this facility." I growled as I felt a familiar pain in my shoulder blades.

"But we are your family!" a distressed voice called from the other side of the room. I looked over to find my mother looking distressed at my rage. They had managed to bring me back to earth.

"Not any more." I whispered as my wings appeared. The explosion of blood crystal threw me into the air, destroying the bonds. I grinned psychotically, as I didn't have to hold back on earth. "Now, are we going to do this the hard way, or the slightly less painful way?" They looked up at me stunned, my parents having experienced the worst of the shock. As I slowly flew around the large room a voice echoed in the back of my head.

"Yes, give in to the hate little mortal." The Nightmare. This was getting interesting. "Well hello my lovely wife. How are you doing today?" I thought back, feeling Nightmare's glee at my response. "So, you recognise me mortal? How good." "Here's a deal Nightmare. I give you this world if you get me back home." "What would make this deal good for me?" "7 billion people. All at your mercy." "Yes, this is good. But, we need more power to get you home." during this internal conversation, several armed guards had entered the room, hustling my relatives away from me. "Take what you need from the guards Nightmare." I thought with a grin. I felt the room around me grow dark, and the guards were lifted into the air by an unseen force. They opened fire on me, but I couldn't get my wings up in time. The bullets ripped through my shoulder and leg, sending me spinning to the ground. Nightmare started to rip the guards apart slowly, feeding on their pain and fear. The blood started to pour from their wounds. I fed on the power with a hellish grin, and I felt a dark presence envelop me. "I will take this body for my own. Now, return to your family and rest easy. This world will provide ample entertainment for me." I felt like my mind was thrown backwards, and my vision flashed white. ((A/N: not following Max any more, only temporary.))

The flesh of the body rippled around Nightmare's dark essence. As it possessed the vacant shell, there was a ripping sound as the torso split around the centre. Nightmare's essence filled the gap and held the body together. Shards of the white tiles formed a suit of armour around the broken body as the flesh rose in vile pustules of red as the last vestiges of humanity left. Veins of dark goo flowed between the shards of ceramic, holding it together. The head was the last part to decay, splitting off from the body, with the spine attached. A dark mass took its place, and the head morphed into a giant eye surrounded by flesh. The spine hardened, and widened at the base of the skull, forming a crude blade. A deep chuckle escaped from the monstrosity as it reached down with one hand and hefted the demonic weapon. It shambled towards the door, collecting flesh from the dead guards as it went. Its arms swelled and elongated, giving it a gorilla-like appearance. Its legs began to crack as the flesh morphed into bone, the joints grating as it picked up speed. The ceramic tiles cracked under the pressure of the monstrosity as it advanced upon its new playground. The steel door shattered upon its gore-ridden form like glass dropped on the floor. The humans that had been evacuated upon the Nightmare's first contact withered under its unblinking glare as a single pinprick of light appeared in the midnight-black mass of its head. It raised its weapon and advanced upon the helpless humans...

I woke up laid on the floor of my living room, surrounded by four indistinct blurs. I rolled to one side and vomited a little, the image of Nightmare's corruption defacing my body etched into my mind's eye. I tried to forget, and the universe decided to smile upon me that time, and the image vanished.

"Max? What happened?" one of the blurs asked. My hearing was as bad as my sight and I couldn't quite work out who was speaking. I tried to respond but all that came out was a strangled gargling sound. I felt myself lifted into the air in a blue haze. I let myself be carried wherever they thought best, but I had little choice in the matter anyway. I felt a cool breeze on my face as I was carried outside. The ride was gentle and I fell asleep. Not into a dimension-shifting induced coma, but into a deep, dreamless sleep.

I awoke in a hospital ward. My vision had returned to normal so I looked around. I was in a separate room from the wards, and through the window was an endless expanse of blackness. A few stars twinkled here and there. I scanned around a bit more, looking for any clue as to where the hospital was. I craned my neck to look for the machinery that was attached to me. It was what looked like standard hospital equipment from earth. I panicked until I caught sight of the hoof-sized buttons that adorned the front of the machines. I let myself start to slide back into unconsciousness, until something started banging on the door. I looked over, freezing as I saw something that would be out of place in even the most twisted creator's imagination. I mean, it made Lovecraft's work look like a fairytale. Its jaw was hanging out of place, and its right eye was hanging out of its skull. The door refused to yield under its slamming, and it walked away. I looked around the room again, and noticed a small golden statue on the windowsill.

"Hello, I am Stefano. Daniel sent me. I am come to protect you.Trust me, for I am the bro." it said. "Now, you must throw a book at me, and send me though the window. I will bring Daniel to save you." I looked around, and a small hand appeared over a book just out of reach. I looked away, but the hand closed and the book followed my vision. I looked back to Stefano and the book launched itself at him, sending him through the window. A few moments later a man with blonde hair poked his head around the door as it opened. He stepped tentatively into the room, looking around. To break the mood, I decided to yell something ridiculous.

"Penis Everywhere!" I exclaimed at the top of my lungs, just as he did the same. He jumped a good foot backwards as he screamed. He walked over to the bed, and looked at me. A jar appeared in his hand.

"This should work!" he exclaimed as he launched it at me. It shattered on contact, coating me in a strange, acidic substance. "Right, now what Stefano?" he asked as he pulled the small golden statue out of a small bag on his shoulder. As he turned to exit the room, I slipped into unconsciousness once again, only to wake up in the same hospital bed. I looked up so find I was surrounded by five ponies. I reached up and put my hand on Luna's shoulder to make sure she was real. She jumped at the touch, but when she looked down to see me smiling up at her, she sighed.

"Feeling better now love?" she asked as she leaned down to give me a kiss.

"Yes, much better." I sighed as I looked around. I saw Alison, Celestia, Luna, Nurse Redheart and Dr. Shymane, Fluttershy's father. "Where's Skye?" I asked, thinking it odd that she wasn't here with us.

"She's just in the waiting room, sleeping. I'll go get her." Alison said, leaving the room.

"Now Mr. Reynolds, could you tell us what happened to you?" asked the doctor.

"The humans had developed some sort of machine that ripped my mind out of this body. I'm not gonna lie, I didn't get back on my own. I unleashed the Nightmare upon them, in return for being catapulted back." I said. Everyone gasped, except Luna, who was obviously pleased to have the last vestiges of her taint removed.

"But, what could possibly have possessed yo to do that Max?!" Celestia asked, shocked by the revelation.

"Some parts of my mind that are best left untouched; and the desperation to return home. Love can make people do terrible things, Tia. I don't like it much either, but the humans would have used me as a weapon as soon as the found my true power." I sighed, running my hand along her wing. She nodded, her face lined with understanding. The doctor had filled in a sheet of paper, and he dropped it in my lap.

"This is your discharge form, you're free to go Mr. Reynolds." he walked away, with Redheart trailing close behind. Skye walked into the room and almost jumped over the bed in her rush to get to me.

"Daddy!" she squealed as I pulled her into a tight hug.

"Now, when you get down we're going home!" I said, laughing at her silly antics.

((A/N: sorry for the long wait, I was about 100 words into this chapter when my parents decided to start moving everything around. Also, the internet has been on the fritz for a few days. But, I got a new headset out of it. Will write more soon.))

Comments

[Butterbeaner]

Nightmare is a tank

L4d if you didn't know

[Sonicbrony66]

Awesome chap. Everybody needs to let out a little bloodlust now and then, or it consumes you.

[thedemontv]

suddenly went very dark for a second. also A jar appeared in his hand.
"This should work!" i get that

[Netherweaver]

There was a fairly obvious reference in there. Anyone get it?

[Netherweaver]

471960

Because reasons.

Illidan's actions are highlighted as he doesn't speak.