Episode 1: Nightmares and Lunascapes

by mr lovecolt

Nightmare

Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna found themselves back in the atrium of the ruins. As soon as they realized where they were, they both immediately lowered their horns to allow light to flow through the room. The shadows that were there were now frozen in place.

“Princess Luna?”

“Yes, Twilight?”

“What if we just move Edger to the Ponyville Hospital or where there’s light?”

“If the shadows are following him, then we best not move him to anyplace with other ponies.”

“Oh, right.”

Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna moved to either side of Edger as the shadows began to inch forward.

“Princess Luna,” Twilight Sparkle confessed, “I’m not sure how long I can keep a spell like this continuous. This is a lot harder than casting a barrier spell.”

“I understand, Twilight.”

Princess Luna looked down and saw the look of disappointment on Twilight Sparkle’s face. While keeping the light from her horn glowing, she reached over and brushed her wing against Twilight Sparkle's side.

“I’m here with you.” Princess Luna said, “Don’t forget that.”

“Princess,” Twilight Sparkle began, “I’m sorry if I made you think that I was playing favorites with you and Princess Celestia.”

“I understand, Twilight,” Princess Luna replied, “I remember our first meeting in this very room wasn’t exactly ideal.”

“Well,” Twilight Sparkle said, “I just want you to know that if something happens, I always did enjoy your nights and mostly the meteor showers.”

“Twilight, don’t speak like that,” Princess Luna said, “I am certain that Caramel will find Edger’s consciousness and bring him back to his body.”

“Well then, I promise that once this is over, I can start writing letters to you, too.”

Luna looked back down at Twilight for a moment, and then back to the shadows that surrounded them.

“I would like that very much, Twilight.”

*****

Caramel looked into the flames in the distance; even being this far away, Caramel could hear each crackle of flame as it rose into the air. Edger looked up and saw the moon in the distance. For a moment, he prayed that Princess Luna could hear him, but as he concentrated on the moon’s light, he heard nothing. The moon’s glow, however, did manage to give light to the village around him. The buildings were similar to the ones in Ponyville, but the thatched roofing had large gaping holes in them, and the walls were bent from age and wear. The chanting continued from the ponies that surrounded the fire.

Helioselene

Enas alithinos theos

mas katharisei apo ti̱n amarti

na mas kanei katharo gia sas

Caramel approached the town square and saw a small sign on the side of the road. It was faded, but Caramel could still see that the words simply spelled out the name of where he was.

“Flatts,” Caramel whispered to himself, “This is where you return to every night.”

Caramel shook his head and turned back towards the fire. As he took another step, the sound of a twig as it snapped beneath his hoof echoed through the night. Caramel looked down and saw the offending twig. The chanting stopped and Caramel looked back to the fire. The ponies that surrounded the fire now turned their gaze to him. Nopony moved. As Caramel edged towards the sides of one of the buildings, Caramel saw that their gaze remained on him; each set of eyes glowed white beneath their black hoods. When he finally had his body hidden behind one of the buildings, he finally heard the whispers talk again.

He’s come to take him from us…

He’s come to take him…

Caramel suddenly felt as though his mane grew heavier, only to realize that it was soaked in sweat. He tried to lift his hooves, but they felt so heavy it felt as though they were tied to one of his own forges. He tried to run, but couldn’t move at all as the sound of the whispers drew closer. Dream, Caramel thought, just a dream. Imagine running and you will. But no matter how many times he repeated this to himself, he couldn’t make his body move. A moment later, the feeling of hooves landed on his body.

He’s come to take him…

We cannot let him be taken away…

Caramel screamed as the number of hooves on his body grew. He tried to struggle, but the hooves held him down. Suddenly, the sound of a bell in the distance could be heard. And the hooves immediately went away. Edger turned only to see that the ponies that had held him only moments ago disappeared. The weight on his body disappeared, as well, but the sound of the bell continued to chime in the distance. Caramel moved away from the building once more and saw that the flame started to die down. The shadows that danced on the walls only moments ago were gone, and everything in the village square took on the same grey hue of the moon. The bell continued to chime once more, and then everything was silent. Caramel looked up at the old barn in the distance, and could see that the lights were still on there. Caramel took a deep breath, but just before he was about to run, he heard shrieks in the air. Caramel looked up just in time to see a small shadowy creature approach him. He cowered on the ground when he saw that it had a pony’s body but bat’s head, wing, and claws. The creature scratched at his face and Caramel screamed at the burning pain. Dream, Caramel repeated to himself, just a dream. But Caramel reached up to his face and felt the blood. He backed away from the town square and tried to find a way to the barn, but then the shadows that stood against the wall began to move. Caramel’s body burned as he watched the shadows move towards him, but he started to run. He ran down a side road that twisted in different directions until he finally came to a dead end. There was a small house next to him, and Caramel reached back with his hind legs and kicked the door down. He shuddered at the loud sound he had just made, but ran into the house anyway.

Caramel heard the sound of the bat creatures as they flew through the air. Batkins, Caramel thought to himself as he moved through the room. He realized that he was in a living room. The furniture had been turned over, and Caramel noticed that the floor was covered in stuffing from the seats and couches. A small rocking chair sat in the corner next to an open window, and it creaked with each passing wind. As Caramel started down the hall, a photograph caught his eye. It was a picture of five ponies that stood in front of this building. Caramel assumed it must have belonged to the family that had lived here. It wasn’t the mare or stallion in the back row that caught his attention; it was the small pink pony with flat hair in the middle of two smaller grey mares that caught it.

“Pinkie?” Caramel whispered to himself.

Something shuffled behind him. Caramel turned to see two small white ponies walk down the hall towards him. Caramel’s breath caught in his throat when he noticed that they had no facial features. As they both walked towards him, their hooves shuffled on the floor. Ponnequins, Caramel thought to himself.

You’re… hurt…

Caramel looked at the two white ponnequins that stood in front of him and reached up to touch his face again.

“It’s just a dream.” Caramel said to himself, “Just a dream.”

Will you… take Tiller?

“Edger needs to wake up. Princess Luna can’t-”

Do not… use that name.

Sister… he needs… to take Tiller away.

But Tiller can… save us…

It… isn’t right… we had our chance…

Shut up…

Caramel watched as one of the ponnequins slowly turned darker. Its coat shifted from white, to grey, and then finally to black. Caramel turned to run and he heard the sound of a mare screaming behind him. Caramel ran through the house and bumped his head against the doorframe. Ouch, Caramel thought, dreams aren’t supposed to hurt like this. Caramel looked around the alleyway he ran back out to. This isn’t a dream. Caramel ran back through the alley as quickly as he could and ignored the sounds around him. He looked up to the barn and knew that he had to get there if he wanted to be safe. He would explain to Luna later what had happened, but now he knew that he was not in a dream state.

Caramel could hear Edger’s screams of pain as he reached the back door of the barn. Caramel pressed his hoof against the door and paused. Is this the door you used to escape once, Caramel thought to himself as he slowly pushed it open. Caramel expected to simply see a hall in the barn, but the sight as he walked in made him gag.

The dismembered remains of tan-skinned ponies lined the walls. Upon closer inspection, Caramel noticed that it was all bodies of the same pony. On some of them, the mane and tail had been shaven off. On others, the barrel was the only part that remained. The blood from the bodies pooled on the walls and onto the floor. Some bodies had been completely splayed open with the hooves split into five pieces. All around him he could smell flesh as it rotted against the wall. Caramel approached one of the bodies and couldn’t help but look into its sky blue eyes. Caramel looked at each one just to make sure he wasn’t looking at himself, but the cutie mark had been branded away, just like they had on Edger. Caramel finally approached another body and could make out just a hint of a cutie mark. It’s not me, Caramel breathed with relief, It’s not me.

The sound of screams echoed through the hall again, and Caramel ran until he came to a large room. He gasped when he saw Edger tied to a table with large slashes on his body. A large stallion stood in front of him with a whip in his hoof. Caramel watched as he raised the whip and struck it against Edger’s body once more. Another scream filled the room. Caramel looked around the room and saw the other ponies that surrounded him. They all wore black cloaks to hide their faces, but Caramel could see that their eyes glowed just like the ones he had seen outside. They chanted as the large stallion continued to whip Edger.

Helioselene

Enas alithinos theos

mas katharisei apo ti̱n amarti

na mas kanei katharo gia sas

Something twitched in the corner of his eye and Caramel looked up to see another tan skinned stallion as it hung from the rafters. The hind legs twitched as blood dripped to the floor. The blue eyes of the stallion were fixed on Edger’s and Edger’s own eyes were fixed back on his. The twitching from the stallion slowed until finally it stopped completely. Caramel watched as a tear formed in Edger’s eyes as he turned away.

“You’ve killed him again, Tiller.” The stallion with the whip said.

Caramel watched as the scene seemed to freeze for a moment. Caramel looked up to the dead stallion and realized that it was another Forge. Above him, Caramel could see the white image that had been written about in Edger’s story. He saw the hoof with the smaller hooves branching out. He saw the contorted face of the image. Suddenly, he heard Edger speak.

“I know I did.”

The stallion pointed to the corner of the room, and Caramel saw a small, white ponnequin standing there.

“Are you going to take your punishment again, or are you finally ready to end this?”

Caramel held his breath as he watched Edger’s facial features die until his eyes were blank and his mouth closed into a frown. Caramel watched as another stallion brought over a large metal tool and placed it in the stallion’s hoof as he took the whip away.

“No!” Caramel yelled, “Edger, don’t do this to yourself!”

The blood that dripped next to Caramel stopped, and he could see a tiny drop of blood as it hovered in midair. The other ponies in the room were frozen. Caramel made his way through the room and to Edger’s side. For a moment, as he stared into Edger’s eyes, he saw a glint in them. Caramel knew he had broken through to him, but didn’t know how far or for how long. He raised his hoof over Edger’s chest and began to place his weight on him.

“Edger, please,” Caramel said as his hooves shook, “I’m sorry for what’s happened to you, but please stop blaming yourself.”

There was another glint in Edger’s eyes as the scene began to move. Caramel cried out as a searing pain ran along his back. Caramel turned around and saw that the large stallion in front of him held the whip in his hooves once more. The stallion raised the whip again, but Caramel blocked the whip from Edger’s body with his back again. Another shot of pain ran up his spine.

“Your Forge had returned, Tiller.” The stallion said, “Are you going to end this, or are we going to have to show you what you have done once again?”

Edger’s face twitched and then his eyes faded again. Caramel felt hooves surround him once again and carry him across the room. The place where he had just seen Forge’s body was now empty, and Caramel struggled as the other stallions in the room clamped his body into the harnesses.

“Edger, please, it’s me, Caramel!”

The stallion cracked his whip again and this time, Caramel felt a burn run up his barrel. And then another, and another.

“It’s my fault.” Caramel heard Edger whisper, “I caused this to happen. I deserve to watch him die.”

Caramel’s eyes went wide as another shot of pain ran along his chest. Caramel watched as the stallion once again took the small metal tool in his hoof and approached him. Caramel couldn’t help himself as he felt urine slowly trickle down his leg and a tear fall down from his cheek. Pain erupted between his legs as the metal tool pierced his skin.

“Edger, Forge is dead!” Caramel screamed as loudly as he could.

The scene in front of him froze again, and Caramel tried to speak as quickly as he could.

“Forge is dead! You didn’t cause it! You only loved him! That’s all that you did! Anything that happened to him was the fault of the ponies around you! It’s their sin, not yours!”

Caramel watched as the ponies around him shimmered for a moment. The walls of the barn faded as well. But then the ponies and walls came back, and Caramel felt the metal begin to drag through his skin.

“The stallion in Manehatten…” He heard Edger say, “Fluttershy…”

“That wasn’t you!” Caramel cried out as he felt his own blood run down his hind leg. “They were using you! Script used you! You don’t control them!”

Edger’s eyes went wide. The walls around them finally disappeared, and the ponies melted into shadows. The harness around Caramel disappeared. The only part of Edger’s dream that was left was the table that still held him. Caramel ran over to Edger, but he winced in pain as his thighs brushed together. Caramel placed a hoof over Edger’s chest again.

“You don’t deserve this, Edger,” Caramel whispered. “Nopony does. It’s not your fault you were born where you were. It’s not your fault that other ponies used you. It’s not your fault that you have this gift.”

“I-I miss him so much.” Edger cried.

“And I’m sorry that he was taken away, Edger. But punishing yourself like this cannot bring him back. Nothing can. Please, Edger, let somepony comfort you. Let somepony in.”

Caramel felt the table disappear, and a moment later, he felt Edger’s body as it trembled against his own. Caramel pressed Edger’s head against his chest and let Edger’s body cry against his.

“You’re going to be okay, Edger. Princess Luna said she can help you with your gift.”

“I’m a mons-”

“Don’t say a word, Edger. Don’t say anything. Just stay with me, okay?”

The crying continued for a few moments, and Caramel looked and saw two white pinpoints of light in the distance. As the lights grew brighter, Caramel felt Edger’s body slowly disappear into the darkness.

Comments

[CPONY]

This was awesome... Can't wait for more!

[mr lovecolt]

2499173 Thank you. To be honest, I was unsure whether or not to begin my writing exercises with the slow burn style. Some readers tend to find the sudden introduction of otherworldly elements too much, but I felt it was a good place to start for me.