I am in a stone room. I am sitting in a corner. Across me a toy chest lay open in the middle of the room, with toys strewn about. Above me, a torch lights the room. There is a corner where no light reaches.
I feel drawn to the corner, but push the feeling aside.
Come, Jacky. Come to me.
Suddenly, light. Everywhere, light.
"Applejack?"
I can't see, the light is too intense.
"Hey, Applejack? You alright?"
The light dulls down and a cyan colored mare comes into view. She is standing above me.
"Oh, howdy, Rainbow." I say, once realizing who it is.
I stand up and stretch.
"Were you just napping?"
"Yup, why? Something wrong?"
Rainbow Dash flaps her wings, causing her to lift off the ground. "Not at all. I just wanted to race you."
I rub my eyes and yawn "Again? Didn't I just race you yesterday?"
Rainbow Dash cocks her head slightly and looks confused. "No. We haven't raced in a few weeks."
"Well, maybe some other time, I have chores that I need to catch up on, sorry." That was a lie. I finished my chores hours ago, that's why I was taking a nap.
I turn and walk away from Rainbow
"Hey, wait up." Rainbow flies to my side. "It's not like you to turn down a race." She flies in front of me and lands. "What's wrong?"
I stop and calmly reply. "Nothing, just tired. Now if you'll excuse me, I really need to finish my chores."
"Then I could help you."
"No." I reply quickly. "Granny Smith is sick, and I wouldn't want you to get sick too." Another lie.
Honesty has taken second fiddle to lying. It may have something to do with... No, I can't think about that.
"Okay. If you need anything, I'll be helping Fluttershy with her animals."
"If you have plans with her, then why were you asking to race me?" I walk away without giving Rainbow a chance to answer. But she still followed me.
"Well," she starts "I didn't. I was planning to race you around the orchard today, but since you don't want to race..." She looks at the ground. "You just aren't acting like your normal self, and I'm worried about you..."
I stop and look straight into Rainbow's eyes. "Look, Rainbow. I said that I need to finish my chores, so that I could help Granny Smith. She's been sicker than a dog since two days ago. So I've been working more than Wynona plays to help her feel better. That's all there is to it. Now if you are going to help Fluttershy, then please go help her, and leave me to my chores."
Rainbow gives me a worried look. "Okay, but if I find out that you aren't acting like yourself for other reasons, I'm going to be back." She turns and flies away.
I look at the ground, then walk away, heading towards the barn.
I hate lying... Granny smith hasn't had so much as a cold since last winter
You are doing what needs to be done, Jacky.
"Don't call me that!" I cover my mouth to try to muffle my yell.
I look behind me. Rainbow is no where to be found, thankfully. I can't imagine how she would have reacted hearing that.
Don't worry, I'm that cruel.
"Please... Be quiet..." I can feel a tear escape my eye.
You can only fight me for so long, my sweet Jacky. I will win.
"No. You won't. You can't." I drop my head.
In you're dreams, I am free, untamed from your petty morals. Eventually I will break you.
"No... I won't let you"
You can't stop me. No one can.
"You're a liar."
So are you.
Then it hit me like a wet bail of hay. I really am a liar. No better than any other two bit crook. No better than the mares and colts in the Equestrian Penitentiary. My vision started to get blurry, then the tears started falling.
Don't you start getting soft on me, Jacky. I still-
"Shut up!" I yell through my flurry of tears. "Just shut up! I hate you! Leave me alone!"
There's the Jacky that I know and love. Strong willed and powerful.
"I said SHUT UP!!"
I start running, trying to escape myself. I don't care where I'm going. Just as long as I'm not here.
Wherever you go, I'll always be here. I will never leave.
I can hear ponies talking, and bustling about. I open my eyes and realize that I'm in the town square. I start running faster to get out of town before anyone notices me.
"Hey, Applejack!"
Too late. I don't stop running though. Then I see Pinkie Pie bounding up beside me.
"Hey, Applejack! Why are you running so fast? Are you racing Dashie? No, she would be closer to you and I saw her earlier going towards Fluttershy's cottage." She gasps, but doesn't slow down a bit. "Is someone chasing you? Who is it, What is it? Is it a lion, a tiger, or maybe a bear? Oh my, that would be too much for me. But you're Applejack, that wouldn't scare you. It would have to be bigger, like a giant scorpion with two heads and an Ursa- "
"Leave me alone Pinkie!" I snap at her. "I don't care about you're crazy ideas of why I'm running."
I try speeding up, but she just keeps on bounding next to me, so I stop and take a sudden right turn. She won't follow me into the Everfree Forrest.
"Wait! Where are you going!?" She calls after me.
"Away from you, and everyone else!"
After running for awhile, I finally reach the Everfree Forrest. I stop running and lie down in a bed of leaves and sticks. There is a shelf made of sticks and stones with some Zap Apple Jam underneath it. This is my spot. I come here when I need to be alone, but I'm never alone anymore.
You handled that quite well, Jacky.
"Please stop calling me that."
I lie motionless until I fall sleep. My nightmares offer me more comfort than the real world can right now.
I find myself back in the stone room. The torch has dimmed a bit, and the toy chest has grown. Toys are still strewn about the floor.
"At least here I know I'm not insane."
Jacky, I will win eventually. Why do you continue to fight me?
"Because it is my life. I can't let you have it."
Why do you never address me by name?
"If I do that, it would make you stronger. I may be a country gal, but I ain't stupid."
I slowly open my eyes, and look around.
Trees, sticks, leaves, typical sights in the Everfree Forest. The only thing out of place is my Zap Apple Jam, but that doesn't belong anywhere outside of a picnic basket, or a cupboard.
I take some time lounging about before getting up, and stretching.
I eye my jam for a few seconds before deciding not to eat.
So I just walk into the woods.
I have come to this spot so often that I don't even need to use the trail anymore, not that I don't know where it is or anything like that.
It's a beautiful evening, Birds chirpin' up a storm, squirrels scurryin' around, and the occasional chicken that got loose from Fluttershy's cottage.
Wonderful night, eh?
"I guess."
Why don't you pay a midnight visit to your dear pal, Fluttershy?
"Yer just saying that because of the chickens..."
You're point being? Does it really matter why I suggested it? You should be glad that I'm being considerate of your social life. Most beings would find comfort in that.
"Well I ain't like most 'beings' okay?"
Fair enough.
I keep walking for about ten minutes before I see a light peaking through the trees.
"Almost there."
That's right, Jacky, almost there. Before we leave, can I ask you something?
"No."
Aw, why not?
"'Cause I said no. That's why."
Fine, be that way, Jacky.
I walk out of the forest and look around.
I see a large field with a dirt road leading to a small cottage.
Go see her.
I sigh.
"If I do, will you be quiet?"
Possibly.
I sigh again.
"Fine, I'll pop in for a bit."
I walk up to the cottage. As I get closer I start feeling weird, like something is... Off.
When I get to the door I lift my hoof to knock, but Fluttershy opens the door before I get the chance to.
"Oh, hi Applejack. How are you this evening?"
"I'm good. How did you know I was here?"
"Um, I didn't. I was going out to feed the chickens."
Wait, what?
"Don't you usually feed them during the day? I mean, wouldn't they be sleeping right now?"
"Oh, not always, and even when they are, I find that they are happier if they wake up to food."
Weird, she never mentioned that before.
Did you really think she told you everything?
Fluttershy grabs a bucket and brushes past me.
"So, what did you come over for?" She asks with a mouthful of bucket handle.
"To see if you could go for a midnight snack, actually."
"No thank you, I just ate, but I could make you something, if you would like."
She empties the bucket onto the ramp in front of the chicken coop.
"That would be great."
She starts walking back to her cottage. "Then come on in."
I walk in and notice that her house isn't the same as it was before.
"Did some redecorating, I see."
"Ya, the place was getting a bit dusty, so I decided to clean up a bit."
"Hey, Fluttershy? I need to something to ask you."
Don't say it Jacky.
Quiet
"And what is that?"
I'm warning you Jacky, don't say it.
I said be quiet.
"Do you ever feel like there is someone with you all the time?"
She opens up a cupboard and brings me a bowl full of something from it.
"Now that you mention it, I do feel like there is someone who needs to talk to me a lot. But you didn't come here to talk, eat."
I notice that Fluttershy herself looks a bit off. Her mane is glossier than usual, and her coat is paler.
"Fluttershy? Are you feeling okay?"
She opens her mouth to speak, but then closes it.
After a few seconds she speaks... without opening her mouth.
"Oh I feel fine, but my jaw does hurt a bit."
My jaw starts to quiver as her lips fuse together in front of me.
I manage to mutter out a single word. "F-F-Fluttershy?"
"What's wrong Applejack?" Her voice starts to deepen as she speaks. "Why aren't you eating?"
I look down at the bowl and see a round, white... thing.
"W-what... Is this?"
Her mouth begins to open but her lips stay stuck together, as if they were glued together.
"Chicken."
Chicken?! She eats her chickens?!
She walks over to me and puts her face to mine.
"Of course I eat them! Why else would I have them? To keep as pets? HA!"
When she said that, her lips began separating, but not like they should. They were... Melting apart. It looked like what happens when you accidentally step on a plump caterpillar and then lift your hoof from it. From behind her melting lips I could see her teeth. They were sharp, like the teeth of a dragon.
Then I hear a noise coming from outside.
I turn to the door and yell out in hopes of someone hearing me. "Help me!"
The door is broken open and a creature like I have never seen was standing there. It stood only on its two hind legs, had the head of a ram, muscular fore legs with five claws at the ends of them, hind legs with hooves on the ends of them, one eye black as the void, and another piercing red.
"What are you doing here?!" Fluttershy yells, her lips finally tearing apart.
The creature just looks at her, then its eyes start glowing and a fog creeps in from behind it.
"Answer me!" Fluttershy yells, whats left of her lips thrashing about.
The fog grows thicker.
The last thing I see before the fog consumes everything is Fluttershy turning her head towards me and lunging, those horrible teeth bared.
After awhile the fog is lifted and I'm left with an all to familiar sight.
I am in the stone room again, but this time the torch has been doused completely. The toy chest is no longer here, instead it is replaced by a blazing fire pit. The once dark corner is now illuminated, and the corner I sit in is black as night.
I see the creature from the cottage by the fire, sitting down.
For some reason, seeing the creature so calm, so... Relaxed, makes me feel like I know everything about it.
It has a white stick-like thing in its hand. It burns the end of it in the fire and then puts the end that isn't burning into it's mouth, inhales, then exhales smoke. The creature proceeds to do this for about a minute, then turns to me with it's black and red eyes, and speaks.
Welcome to my home, Jacky. As I said, you can't escape me. No one can.
I wake up screaming, on the forest floor. I can see the sun shining through the canopy.
"The dreams are getting worse, this can't be a good thing."
Oh, but how would you know?
"Because I know who you are, and what you are doing here."
Now do you understand why I won't leave?
"Yes.. you are to protect me from my nightmares."
Not just you. Your spirit, also.
"My, my spirit?"
Yes if you were to fall victim to your nightmares, not only would you lose all sanity, your spirit will cease to exist.