Dreamhunters.
The sun shone over Ponyville as Twilight followed her usual morning routine, humming a little song the youngest alicorn princess enjoyed her town still just as much as before. Her friends always only a five minute walk away from her beloved library. The day was perfect and each time some resident of Ponyville would see her they bowed a little to pay their respects to 'princess Twilight Sparkle' which made her blush a little.
Today she was supposed to meet up with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash for some flying lessons since her flying was least to say somewhat clumsy. When she met them something seemed off, Fluttershy looked normal with a small blissful blush on her face and two little birds hovering around her singing their most beautiful song, a source of sheer tranquility and it instantly helped twilight calm down and get relaxed to prepare for Rainbow's drilling. Yet Rainbow looked savage. Her mane an absolute mess and thick blackish layers beneath her eyes.
'Rainbow, what is wrong with you?' Twilight asked looking rather concerned for her friend. Now Fluttershy also noticed and looked at her a bit critical.
'I havn't slept tonight. Well actually, I did sleep a little but every time I got haunted by there horrible images yet each time I woke up,' Rainbow replied and sighed a little. 'I'm afraid training (…) yawn (…) for today is over.'
'Rainbow, can you tell me some more of these images, maybe there is a spell in one of my book to help you combat these nightmares,' Twilight suggested but Rainbow Dash seemed oblivious to her suggestion yet Fluttershy considered it a good option.
'Rainbow, maybe you should... ehhm... listen to Twilight?' Fluttershy asked with a small and soft voice. The only reply Rainbow Dash gave was a shrug and stumbled behind twilight towards the library.
Once there the sleep deprived Rainbow Dash collapsed on a sofa instantly loudly snoring. Twilight and Fluttershy both shrugged followed by a little giggle. Fluttershy sat close to Rainbow yet unable to do anything for the sleeping pegasus.
'Found it! Twilight uttered after about 15 minutes had passed. But simultaneously Rainbow Dash sat uptight yet her eyes closed until she uttered a vile shriek prior to collapsing on the bench again, sweating, panting and sobbing.
'What is it Rainbow?' Twilight asked gently and Fluttershy brushed softly trough Rainbow's mane to comfort the distressed mare a little yet her shivering didn't end.
'They... they... strangled me, made me sit up and strangled me,' she sobbed and uttered with great difficulty. Both twilight and Fluttershy looked rather shocked at each other when they heard the hoarse voice of Rainbow and while no words where said the fear in their eyes betrayed they where both thinking the same thing.
'This is as nothing I find documented anywhere, if they where usual nightmares I could easily block them but something stranger seems to be going on here,' she said blankly sounding a little beaten. It was hard for her to chew something that went beyond her knowledge and annoyance was readable on her face. 'the only thing I can do for you is giving you a protective magical barrier that allows you to sleep decently.' she said and instantly conjured a purple colored barrier around Rainbow hoping it would do the trick for now.
'Thanks Twilight,' Rainbow rasped and coughed a couple of times before she calmed down a little and fell asleep again, this time she remained asleep for a longer time. Twilight however could feel strange disturbance around her barrier which caused her to fatigue a little in order to sustain the barrier. A while later Twilight was forced on the ground sweating and panting as her energy was drained due to the constant attack on the barrier. She had no option but the abort the channel and mere seconds later the barrier broke.
Small cuts appeared all over Rainbow's body, scratches each of them giving away no more then one little red pearl of blood, reflecting the light of the torches around the surface and rainbow squirming in her sleep, biting her under lip indicating she could feel every single carving made into her body. A little later she woke up loudly screaming again but this time not followed by the sobs, just shivering and a frightened look where seen.
'No...' she said sounding tired, still hoarse and beaten. When she moved she cringed due to the small scratches on her sides stretching. Once she got herself together again she looked sad, beaten and merely a shim of the vibrant pony she was just a couple of days ago.
'This can't be good,' Fluttershy exclaimed sounding louder then she usually does and twilight nodded in agreement. Rainbow looked at the two of them with a desperate glance in her eyes yet neither of them could offer her a little comfort or peace of mind.
'This might yet prove to be the fiercest of enemies we have yet to face,' Twilight said sounding rather gloom. 'Never has anypony or anything been able to enter the mind of somepony like this. Even the mightiest of unicorns won't even come close to the energy needed to do this.'
'Let it rest Twilight, I can deal with this. If the future captain of the Wonderbolts can't handle a few nightmares, then I shouldn't become captain at all,' rainbow said boldly yet a small vibration in her voice betrayed her fear, since the dreams became way too real to be even called nightmares, they were true horrors exceeding the terror you'd normally get from any dream or nightmare.
Twilight shook her head. 'Rainbow, however I greatly admire your courage, this is too dangerous for even the boldest pony to face,' she said and pondered a little and looked desperately towards Fluttershy hoping she knew what to do.
Fluttershy only returned a blank look and her facial expression told Twilight she was at a lost here as well. 'Maybe Rainbow really can fight it,' she said sounding pseudo optimistic while she averted her head from Rainbow and looked at Twilight rather anxiously.
They exchanged looks for several seconds before Twilight suggested: 'How about we have a sleepover here at my place tonight, so rainbow can get a little relief. I'm sure it would be fun just the three of us.'
Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash concurred with Twilight's idea and even a small smile was seen on Rainbows face when she knew she didn't have to spend the night alone. 'How long are you having these nightmares Rainbow?' Twilight asked.
Rainbow just shrugged a little. 'I don't know, a couple of days maybe, but never as bad as last night and today.' she stated. 'Do you think it gets any worse?'
Nor Twilight or Fluttershy could give her any answer and they simultaneously shrugged. Rainbow just nodded to their surprise but she sighed a little since the shock didn't leave her entirely yet. 'At least I'm now close to you guys, my dearest friends next to me to comfort me when I need to,' Rainbow stated and a little tear emerged from her left eye as she was moved by the actions of her friends.
Twilight and Fluttershy both snuggled Rainbow and they giggled a little and for a little while everything seemed all right. Despite Rainbow’s sleep deprivation the power nap she had, however again violently interrupted by vile nightmares seemed to have helped her a great deal. She wasn’t as cranky anymore, she laughed with her friends until all three of them got tired and decided it was time for sleep.
Not wanting to show her fear Rainbow laid down on one of the three blankets Twilight had put down, incidentally the color of the blankets matched those of her mane. Fluttershy got a nice pink and yellow blanket while Twilight laid down on a purple and pink blanket. They laughed a little more and with elevated spirits they fell asleep.
‘Where am I?’ Twilight wondered and she looked around to see everything take shape. She was in her library but everything seemed distorted and shapes regularly shifted. The clock made no sense either since the pointers acted haywire turning in every direction except they should.
‘I must be dreaming,’ she exclaimed and giggled a little until she heard a loud scream coming from Fluttershy’s house. Twilight hurried out and the street seemed like water during a storm, waving and amorph. Nothing in this realm of dreams seemed solid and it made her nauseous.
With a great deal of effort she finally reached Fluttershy’s home and busted through the door. The door seemed to no resist the bash at all and almost flew out of the hinges. Twilight stood in utter shock as she observed what happened right before her eyes.
Fluttershy was restrained with leather traps, and spikes on the inside of those straps punctured her skin and punished her severely for even the slightest movement, digging deeper into her flesh and drawing more blood. In front of Fluttershy stood Rainbow Dash, or at least an image of rainbow dash wielding a thin but apparently razor sharp dagger. She held angel by her ears and the poor defenseless bunny wriggled and squirmed Fluttershy tried to avert her head but when she tried to do that she noticed rusty needles just half a millimeter away from her eyes.
‘Your life is forfeit now, and as are those of your friends,’ the image of rainbow Dash spoke but with a completely different voice then she normally speak with. The voice sounded raspy and male. The image of Rainbow dash brought the lean, razor sharp dagger to Angle’s throat and slid it in one smooth motion.
A quite large stream of blood emerged from the slit and angle squirmed and retched for a couple of more seconds. The retching of the bunny sounded vile, as she was choking on her own blood which flooded her lungs rapidly. After half a minute the squirming subdued to mere gargling and her desperate wriggling subdued completely as consciousness was lost in the little bunny and soon after the gargling stopped as well, indicating the flame of life was extinguished.
Fluttershy watched in agony as her bunny was reduced to a blood sodden corpse, her original color was hardly visible anymore. ‘You… Monster…’ she exclaimed between sobs.
‘Wake up now Fluttershy, your first ordeal is over,’ the image of Rainbow Dash rasped and everything around Fluttershy went black.’
Twilight was dragged across Ponyville and she was unable to resist herself. After a minute or two, or what seemed to last that long she found herself in Rainbow’s house. Ever since Twilight had become an alicorn she also inherited the gift to walk on clouds, thus she had visited Rainbow Dash multiple times.
Usually waterfalls in rainbow color would decorate the exterior of Rainbow’s house yet they all seemed to flow with a festering pitch black substance and a vile stench emerged from the streams. The clouds themselves looked as if they could break at any instance. The house itself looked as if it was deserted for many years and was forgotten for an equal amount of time.
‘R… Rainbow?’ Twilight stuttered and he waited several seconds for a reply as her voice seemed to resonate through the entire room and distort severely on the echo. No longer the world around her was twisting and turning yet things didn’t seem right here at Rainbow’s either. She carefully trotted in and saw rainbow in the dead center of the room in the most twisted alignment possible for a pony.
Her eyes looked hollow and pitch black even, her facial expression didn’t change and was as blank as her look aside from very little movement of her lips. ‘They’re making me do this,’ she kept repeating soundlessly and it took Twilight some time to figure that one out.
‘Who is making you do this Rainbow, what are you doing?’ twilight asked sounding very distressed ‘Rainbow, snap out of it,’
All rainbow did was repeating that one soundless sentence. Whatever Twilight said it seemed of no influence to rainbow’s reaction.
‘At last, I get to meet the famous Twilight Sparkle,’ some voice said. It sounded deep and seemed to boom through the entire sky yet some other pegasi flying by didn’t even seem to notice the voice like rolling thunder. ‘Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are forfeit, and so will your other friends be soon. Accept your faith and die little princess, luck was on your side until this daybut our puppet has led us straight to you.’
All of a sudden the sentence Rainbow was saying made sense and also her courage to face these dreams on her own without the help of her friends, now she was forfeit as well, and how would she even protect Pinkie, Rarity and Applejack from this?
‘So, your other friends name Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Applejack. You’re in my realm now, and I’m in your head, in your dream. Here are no secrets from me, nothing you can hide,’ The booming voice said. As twilight looked around to locate the source there was a black alicorn standing behind her. From the cutie mark she could see it was a distorted image of princess Celestia.
The image of Celestia wriggled and wrought in weird fashions. Her hoofs seemed misshaped and her face… she had no face. Just dents where her eyes were supposed to be but all covered in fur. The only distinguishable feature she bared was her mouth. Green strains of fume emerged from it with each breath she took. ‘Twilight, your life or the life of your friends,’ the image said and then vanished.
The instance the image of Celestia faded Rainbow Dash seemed to regain her senses. Her fur looked blood sodden and she had a thin dagger in her hoof also covered with a layer of blood. ‘they… they made me do it,’ she stuttered and breathed heavily. ‘I couldn’t do anything against it, I was their puppet. Their sentient puppet making me witness every move I make, every word I say,’ Rainbow said.
‘I saw what you, or they or whatever is behind this did, Fluttershy will be in great grief. We should try to wake up since she has woken up already.’ Twilight said but she had no clue of how to exit this horror plane created by the ones that want to harm them.
‘I’m not yet done with you my faithful student, you don’t think you’re here just to witness. You are here to suffer like your friends. Your blood will shed each time you sleep, and while you’re awake we shall rest. But for you there might never be rest again!’ the image of Celestia said as it reappeared. Both Rainbow Dash and Twilight flinched and Twilight got an ominous feeling in her gut. Before she could answer Celestia’s image all went black around her.
When everything took shape it was still dark, but this image was familiar. She was back at her library and watched as Rainbow, Fluttershy and she herself laid sleeping on their blankets. The spikes that restrained Fluttershy had given her peculiar wounds on her hoofs. Rainbow cringed and made sounds as if she needed to puke, almost like retching and Twilight shivered.
‘See how your friends suffer Twilight, your life for theirs,’ the same booming voice exclaimed. Twilight rubbed her hoofs through her mane and she instantly noticed the sleeping version of her got a messy mane. ‘but as your friends, you too must bleed tonight,’ the voice said.
This time the voice did not create an image of whatever but the ominous presence was clearly seen. ‘What are you going to do to me?’ she asked but her plead went unanswered. Suddenly a sharp sensation of pain went through her left wing and as she gazed upon her left wing she noticed it stood crooked with part of the hollow bone sticking out. She screamed and sobbed simultaneously and an instant later she found herself sitting upright on her blanket.
The others followed her example quickly all groaning, moaning, shivering and panting loudly. They looked at each other but no words were needed to tell they all experienced the same. Fluttershy rubbed her injured hoofs and Rainbow tried to comprehend what happened and how she all of a sudden acquired a thin and razor sharp, blood covered dagger along with many blood stains on his coat.
Twilight’s wing hung limp and lifeless, just waddling with each move as all the support from the bone was gone. She whimpered with each movement she dared making and even thinking of moving made her cringe. ‘We’re in deep trouble girls,’ she said softly and forgot to mention the part of self-sacrificing in order to save her friends.
Fluttershy held herself pretty well given the circumstances and Rainbow clearly showed the effects of structural sleep deprivation. Rainbow looked exhausted and thick layers draped beneath her eyes. Overall she was cranky and she didn’t dare look fluttery in the eye since she knew full well that she really killed Angle the bunny. ‘Twilight, you should have that wing checked out, it looks rather severe,’ Rainbow stated bluntly and Fluttershy nodded in agreement.
‘yes, Yes I should,’ twilight replied and stood upright with a great deal of effort in a weird alignment to make her left wing hurt the least. ‘this is absolutely horrible,’ she continued and sighed deeply. After her statement she started to walk towards the door. ‘Are you girls coming with me? I don’t think sleeping will be a very viable option anyways,’ she stated sounding rather gloomy and her voice exhausted.
Twilight’s exhaustion was nothing compared to Rainbow’s and she merely grunted as she got up thus twilight figured that would be a yes. Fluttershy pondered for a little but really didn’t feel anything for staying alone and followed rainbow and Twilight outside.
To everyone’s consolation the streets were deserted and nopony was there to observe their wounds. Fluttershy walked awkwardly as her hoofs hurt more with every step she took. Twilights wing occasionally leaked a stream of blood each time the wing moved and so left a small trail of blood heading directly for her library. The hospital had never seemed as such a long walk to either of them and when they finally arrived they were panting and shivering, paranoid about what might strike from the darkness and distrusting every shadow to be cast under the lights.
The nurses were in utter shock when they laid eyes upon the three and especially shaken when they examined Twilight’s wing. Twilight gasped and cringed each time even the slightest movement disturbed the broken bone. ‘We’ll have to operate this, that means you go to sleep so we can fix your wing miss Sparkle,’ the doctor eventually said.
Twilight nodded furiously. 'No! I shall not go to sleep, set it straight with me awake!' she said resolute. Rainbow cringed even thinking of the world of agony it would be to relocate the bone and Fluttershy resided to a corner where she laid down, shivering and whimpering.
'But miss Sparkle, I have to cut away dead flesh and setting the bone itself. Nopony no matter how tough would be capable of bearing such pain,' the doctor stated sounding very surprised.
'I know, just give me something to bite on, and set my wing straight!' she exclaimed sounding annoyed and cranky. 'It's not going to set itself back in position,' she added to give her statement some more power.
'O-Okay,' the doctor muttered. 'is it okay if I give you a local anesthetic so it hurts less?' he asked
'Do whatever you deem necessary, as long as I don't have to sleep,' she said still in an irritated fashion with a small hint of anxiety. She dug her face in the pillow and the doctor placed several injection of local anesthetic in her wing and wound, removing the last of the tension in its muscles relieving Twilight from quite a deal of pain.
The doctor grabbed a scalpel and started to cut away the flesh, too badly injured by the jagged bone that still stuck out of her wing. Twilight cringed a little as the anesthetics merely muffled the pain a little rather then protecting her from it completely. She dug her face deeper in the pillow and some whimpering sounds muffled by the pillow could be heard.
Fluttershy who resided back to the corner took one glance upon the procedure the doctor was doing but instantly had to retch violently as she saw a steady beam of blood dripping off the table. Rainbow looked interested as well as disgust to everything, while caressing Twilights mane despite his own horrible condition to offer her some support.
'Okay miss sparkle, I have removed all dead flesh, and the bleeding has stopped for now. The only remaining thing is the position of the bone.' the doctor said talking quite slowly. The doctor was stalling since he didn't dare touching it because the patient was still awake. 'Are you sure you don't want a general anesthetic miss Sparkle?' he asked once more.
Twilight just lifted her head and her eyes shot lightning at the doctor. 'Just... put... it... in,' she panted, laid down and prepared herself for what was about to come.
The doctor was frightened by this side of Twilight, the normally ever friendly pony was now pissed and distressed. The doctor took a deep breath and examined the position of the bone carefully to where it usually should be. With one quick movement he placed the boon back inside of her yet the bone was still crooked.
A long wailing scream emerged from the pillow as the bone shot back in and a fairly big stream of blood now ran down the table on the ground. Due to the indescribable pain Twilight couldn't hold control of her bladder. Now a stream of clear yellow liquid mixed with the murky blood into a mixture of twilight's bodily fluids. When she ended her wail it seemed to resonate for seconds in the small room.
The wail that erupted from Twilight caused Fluttershy to cry soundlessly in the corner where she remained and Rainbow Dash flinched by the sudden sound but quickly places her hoof on Twilight's head again saying: 'It'll be alright, just one more nudge and the bone is placed correctly again... I think.'
The doctor nodded towards Rainbow confirming her assumption. 'Twilight, just one more. Then we're out of here and your pain is relieved,' Rainbow stated as she went through her mane again. Some muffled words came from under the pillow yet they where inaudible.
The doctor examined the position of the bone carefully and without giving Twilight a heads up he twisted the bone right in position with a cloud crack. Twilight once again wailed in sheer agony and was now unable to hold her consciousness.
Instantly she was back at her library in good health. Rainbow and Fluttershy still sleeping softly on their blankets. Twilight looked around and shook her head. “I'm dreaming again,' she said to no one in particular.
'Welcome back Twilight Sparkle, are you here to tell us weather you've decided to live and let your friends die, or die yourself in order to save your friends.' the low and serene voice asked.
'No, I will fight you, and I will bring you down whoever or whatever you are,' she shouted yet her statement seemed to go unanswered. Three flicks that resembled the cracking of a whip where heard rapidly successive to each other. A sharp pain short through her back and she woke up instantly being conscious again.
The doctor stood there watching in absolute horror as he saw the lacerations of the whip appear on her back while twilight squirmed and whimpered in agony. Her wing felt as if it would be torn off any second and the wounds on her back stretching with every movement made the pain sear through her entire upper body.
'What in Equestria's name is going on here?' he exclaimed as he clearly couldn't grasp what's going on.
'Now you see why I can't go to sleep,' Twilight snapped back at him and dug her face in the pillow again the muffle her groans. 'Close it up, plaster it and I'm outta here, I've got to fight this... somehow,' she said and prepared for the stitches that were about to follow.
The stitches were nothing compared to the great deal of pain she was already having and could be qualified as no more then an inconvenience. The plastering however was very painful especially since the wing needed to be in a certain position.
'Okay miss Twilight, whatever the hell happened I do not need to know, but for now you're patched up.' the doctor stated looking very critically towards Twilight. When she got up from the bench she left a pis sodden and blood sodden mess behind her. Her coat was as messed up as the floor and the smell was even worse.
'I guess I should take a shower, let's head back to the library and keep each other awake,' Twilight said as they headed out of the hospital. Twilight now walked normally since the wing didn't hurt as bad anymore with the plaster.
'Once arrived at the library twilight vanished upstairs to wash herself and within ten minutes she was downstairs again with her friends. She didn't even bother to straighten her mane which looked more like an afro by now, plunged in a chair and sighed. 'Now, what do we do to pass the night?' she asked the others.
Rainbow didn't even bother to lift her head, fatigue had got the best of her and she was in a half sleeping state. Fluttershy stared blankly at twilight and occasionally nudged Rainbow to keep him from sleeping. Rainbow just grunted displeased with each nudge.
Silently they looked at each other. No one of them felt like talking and the only sound was the clock on the wall ticking... and ticking... and ticking in the same mesmerizing rhythm. Twilight was bobbing her head in the same frequency as the clock until she nearly fell asleep. She stood up, cursed violently and shot the clock with a beam of energy, causing thousands of bits and pieces to be flung around the room. 'SILENCE YOU!' she shrieked and then groaned in pain due to her wing.
Rainbow and Fluttershy were both in utter shock for the sudden outburst of Twilight and shivered. Twilight muttered some apologies towards them but they were still shivering and looked anxiously at Twilight. 'Come on, there must be something we can do, we must combat this quickly or else we're not getting out of this,' Twilight then said.
Rainbow just answered with some grunts, she was completely beaten and at a lost. She just hovered between a state of being awake and sleeping, yet not sleeping deep enough for them to get to her. Fluttershy was tired as well and very concerned about her animals. The wounds she got weren't too bad, yet the thought her animals got hurt made her scared beyond belief but she also didn't dare go home alone, afraid to fall asleep.
None of the two however gave any answer to Twilight's question and again they sat in silence, now no clock to break the silence since the wall where the clock hung was reduced to a smoldering black spot. Time crept by and soon in utter boredom Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash both fell asleep.
'She decided to fight, now you must bleed for her inadequacy,' the booming voice like rolling thunder exclaimed. Rainbow looked around her not feeling fatigued anymore yet trapped again in a horrible nightmare.
'What are you talking about?' she replied fiercely. And looked around her to see if there was anything familiar, yet whatever direction she looked at it was pitch black as far as the eye could reach in the darkness.
'She hasn't told you? How cute...' the voice replied especially drawing the word cute almost infinity long.
'She hasn't told me what?' Rainbow asked staggered with surprise. Her eyes shot lightning in anger to conceal the sheer terror within.
'A little thing I've offered her, a little thing that might well save your life, but of course that doesn't come cheap. Yet she wants to fight, thus you must bleed in stead of her,' the voice replied tactically evading the true answer to the question.
Before rainbow could think of a follow up question the room lit up in a bright light temporarily blinding rainbow. When she regained her eyesight she found out she was hung by 4 ropes. Each rope attached to one of her hoofs and her body was fully exposed.
Fluttershy, or at least an image of her appeared in front of Rainbow. 'You have killed my angel bunny, I will shed the equal amount of blood for you to pay in kind.' Fluttershy said with the same raspy male voice as rainbow had spoken when she was the puppet.
'No Fluttershy, I couldn't help it! I was a puppet, wake up Fluttershy, WAKE UP.' Rainbow shouted and plead towards her but it seemed as if she didn't even heard her. A tray appeared with one cup filled with about 300 milliliters of blood, the amount drained from Angle the moment she died. Next to it an empty cup of the exact same size. 'Rainbow Dash, you shall repay in kind what you have taken from angle, I shall not kill you but you will pay every single drop of blood you have drawn,'
Rainbow dash was frightened. How could they have collected the blood drawn from angle, what the hell was going on here? Fluttershy on her turn while Rainbow's thoughts trailed off picked up a hollow needle. The needle looked rusty and bent.
'Rainbow Dash, repay in kind what you have drawn,' Fluttershy said and stuck the needle in Rainbows neck. Rainbow shocked from the pain and blood instantly started to flow slowly filling the cup. Occasionally Fluttershy wriggled the needle a little to keep the bloodstream flowing then it threatened to stop.
No matter how much Rainbow squirmed and pleaded, Fluttershy's facial expression remained blank and void of the slightest sign of mercy. She waited until the cup was filled with the exact equal amount as in the already filled cup and then rapidly removed the needle. The removal of the needle caused a small stream of blood down rainbow's neck. 'And that blood is just as a reminder for you,' she stated. That instant Rainbow Dash woke up.
Fluttershy was also in the room where Rainbow was restrained. Yet not on the place she appeared to be. Each time rainbow pleaded she tried to reply yet her mouth wouldn't open. She couldn't move at all. She cried a little when rainbow pleaded for forgiveness and tried to burst out of her invisible shackles.
'I'm so sorry Rainbow, I know you didn't kill Angle bunny,' she thought and a little sob followed yet she couldn't make a sound. 'Please hang in there, wake up you... WAKE UP,' the thought and tried to say and shout those words. Ominous darkness then surrounded her as the image of Fluttershy was done with her works. Everything turned blurry until they where at her house. Angle lay dead in the dead center of the room, the other animals sat in a circle around Angle with their heads hung.
'Why are you showing me this? What is it you want from us?' Fluttershy asked in shock and horror from the sighs laid before her eyes.
'She hasn't told you either? Great friends you have my young Fluttershy. As for you, as long as she declines it is you who suffers, only she can end it,' the voice boomed onwards leaving Fluttershy in utter amazement and before she could comprehend what had been said, she woke up simultaneously with Rainbow Dash.
They both gasped loudly as they woke up and looked in each other's eyes. The thin stream of blood along Rainbow's neck and Fluttershy's watery eyes. 'What was he blabbing about... she hasn't told us, who hasn't told us what?' Rainbow exclaimed and looked at Twilight who got a little nervous at that point.
As if in a Mexican standoff Rainbow and Fluttershy stared towards Twilight, her face was filled with surprise and didn't know what they were talking about.
'Tell us Twilight, what have you been hiding,' Rainbow groaned and tried to stand up, but she collapsed immediately as her hoofs seemed to lack the strength to carry her and everything went black before her eyes. A huge puddle of blood unveiled beneath Rainbow where she had bled.
'I haven't been hiding anything, and how did you get so hurt, you two were only asleep for 5 seconds, I didn't even get the chance to wake you!' Twilight said sounding even more surprised then before. 'I should die, so they can live... that's what I haven't told them,' suddenly shot through her head.
The night went by without any of them speaking another word, constant stares of distrust came from Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash and Twilight acted as if she didn't know. 'Paying with my life to save my friends. What if Pinkie, Rarity and Applejack are experiencing the same terrors, I have made a formidable enemy, if only I knew who he or she was,' Twilight thought but no answers rose. She couldn't imagine who she had angered this badly.
When the sun finally rose after the longest night ever they where suddenly shocked by knocks on the door. As Twilight was fearing Rarity, Pinkie and Applejack stood at her door, all looked battered and bruised, Applejack was even bleeding and limping severely as she couldn't walk on her hind leg anymore which faced into the wrong direction.
'What happened?' Twilight asked and all of them threw angry gazes towards Twilight. Twilight answered their looks with a critical stare and sighed deeply. 'let me guess, you're having severe nightmares, you're horribly sleep deprived and Somepony hasn't told something.' she stated bluntly.
Their angry stares changed to surprise as Twilight was spot on with her contemplation of what the situation is right now. 'Well, we're having the same problem here,' she stated. She pointed at her plastered wing and the open lashes on her back, Fluttershy's bloody hoof and rainbow's huge blood puddle and hundreds of tine scratches at her sides.
'I wanna go out Twilight,' Rainbow Dash suddenly said. She stood up with some effort and walked outside. Flapped her wings and disappeared in the skies.
She flew and flew until she was hovering high above town square. 'This ends now, I can no longer bear this torture, I don't know what or why, I don't want to know. I just want it to end,' she thought. She closed her eyes and withdrew her wings causing her to plunge towards the earth. Moments later she landed with a loud thud in the dry mud. Her skull cracked like an over ripe melon and splatter covered anypony near. Three of her ribs stuck out of her side and her right wing was absolutely misshapen so badly it wasn't a wing no more.
The witnesses gasped loudly and some fled the scene. Others watched in terror to the lifeless corpse of Rainbow Dash as it made its final twitches. Twilight and the others also heard the tumult erupting from the square not far from them and went there to check it out.
They flinches as they saw the mangled body of Rainbow Dash laying there in the center of the square. Guard ponies kept everyone to a distance as the coroner did his job and covered up the body. Once he lifted it up and carried away all that remained was the puddle of bleed left behind by Rainbow's impact.
Fluttershy sobbed uncontrollably while Rarity, Pinkie and Applejack tried to comfort her. Twilight just stood there watching the puddle with a blank expression. Her mind raced onwards and she decided what to do.
'I've got to go to my library now, I might just know how to combat this, but you must not follow me for I must do this alone. Tomorrow this will all be over and tomorrow you will know what I have been hiding from you guys for too long. By then I just hope you can forgive me,' Twilight said, closed her eyes and walked away from the scene back to her library. Her friends did not follow as she had requested and she took place behind her desk.
Dear friends,
By the time you read this letter I will be dead. The thing I wasn't telling you was the following: I could sacrifice my life in order to end this all for you. After Rainbow's unfortunate death I have decided to trust whatever foe is against us. I will relinquish my life in order for you to keep living. I hope my death is not in vain and that you might have many years of close friendship all together.
Sorry I have not taken this decision earlier, but seeing the circumstances I hoped for a fighting chance yet from the first second this foe targeted me/us, we were forfeit. Now I forfeit to grant you life. What do you do when the realm of dreams is tainted and the very essence of sleep has become corrupted... you pray and die, and hope so to save your friends.
Yours truly, Princess and your friend, Twilight Sparkle
She sobbed a little soaking the paper with some of her tears and then rolled up the scroll sealing it with the crest given to her along with her new title. She laid down and closed her eyes. Despite the severe sleep deprivation she didn't feel tired at all anymore since this would be the last time she would ever go to bed, and she would never wake up again.
It took her some time to make peace with her faith and once she had accepted it, she closed her eyes again and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Twilight woke up and this time she was prepared for what was going to come. 'I have decided, I will relinquish myself to you, in order to save my friends.' Twilight shouted at the top of her lungs.
A vague distorted image of a creature resembling a fusion of her 5 friends appeared in front of her. Standing poorly balanced on 5 hooves all five faces turned to Twilight: 'Thanks princess Twilight, We shall live now, free of agony and despair.' all the heads spoke in perfect unison.
'Just one question, before you kill me I would like to know who my foe was,' she said hoping whatever was behind this would comply.
'You are Twilight. All your magical energy has scrambled the minds of you and your friends. They are unable to dream every again. The pure magical energy has formed an entity causing the nightmares and the severe wounds you and your friends woke up with.'
'That can't be, how can magic be the cause of this, I used my magic for good, not for evil,' she uttered and shook her head disagreeing.
'Twilight, your death is the only thing that can expunge this magical energy from your friends, they will be safe, since you're the cause, only you can break it. And you have to pay the ultimate price for your friends.'
Twilight attempted to say something for a couple of time but choked in her words every time she tried. She searched for the words and then just said: 'Do what you have to do, but make it quick,' she said.
'I'm afraid I can't do that Princess Twilight. Your friends have suffered for you, you must suffer the equal,' the entity spoke. Before Twilight could react she was in Fluttershy's house. Angles corpse now smelled badly and was maggot infested. The sharp stench penetrated her nostrils and caused her to retch.
'You shall kill every single animal here if you want Fluttershy to live, that shall be her final ordeal and your first step to restore the balance.' the entity spoke.
Twilight looked around in sheer terror when she suddenly felt the same lean dagger in her hoof as Rainbow Dash was forced to kill Angle with. Twilight sobbed and hesitated. 'Fluttershy, please forgive me,' she whined as she started to stab every animal within her reach. It seemed to take hours before the last animal had drawn it's final breath and the floor now was sodden with blood and slippery as could be. The many corpses carpeted the floor and it seemed as if the flies and maggots from Angles corps instantly covered the others as well.
'Well done Twilight Sparkle. Unfortunately Rainbow Dash has fallen already, so you have to bear the suffering you were to inflict to her yourself.' the entity spoke.
They transferred to Rainbow's house. And it was still the same decrypted cloud house with the black streams surrounding it. 'You are to drink one sip of the black, it will cause severe stomach ache and violent puking, yet it's nothing fatal. You should notice it after about 5 to 10 minutes.'
'Twilight sighed deeply, realizing there is no use fighting the entity or refusing she obeyed without saying a single work and took a sip of the vile liquid. It tasted like death itself, the way angle smelled this liquid tasted.
After several minutes it seemed like her stomach was being ripped out. She squirmed and retched violently causing a sound nopony should ever be able to make. Between retches she cowered in fear and pain and curled up in the smallest ball she could possible achieve, feeling helpless against the haywire magical entity. Not long after her first retching she puked a pitch black vile tasting fluid. Due to the intensity of the reflex some shot through her nose as well, causing it to bleed heavily and the stench of it to fully penetrate her, instantly causing more puking.
Several hours later it felt as if she was coming at ease, finally being able to breathe normally and the pain in her stomach residing and taking it's leave. Along the decrypted cloud house laid pitch black vomit mixed with blood from her nose. 'Well done again Twilight Sparkle, just 3 more before your final ordeal is over.' the entity said.
'Pinkie pie has to babysit Mister and misses cake's babies tonight. Wouldn't it be a shame if everything she fed the babies or herself tasted like death itself spat in it?' the entity asked thereby giving Twilight a vial of the vile black liquid.
'I'm sorry Pinkie Pie, you'll hate me for this, but trust me when I say it's for your own good. Me becoming an alicorn was the worst thing to ever happen to me and for my friends I realize now. Princess Celestia, what cruel faith have you bestowed upon me,' she wailed as she poisoned every food in the bakeshop.
'Only two more Twilight sparkle, We will go to the apple orchard now. These apples have been able to grow thanks to your magic, so you must use your magic once more to diminish this harvest for it is corrupted with the magical essence causing the nightmares in you and your friends. With this harvest the entire population of Equestria will fall in this realm, and they too will suffer for your deeds Princess Twilight,' the entity spoke.
'Applejack, this will ruin your farm, but same as me sacrifices have to be made to ensure everyone lives. I hope you can forgive me,' she said and cast a rapid aging spell all over the orchard causing all apples to shrink into small brown moldy balls.
'One last suffering remains Twilight, Rarity must also suffer.' the entity said.
Moments later they stood in the shop where Rarity worked her dresses. 'The wings you gave her have left a great deal of the essence in her. You must once more grant her wings, yet these wings will be the most hideous in existence and will only disappear once everypony in Ponyville has laid eyes upon them,'
Twilight just sighed and charged her spell, while she internally begged once final time for forgiveness from her friends and then shot the beam straight at the working Rarity.
'Twilight Sparkle, you have abolished your mistakes from the past. Are you ready to accept your final destination?' the entity asked.
Twilight just cried and nodded, she felt horrid and dead on the inside, the suffering she had bestowed upon her friends, she didn't know her magic had this impact on the realm beyond. 'I am ready to face my faith, I shall accept the consequences of my magic. And I shall shed my blood so my friends don't have to shed theirs.' she stated.
At the middle of town square Twilight stood. All 5 of her friends stood opposed to her. 'thank you Princess Twilight,' they said in unison again. Twilight bowed before them and huge scythes appeared in their hoofs. All 5 simultaneously landed their scythe on Twilight severing her in 5 almost equal pieces. These pieces fell on the ground, she blinked once more and everything went black.
Everypony was still at town's square mourning Rainbow's death as all of a sudden Twilight appeared next to Rainbow's puddle sliced in 5 pieces. Their friends all looked shocked towards Twilight and Fluttershy even fainted. Having just dealt with the initial blow of Rainbow they had a very hard time working thisone out, yet each night they sleep now was tranquil and free of nightmares. Filled with all the joy of the world.
~Epilogue~
Fluttershy: She couldn't handle the death of all her animals along with the death of 2 dear friends of her. She committed suicide a mere week after Twilight had died.
Pinkie Pie: Currently instituted in the Equestrian facility for mental health. After the cakes sold the vile snacks they went out of business and got evicted. Pinkie Pie got severely depressed until she reached a catatonic state. Experts believe she might never snap out of it.
Applejack: Her entire harvest got spoiled by Twilight aging spell and the ranch went bankrupt. Filthy Rich bought the land, evicted the apples and used to land to build a huge supermarket. Many small businesses have gone out of business due to the supermarket being a lot cheaper. The apples got scattered all over Equestria taking their residence at family members. Applejack however never bucked a single apple tree due to her severely wounded hind leg.
Rarity: Never dared to leave the house again with her hideous wings thus they never disappeared. Her shop sustained... barely but she had to abandon all dreams to become a hot shot fashion artist. The quality of her work is still degrading every year, the sign of a lost dream and the aging process have not been kind on her. She grew bald within two years after these events occurred.
