Equestria; a journey with equines

Chapter 14

Madness

I'm in a black space, empty and foreboding. There is no sound, even my voice is lost to the blackness. The silence hangs in the air, daring me break it. Taunting me. But that's what it wants, for me to panic and break down. No, I will prevail through this test of willpower, I will prevail.

I look down at myself, it's the only thing I can see in this void. I'm wearing my jeans and t-shirt, the usual. My claw is still present, as are the wings, both pulsating with a strange dark energy. They emit darkness, not light, it's like light is lost inside of it. A black hole. Very peculiar.

I attempt to access my magic, it's definitely still there but seems to be radiating with that same dark energy. It seems that the magic is more powerful here, wherever here is. It seems the absolute darkness of the surrounding void is influencing my magic, fuelling it, even more so than my emotion. Both hatred and frustration cause my magic to become more powerful, but I feel neither. It has to be something else, but the only things here are me and the void. Apart from the ominous silence and the foreboding void around me, I feel rather calm. I haven't felt this calm in a long while. Not after what happened recently.

The darkness shifts, allowing traces of light to build up in front of me. The light morphs into a ball of colour, spanning the entire light spectrum. The light and colour merges and forms an image, an image of Trixie, lying in a pool of her own blood. The image moves, changing into a movie, showing everything that I did to her over and over. Relentlessly. I can't look away, something won't let me. I have to watch the array of barbaric imagery before me. I can't actually believe I did those things. It's not like me at all. I can feel the pain that she went through, every little thing I did to her, I can feel now. Absolute pain.

The pain is excruciating, I cry out but there is no sound, no screams of anguish, no blood curdling cries, nothing. All the sound is lost to the void. The pain rips through me like my claw through her flesh,  no resistance. I drop to my knees, clutching my head in my hand and claw. The claw burns my face, scorching me with the intensity of a thousand suns, I let out another silent scream as I whither in agony. The claw burning where it connects to my arm, and my wings burning where it connects to my back. The suffering is indescribable, bringing me to the ground. Every second seems like an eternity's worth of lifetimes. I let out one last silent cry before the pain fades, disappearing as suddenly as it came.

The video disappears, leaving me alone in the void once again. But this time I'm quivering on the ground, tears of blood streaming down my face. I start laughing manically, never before has pain felt so joyous. This is such a marvellous feeling. I laugh harder, somehow breaking the silence around me. The noise is welcome in this cold and lonely place. The tears continue to flow freely, falling from my face and disappearing into the void. Tears of joy, this must be what Pinkie feels when she makes people smile. That's it! I must spread my happiness to the world. I will make everyone suffer, I will hurt everyone so they can feel this marvellous feeling. Against all odds, my laughter intensifies. This is why I'm here, to spread pain and suffering! Marvellous.

A small part of me resists the sheer insanity that seems to have taken over, fighting back against the false concepts to no avail. I can feel my sense of compassion leaving, to be replaced with twisted cruelty and madness. The small part of me fights back with all it's got, as the last true part of me, it hangs on to the glimmer of hope that I will break free. But it's suppressed by the madness, contained by the cruelty. It cant break free.

A another voice adds to the laughter, breaking me from my insane ramblings. I know the voice, it's him.

"Your purpose is clear, go!" the Nightmare screams through my mind, overwhelming every other thought.

I nod enthusiastically, against the quiet resistance from the back of my mind. Everything fades away, all the sound gone. Everything gone.

...

I wake on the ground, the world spinning rapidly around me. I look up to see my concealed nest in the tree above me. Leaves surround my body as I lay, having apparently fallen.

A bush rustles in front of me, followed by a low growl. A manticore emerges from the bushes, a hungry gleam in its eyes.