Equestria; a journey with equines

by D3ATHH

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Dark, Human
Length: 18591

I was on a flight to see my family, only to be gripped in the jaws of disaster. I survived. Kinda.

I was on a flight to see my father, I don't see him as much as I would like, so it makes dealing with the turmoils of the airport bearable. Then, I was unexpectedly gripped in the fearsome jaws of disaster. Only to survive.
I survived the inevitable.
I survived through the impossible.
Sort of…

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-07-21 21:20:55 UTC

Prologue

To put it simply, I was on plane. The sun was shining through the windows, blinding anyone stupid enough to look at it, and the clouds were few. There were so few clouds that I could see straight down to the ocean. Despite the view, I was thoroughly bored. You would be too if you had sat for two whole hours doing nothing but staring into the horizon. Anyway, the plane was awfully stuffy, which made the whole situation even worse than it was. Even the fact that I was sat in the back corner, distant from everyone else, didn't help. This was because of a simple noise. Yes, a noise. For this noise was one of the worst noises there is. It was the noise that was a baby crying. The onslaught on my ears, and everyone else's, never let up. *sigh* Why must I suffer so?

I was travelling to see my father, as he lives up in Finland. My encounters with him are way too few and spaced far apart, I would try to see him more but one thing stood in the way. Money. And it's not like I could deal with all the hassle of the airport more often than I had too. The queues are always so long and the waiting times even longer. But then again, this particular flight got very interesting, very quickly...

The seemingly average and equally irritating flight took a turn for the worse. Yes, it actually got worse. Clouds began to form around the plane. At first it was nearly unnoticeable, except then the clouds multiplied rapidly. Their colour changed from a fluffy white to an angry black. The sunlight stopped streaming through the windows, much to everyone's relief, and the baby finally stopped crying. The clouds engulfed the aircraft mid-flight and caused the whole plane to shake violently. People started panicking like it was their job and the baby replied to this with more screaming. It was as if the baby knew what was about to happen.

The clouds started rumbling. Sounded like thunder. Wait, no, it was thunder. The lights flickered and the plane continued to rock from side to side. Small children had joined the baby in a orchestra of tears, except it had no conductor. Sounded awful. Adults were trying to calm their children while they argued with flight personal. Bags fell from the overhead lockers. I could feel the looming sense of dread as the thunder roared again, louder this time. Lights exploded and pieces of transparent plastic rained on everyone's heads. The screaming got louder except, I didn't care. I was too busy looking out the closest window.

On the outside of the plane, I could see the clouds swirl and dance to the beat of the thunder, as if it was alive. A lightning flash brought me back to the panic and screams around me. The flight personal were telling people stay in their seats and buckle up. The lightning flashed again. The cries got louder as it flashed again. And again. Rapidly. As if the lightning had a mind of its own.

BOOM!

There was an explosion, I looked out the window to see that the right side engine had been ripped off the plane. The wing too. We began descending in a spiral. The sound of screaming reached a crescendo. The flight personal said something about crashing, but I couldn't over the sound of my own heartbeat. I was scared now, there was no way anyone could make it out of this. We were doomed.

We hit the ground. Hard. I was thrust from my seat and into the ceiling. The pain was overwhelming. I blacked out.

Luna save me.

First impressions are hard

Chapter 1

First impressions are hard

My head hurts. A lot. It feels like I got hit with a hammer repeatedly in the side of the head.

Wait. Why am I alive?!

It's true, I am alive. I slowly attempt to stand, only to be met with burning pain. I slumped back down to the ground, groaning. Deciding against trying again, I look around.

My surroundings are strangely colourful, like a cartoon. Strange. Straight ahead of me is a forest of dense and dark woodland, and it's on on fire. Not like a raging inferno, but small smouldering flames on the branches. The fire seems to have originated from the burning wreckage of the plane, which is also in my field of view. The wreckage is giving off a lot of dark smoke, easily rivalling the lighter smoke from the smouldering forest fire. The wreckage consists of the remains of an engine, a wing and the back section of the plane where I was sat.

"I wonder where the rest of the plane is?" I say aloud.

I decide to attempt standing again. Success! It hurts, like my leg is burning, but I can stand. I turn to face the opposite direction to the plane, the process is slow and painful. There is a small hill, nothing interesting about it, just that it overlooks the crash site. Apart from that, there is not much else, I can't see over the hill and climbing it would be incredibly painful.

"Shit! My bag!"

I hobble over closer to the wreckage, it hurts so much. I rummage through the smouldering remains of the plane. Avoiding the fire and breathing through my t-shirt, I find what looks like the storage compartment. I open it with a quiet click. There it is, my bag. Safely tucked away in the back of the compartment. Completely untouched by the fire. I grab it I make my way over to the bottom of the hill. The pain in my legs has reduced but is still affecting my movement.

The contents of the bag I had just retrieved are in the exact same condition as before take off. No damage to anything. Not even a scratch. Peculiar, but who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? Everything is here, my phone and relevant cables, my iPad and relevant cables and, of course, my passport. That, and some basic clothing.

I switch my phone on, it flashes to life. Thank Celestia that the battery hadn't run out. There is no signal, so i can't call for help. Damn. I press a button and the Blackberry in my hand displays a clock, the time is 9:30, I have been out for nearly a day. How is that even possible? No-one has noticed a crashed plane for nearly 24 hours? Unbelievable.

I switch to the iPad while slipping the phone into my pocket. The iPad displays an image of  Dash's face as I 'slide to unlock'.  I check Internet connection. There is none, not even BTFON or Openzone. Well that's just great. No signal and no Internet, I am stuck here, wherever here is.

Footsteps. Someone was coming. I look up the hill, towards the source of the sound, eagerly awaiting for someone to emerge into view. No-one came into view, but something else did. It's stood right in front of the sun so I can't see it properly. Although, I can see that it walks on four legs.

It gasped, loudly. I assume that it just saw the plane crash. But why would an animal gasp? Unless... No, that can't be possible, I can't possibly come to that conclusion without proof. It squeaks. It sounds strangely familiar, it sounds just like...

Is this real?

The creature steps backwards, out of the way of the sun. I was right. It's Fluttershy.

"Hello?" I ask, the nervousness in my voice clearly evident.

The pegasus squeaks again, slightly more distressed. Great, I was making the kindest being in the universe overwhelming nervous. I hate myself, then again, everything makes Fluttershy nervous. Everything.

"Please, don't be a... OW!" I start, faltering after a new wave of pain courses through my leg. I fall to the ground, clutching my leg, making groaning sounds for a second time.

In an instant, Fluttershy was in directly in front of me, a look of horror on her face. She could clearly see that I was injured. That was one of the few things that could bring her put of her shell. I knew what was coming next.

"Oh my, are you ok?" Fluttershy said, a little louder than a whisper.

"My leg, feels like it's burning." I state, rather over dramatically.

She takes a step back at my comment. Clearly she didn't exactly expect an intelligent response. Her expression changes from shock to worry.

"Stay here, I'll go get help." she says in a calming and motherly tone.

"Thanks 'Shy." Shit, did I just say that?

Fluttershy stopped dead, seconds past before she focused back on the task at hand and flew up the hill as fast as she dared go. Damn. I rather enjoyed the company.

Now I'm alone again. My leg hurts worse than before, I don't even know why it just suddenly got worse, it just did. At least I know where I am, Equestria, probably just outside the everfree forest. I've always wanted to go to Equestria, and here I am, next to part of a crashed plane and potentially serious injuries. Perfect. Just how I wanted to arrive. However, I can't exactly complain about a dream come true. Can I?

I pick my iPad back up from where I dropped it after falling down. I decide to play solitaire to pass the time. Strange, I feel so sleepy all of a sudden. I put the iPad in my bag and put it on, I don't want to lose it if I pa...

...

I open my eyes, I'm in Fluttershy's cottage, the smell of animal food is so strong it's unmistakable. Looking around, I can't see 'Shy anywhere, or any'pony' else either. I have to get used to saying that. I sat up out of the bed I was lying in. She must have found me unconscious and brought me back here. My bag is on the bedside table and my leg still hurts. It's getting worse.

I decide to continue my game of solitaire while I wait for somepony to show up.

After about half an hour, I got bored.

"Hello?" I call out to the silence.

No answer.

 I put the iPad on the table and the door creaks. I look towards the door to see a pair of large purple eyes staring at me through a gap in the doorway. I wave. The door swings open gently to reveal a nervous Fluttershy hiding behind the staring Twilight Sparkle.

"Hey Twilight." I say. Wow, first impressions are hard.

Twilight squeaks in return. "How do you know my name?"

"And mine?" Fluttershy adds nervously.

"Errrr..." First impressions just got 20% harder. "Well, I guess that conversation can be put on hold for a while, seeing that I need medical attention and especially since I don't know if I can answer that question without a long winded explanation based on humanity's taste in television." You should of seen the look on their overly adorable faces.

"What's a telee-vision?" Twilight's sense of curiosity blatantly got the better of her.

"A rectangular box that shows pictures. That move!" I wave my hands around to emphasise the last part. "Like this." I pick up my iPad.

As soon as I brought the tablet to my lap, I had a Purple unicorn peering over my shoulder to see. I moved over on the bed and she sat down next to me. Fluttershy slowly made her way over, nearly going unnoticed before clambering onto the bed behind Twilight.

I pressed the unlock button and the screen lit up with a picture of Dash. They were surprised, probably at both the sudden illumination and the picture of one of their close friends. They must think I'm a stalker or something. Creepy. I unlock the iPad and proceed to my videos, now I need to find something remotely suitable. My mind wandered to cupcakes the movie, but I'm not that mean. I decided on 'the stereotypes song' by Your Favourite Martian, maybe they could gain some insight on humanity while they watched.

...

That was probably not a good a idea based on the look on the faces, I had to stop it at scotsman hump sheep. So instead we watched Nyan cat. Yes, i have Nyan cat on my iPad. They were enthralled. At least they won't ask me any more awkward questions for the time being. In conclusion, administer one Nyan cat to distract ponies.

I take this opportunity and slip out of the bed, leaving the iPad with them and while I hobbled down the stairs. This pain is getting unbearable. I get downstairs a sit at the table. I roll up my trouser leg to take a look. My leg is covered with burns, my skin is peeling in some places, it looks gruesome. I can't believe I walked on this.

Much to my surprise, my leg was enveloped in a purple glow and the damaged tissue healed completely. I look up. Twilight is stood on the stairs with 'Shy.

"Thank you." They both smile

An iPad floats over to me. I grab it in mid-air.

"The rainbow cat stopped." Twilight said, she sounded rather annoyed.

I laughed so hard I fell to the floor. They were both staring at me confused.

After my short fit, I stand up to my full height. Or try, the ceiling is in the way. I sit down on the chair instead. Beckoning the two ponies over I lift the iPad and max the volume. The two arrive in seconds eager to see the video again. I press play.

I swear Fluttershy hit the ceiling.

"What? Too loud?" I say with a broad smile.

Fluttershy returned to the ground and they both continued to watch intently. None of them seemed to notice my comment.

*Knock* *Knock*

I press pause on the video, much to the annoyance of both ponies. I point at the door.

"I received your letter Twilight, I have come to see this strange creature you spoke of." came a voice from the other side of the door.

It was Celestia.

Thanks for the memories

Chapter 2

Thanks for the memories 

The door to Fluttershy's cottage glows purple and swings open. Celestia stood in the doorway, smiling. At least, until she saw me. Her smile dissipates the instant she sees me. Her eyes change.

"Princess?" asks Twilight, she can see it too. The seething hatred in her eyes.

I take the full force of Celestia's death glare, the malice and seething hatred radiating from her normally benevolent eyes.

Even though the glare is directed at me, 'Shy and Twilight were cowering behind each other, shivering violently. I, on the other hand, am not affected in the slightest. Trust me, teenage girls are worse.

"Umm...Why are you staring at me?" I say, smiling sarcastically.

"YOU MOCK ME!?" I regret the sarcasm.

Before I could protest, her horn glows brightly and there's a flash as illuminate and brilliant as the sun. Except there's no warmth.

...

I am in complete darkness, I can't see anything and it's unpleasantly cold. My stuff is still with me, so I use my iPad to pierce the shadow.

The area around me remains cloaked in an impenetrable wall of shadow. The brightness of my iPad could not penetrate the dark.

"Damn magic." I say aloud. I really regret the sarcasm.

I trudge in the direction I'm facing, groping around in the pitch blackness. I find a surface, might be a wall.

The wall is made of stone and is damp and uneven, I think I'm in a cave of some kind. I continue trudging along, keeping my left hand on the wall at all times. This technique always works in hedge mazes, why not now?

I play music to pass the time, the cheery tune of Pinkie's 'smile, smile, smile' echoes of the surrounding wall of darkness. I smile, despite the unnerving circumstance I'm currently in.

The surface that I'm running my hand along changes. It feels like wood, and there's a handle. I have found a door. Further groping in the darkness leads to the door opening with a loud creak. Typical. I shut the music off before entering, paranoia is eating at my mentality.

The room on the other side of the door is illuminated by various wall torches evenly spaced across faded grey stone masonry. The light is fairly faint, but I can still make out details in the room.

 I am in a large hall, worn and ripped tapestries hang from the ceiling and cracked and crumbling statues are spaced out along the faded red carpet path.  On the other side of the room is a large, heavy wooden door.

My footsteps echo around the room as I cautiously make my way to the other side of the room, until I reach the faded carpet path, where the echoes stop. Silence has never felt so disturbing.

I must be in some sort of ruin, the state of disrepair that absolutely everything is in reinforces my conclusion.

I reach the door, I pull at the large iron ring. The door doesn't budge an inch.

I try and try to no avail, something is keeping this door shut.

Darkness descends.

This time my iPad works in faintly lighting up my surroundings, all of the torches had gone out. Wisps of smoke float up into the air from where the flames were.

I try the door again, and again, and again. I'm in full panic mode now, with no way but back. I turn around.

"Fuck"

Hovering above the carpet, ominously, was a smoky mass of blackness. I think I recognise it, if so, I'm kinda screwed.

"Well that's no way to greet your master." a voice says from inside of my head.

The mass floats towards me.

I try to get away, only, my body wont react. I'm just stood here, doing bugger all, while this thing floats towards me.

"I am not a thing, I'm the essence of evil" Oh shit, I was right. "I am Nightmare"

I'm screwed.

The voice continues to verbally assault my mind, the Nightmare floats closer.

Closer.

Closer.

It stops right in front of me, hovering.

"Your soul is mine." Wait, my soul?

The black miasma that is Nightmare engulfs my body, forcefully seeping through my skin and into my body, into my mind, and probably my soul too. That, and it hurts like nothing I have ever felt.

The pain overwhelms my mind, my vision fades into inky blackness and I go limp.

...

"surrender now, before I start getting forceful." the voice in my head threatens.

"You already got forceful. When you ate me!"

"Fool, I didn't eat you, I POSSESSED you. And now you will be mine."

"Never!" I couldn't think of anything better to say.

"Then I will pick apart your memories, find everything that makes you suffer, and torture your soul until you give in."

That does sound very intimidating, I really don't like my memories. I don't think  I could handle such emotional onslaught. I...

My life quite literally flashes before my eyes as I re-experience everything in my life up to now. The Nightmare skips over the brief happy moments and focuses on my suffering and agony. It uses my imagination against me, using my vast knowledge of suffering and war to cause me additional pain.

The agony that I'm in easily exceeds that of the possession process. Each memory burns into my mind with the heat of a thousand suns and the force of a atom bomb. The pain is behold overwhelming and it won't stop, until I surrender, until I let it win. I WILL NOT LET IT WIN.

I'm bombarded again with more thoughts and feelings that could boil the blood of the average man. But I wasn't average. The agonising pain doubles against me. I torment is too great, I've got to give in, I surren...

It stops.

It had found my deepest intentions and desires, my desire to make everyone that had caused me suffering to be maliciously tortured and destroyed. It was an attitude to life that I had locked away, for good reason.

The Nightmare withdraws, it's grip on my mind fades. I retaliate to its past onslaught. I flood the Nightmare with the fantasies I had locked away for so long, the pure hatred I have for this petty excuse for a villain is unlike anything I have experienced before.

The Nightmare squirms against my psychological grip, to no avail. It's suffering, greatly. That's all I want right now, to see it endure worse than it inflicted on me. I double and re-double my strokes upon my foe. It writhers and screams against my attack.

"Enough"

The Nightmare dissipates from my mind, it flees from my body. Its metaphorical tail between its legs.

I stop it.

I grip the entity with my mind. Its powerless against my will.

"Thanks for the memories."

I possess the Nightmare.

...

I awake on the cold stone floor of that room I was in before. Power courses through my body uncontrollably.

There's an explosion.

The doors that had been giving me so much trouble disintegrate before me. I smile, I possessed the Nightmare, I have its power and it has NOTHING.

Manic laughter fills the room, it's good to be back.

After my fit of psychotic laughter, I proceed through the the archway that once had doors and into the next large room. It was the very room where Twilight had turned Nightmare Moon back into Luna. I guess that means I'm in the everfree forest.

...

I make my way through the everfree, back towards Fluttershy's cottage. I wanted to pick up where I left off, just before I was so rudely interrupted. The power coursing through my body weakens as I start thinking about 'Shy. Damn.

Well nevermind, maybe the power was only temporary. Which is a shame.

I arrive at Fluttershy's cottage at dawn. The animals are all still asleep and the peaceful sounds of nature fills the air. I can definitely see why she likes it here.

I knock on the door, loudly.

There's some faint noises from inside, the animals around the cottage are waking up too. Oops. I door swings gently open to reveal a fairly bewildered Fluttershy.

"Hi, sorry to wake you up so early, but I am in desperate need of your assistance."

She just stares.

"Hello? Fluttershy?"

She snaps out of trance as soon as her name is spoken. Almost like magic, except it's not. She looks at the floor briefly before speaking.

"Celestia said she banished you to Tartarus. How did you get back?"

"Tartarus? So that's what that big black cave under the everfree ruins is, well I walked through a door into the old palace where I met Nightmare."

She gasps upon hearing that name.

"Nightmare tried to possess me and hurt me lots until I retaliated and possessed him instead. Then I walked out the door and found my way here."

She faints, so much for really simple language.

I carry her up the stairs and put her on the bed to recover.

"Fluttershy!? Are you in here?"  A voice from downstairs calls put.

I walk done the stairs to find Twilight stood in the doorway. She looks at me with absolute terror. Crap, what did I do?

Clang!

 I hit the floor. Damn frying pans.

...

Evil

Chapter 3

Evil

The floor is uncomfortable, really uncomfortable. It's made of fine oak and polished to perfection. Not so perfect to lie on though.

Twilight is standing in the corner of the room, staring. That damn frying pan floating next to her, mocking me. The fear on her face is obvious, her dilated pupils and her hyperventilation not disguising it.

I slowly sit up, clutching my head. It feels like I've been hit by a truck, filled with obese people, doing a sonic rainboom. Worst headache ever. I stare back at the frightened lavender mare, her pupils dilate further. The frying pan raises higher.

"Ugh..." I grumble, incoherently. "Why did you hit me Twi'?" My voice as calming and soothing as possible.

"Because your evil!" She blurted out.

"What?"

"Celestia said you were evil!" Her voice slightly quieter this time.

"She teleports me into some underground cave with no explanation, just because I was present. And she says I'm evil?"

Twilight retreats further into the corner at my sudden rant.

"This is clearly racial discrimination, I'm treated inhumanely just because I'm different. Did you even ask me what I was doing before you assaulted me? I was putting Fluttershy to bed because she had fainted. I care, and I'm repaid with fear and rejection. Personally, I expected better from an element of harmony."

Clang!

The frying pan fell to the floor, the sound causes a new wave of pain through my skull. I hate headaches.

"I'm... sorry." Her voice was barely audible, she sounded a bit like 'Shy.

Twilight slumps down in her corner staring at the floor. All the anger that had manifested itself within me as I ranted, dissipates. Gone just like that.

I slowly crawl over to her and wrap my arm around her.

"It's okay, I didn't mean to upset you." Seeing her like this was so emotionally traumatic.

She looks up at me, her eyes watering.

"Celestia said that all humans are evil."

"To be honest, I don't think I could say she was wrong..." She looks so scared right now. "Humans are always fighting and doing horribly gruesome things to each other, but I know that I'm not evil."

The stairs creak. I look towards the source of the sound. Its 'Shy. She had regained consciousness. She's staring at me, the same empty stare that she used before she fainted.

Twilight looks over towards the Pegasus too. The silent tears streaming down her face.

"It's okay," She says quietly. "he's not here to hurt us."

Fluttershy stops staring and looks over to her friend. The look of fear replaces the emptiness of her gaze.

"But, he's the Nightmare." Fluttershy tells her friend, a strong sense of urgency in her voice. "He said he 'possessed' it"

"What!?" The unicorn exclaims.

"What?" I reply.

"How did you..."

"I defeated the Nightmare. It tried to possess me during our encounter at the ruins in the forest. It put me through much pain and suffering in an attempt to force me to submit. Its attempt backfired, I overwhelmed it with an evil that it knows not of. Humanity. My memories reduced it to nothing but a fearful husk. So I possessed it."

The silence of the room hangs heavily above our heads. The disbelief on the faces of the two ponies rival the fear in their eyes.

"You said you weren't evil," Twilight recovered before 'Shy.

"I'm not evil, but I know evil. Humanity's evil. The worst Nightmare did was turn Luna against Celestia. A human named Adolf Hitler, succeeded in causing the suffering and eventual deaths of over 6 million people because of their beliefs. He did this during a World War he caused. The Nightmare does not compare against one of the 7 billion humans that live on planet Earth. It's pathetic really."

"7 billion!?" Twilight screams at me, her mind still processing the numbers. "There's not even 5 million ponies in Equestria!"

"I thought so..."

Fluttershy faints again.

Twilight looks me straight in the eye.F

"We have to tell Celestia"

There's a blinding flash. I shield my eyes with my rival, the frying pan.

"You called?" Smiles the white alicorn that had quite suddenly appeared in the centre of the room.

Frying pan save me...

Sarcasm is amazing

Chapter 5

Sarcasm is amazing

The trip to Ponyville was pretty uneventful. I just couldn't shake the feeling I was being watched...

We arrive in Ponyville to find it deserted. It was unnerving, like they knew I was coming and were hiding from me. But that's just me being paranoid, the most probable reason nopony is around is because night has fallen. I never realised it had gotten so late, maybe the trip from the cottage took longer than anticipated.

I continue to follow Celestia's lead through the town, I cringe as we pass Sugarcube Corner, I don't want Pinkie to start the 'oh I've never seen you before and I know everypony in town so that means you must be new and I should throw you a party' routine just yet. I never been the most sociable person, and a party consisting of many prejudiced ponies does not seem like a good idea.

Celestia enters the town hall, we all follow.

Inside the building are many potted plants and portraits of boring looking ponies lining the plain white walls. A single chandelier hangs from the ceiling in the centre of the large room. A carpet leads the way to a desk along the back wall.

We walk towards the desk, I assume this is the the receptionists desk but there is nopony there. Saying pony instead of body or one is really distracting me from my train of thought.

As we arrive at the desk, a tired mare walks out of a side door next to the desk. It's the mayor.

The mayor sees Celestia and just stands there gobsmacked for some time before regaining her composure.

"Princess! What brings you here at this hour?"

"I would like to speak to you about a new member of the community." Celestia gestures towards the side door. "Shall we?"

"Yes, certainly princess." The mayor must be exceptionally tired to not even notice my presence, or that of Twilight and Fluttershy.

The princess motions for us to stay here as she enters what I assume to be the mayor's office.

My phone rings. The intro of Fluttershy's Lament echoes off the walls of this large and empty room. This is most peculiar, I thought I didn't have any signal.

I reach for my Blackberry from my pocket. I receive confused stares from three ponies, Celestia had poked her head 'round the door to see what the noise was. Ignoring them, I proceed to answer.

"Hello?" Now the mayor has come to see what everypony is looking at.

"OhmygoshIcan'tbelieveitworked." What?

"Um, Helloo?" I just hope they're not trying to sell me something.

"Are... Are you a human?" Oh god why?

"Yes, indeed I am."

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh."

"Who is this?"

"Um... That's kinda hard to explain..."

"Why, are you some sort of multicoloured equine creature that talks?" Sarcasm is amazing.

"How did you know?" I know who it is.

"Lyra, is that you? How the hell did you get my number!?"

"..."

"..."

"..." Awkward silence.

"Hello?"

"How do you know you I am?" She sounds really scared.

"Now that's not the first time I've heard that, Twilight said the same thing."

"Who are you?"

"Discord" Sarcasm is amazing.

"..."

"Ms Heartstings, I assure you that I am just messing around. But I heard you liked humans, so I took the liberty of providing you with a once in a lifetime opportunity. To meet a human. Do you accept this opportunity?"

"squee" I love that sound so much.

"I take that as a yes, so without further ado, I present to you this opportunity! The human in question is in Ponyville right now, located in the administrative building in the centre of town. Hurry along now, he might leave soon."

Silence.

I hang up and return the phone to my pocket.

"What did you do?" Twilight, nothing gets past her.

"I have no idea, but I think this building is about to get raided."

"WHAT!?" Says everypony in the room, except the mayor who has already fainted.

BOOM!

The door to the town hall flies off its hinges and hits the floor. A deranged looking unicorn is standing in the doorway, behind her is a tired earth pony. Lyra and Bonbon. Oh, and Pinkie too.

What have I done?

And another one bites the dust

Chapter 6

Another one bites the dust

Everybody froze.

No, wait. Everypony froze.

Twilight and I stare at the trio of ponies that had just smashed down the wooden door. Twilight's mouth is hanging open, obviously she did not anticipate the destruction that the intruders had caused. Wow, talk about making an entrance.

The mayor, who had fainted moments prior to the forceful intrusion, is still out cold, Celestia standing over her just as slacked jawed as her student. Her facial expression betrays an equal balance of both pure shock and intrigue.

The trio of intruders that were standing in the doorway stare back, oblivious to the presence of their princess. All three pairs of eyes were on me.

The fire in Lyra's eyes burn into my skull, her facial expression rapidly switching between a large variety of emotions, I could not even begin to describe the sheer level of conflicting emotions evident in her facial expression.

Bonbon on the other hand, seems half asleep, I could only assume that she was dragged out of bed for this. My observation is reinforced by the fact that her mane is an absolute mess, Rarity would go ape if she saw this 'crime against fashion' or something.

Pinkie Pie is levitating over the two ponies below her, I would say that's impossible, but I know who this is. Her face contorts to that of shock. Oh no, I know that look. That's the look she gave Twilight before throwing a huge welcome party! Well, I guess subtlety didn't work.

"Uh, hi?" I say.

Thud.

There goes Bonbon, another one bites the dust.

"OhmygoshthereisactuallyahumaninEquestriaandhe'sstoodrightinfrontofme. Ican'tbelievethisit'sadreamcometrueandhe'sspeakingtome. This is AMAZING!" Lyra really needs to calm down.

"You what?"

Lyra closes the gap between us with a speed you'd expect from Rainbow Dash, appearing right in front of my face breathing heavily. Her eyes wide and manic. Her front hooves are on my chest with her back hooves on the floor to reach my height.

A loud gasp echoes around the room during this brief moment of silence. Pinkie.

"Lyra!" Twilight finally leaves her stunned state and joins in with the bizarre situation at hoof. Hehe, hoof.

Lyra turns from staring me in the eye to look at Twilight. It's clear that she had only just realised that the purple unicorn is present. Twilight returns Lyra's maddened gaze with one of disappointment.

"Sorry" Lyra steps off of my chest and steps back a bit.

*cough*

We all turn to look at the princess who appears who have broken from her stunned state too. Well, except Lyra, her eyes are still glued to me.

"Well, I have concluded my business with the mayor, I suggest that you go home and get some sleep. Michael, I am sure Twilight will be happy to house you for the time being, I will come to collect you for your 'introduction' in the morning." Celestia leaves the building and takes flight, she is so graceful.

"I concur. Now Lyra, you might want to give Bonbon a hand getting home, and don't worry, I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow." I depart alongside Twilight, leaving the green unicorn slightly bewildered.

...

We arrive at the library, I can't get over the fact that a place full of highly flammable books is made of a highly flammable tree, and home to a dragon.

I follow Twilight into the library that doubles as her home.

The inside is exactly like it is on the show, and it's breathtaking. Even in the dark.

"Well I guess Spike is already asleep, you are more than welcome to use my bed."

"No. I am more than happy to take the sofa, I have done so before and I will do it again. Before you say that you insist, depriving you of the bed you own would make me feel guilty. I don't want that."

"Well, okay."

"Good, Goodnight Twilight."

Twilight ascends the stairs while I clamber onto the sofa. Yay, sleep.

...

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

I awake instantaneously, waking up to the sound of screaming is not something I'm used too.

Spike looks at me with complete terror as I sit upright.

"Honestly, is that anyway to treat a guest? Screaming in their ear to wake them up early in the morning?"

Thud

And another one bites the dust.

Twilight slowly and groggily descends the stairs and sees Spike on the floor.

"Spike!"

She rushes over to her assistant with energy she clearly didn't have a second ago.

I stand up and lean over Spike, I check his pulse.

"Twilight, he's dead."

You should of seen the look on her face. Complete horror.

"But...but..."

"Gotcha."

She looks at me with seething hatred, she knows I got her good. That, and the joke was kinda mean.

"Don't worry, he just fainted, just like every other creature I've met on this planet. Disgraceful."

She continues to glare at me, silently glaring.

"Alright. I'm sorry. That was kinda mean..." She smiles. "But you should of seen the look on your face!" She frowns at my last comment followed by my brief bout of laughter. But eventually, she couldn't help smiling too.

She levitates Spike into the next room, I use her brief absence as an opportunity to change t-shirt, swapping black for black. A subtle change, had it not been for the large image of the Grimm reaper on the front.

The door swings open. Celestia standing in the doorway.

"Are you ready?"

I nod and depart. Twilight follows us, Spike still out cold on her back.

...

I like clouds

Chapter 7

I like clouds

We leave the library and into the streets of Ponyville, it's still fairly dark outside and it appears that no-pony else is awake. The streets are eerily silent. The sounds of Celestia's and Twilight's hoofsteps echo off the sides of the dark and silent houses. My mind is filled with suspicion, what has Celestia got planned?

We move towards the centre of town, the echoes of hoofsteps being the only sound loud enough to be noticeable. My own footsteps make no noise, years of practice, because walking without making a sound has its advantages. It's a skill made more potent by the the power within me, normally you could still hear me if you were paying attention, but I'm currently completely silent.

Twilight looks as nervous as I do, it's apparent that she doesn't know what's going on either. Something about this is very suspicious. I can't think of any plausible reason why we would need to be outside so early. Although, maybe I'm just over thinking, just calm down and trust the princess.

...

The centre of town is dominated by a large stage, the same stage that was present during the award ceremony where Applejack was given a trophy for being reliable, or something similar. I guess that I will be up there at some point as Celestia gives her public introduction. To be honest, I fairly sure that I will get the same reactions as everypony else so far, disbelief, horror, fear and general fainting.

A shadow shifts in my peripheral vision, I turn towards it. Nothing. I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched. This makes it all the more suspicious, especially the fact that we've been walking in silence, no dialogue at all. I expect that Twilight would have been catching up with the princess this whole time, but obviously I'm wrong.

My eyes scan the area, looking for the cause of the movement. My eyes fix on a lone cloud, floating in the vicinity. Strange, a lone cloud. I'm not 100% sure how the weather works around here, but I'm sure that it shouldn't be there.

Celestia stops.

Twilight and I stop too. Spike is still out of it.

"Sister, I would like you to meet Michael." Celestia says warmly.

A figure steps forth from the shadows, princess Luna. She looks at me like I'm an animal in a zoo, processing the presence of a creature from a different world.

"We are pleased to meet you." She extends a hoof, smiling. Well, at least she is speaking modern English without the Royal Canterlot Voice, still refers to herself as a plural though.

I shake the hoof, feels strange to shake a hoof, but I wouldn't want to be rude. "Princess Luna, the pleasure is all mine." I smile back. She looks at me strangely, probably the whole 'how do you know my name routine'.

"That presence, that power..." She backs away, slowly.

"Yeah, I know, you distrust me because you can sense the Nightmare's power within me. Well, you're right, the Nightmare's power is inside me. But I assure you, there is nothing to fear, the being that was once Nightmare is gone. To put it bluntly, I suppose I ate it."

She just stares, her eyes wide.

"I do have control over the power, that and it can be fuelled by emotion and instinct, but I've been practising." My lower arm and hand glows with an aura of black, I focus on that suspicious little cloud. I have no idea if this will work, while it's true that I had been practising with small objects in the little spare time I had, I didn't try to move anything as large as the cloud.

The cloud glows black with the same aura as my arm, it descends towards the ground. The cloud reaches ground level in moments and lands.

"It's probably nothing compared to what you all can do, but it's a start." I turn to Twilight who had been silent during the confrontation with Luna.

"Are you okay?" I ask the unicorn.

She snaps out of her slight daze. "Michael, that was pretty impressive. Unicorns can't manipulate clouds at all, only pegasi and even then, they can't do it without touching the cloud."

"Oh, cool." I walk towards the cloud that I dragged to the floor.

I touch the cloud, it's solid and soft. It's really nice. I can stand on the cloud too. I climb onto the small cloud and sit down on the soft white surface. I use the magic I possess to manipulate the cloud further, I can fly around using the cloud.

The three equines look up at my method of transport. I fly around some more. It's incredible,  flying with the air in your face and the freedom to go wherever you please. I like clouds.

I land the cloud back on the ground and dismount.

"That felt amazing!"

They just stare.

"Oh, sorry. I'm easily distracted. I guess we have a manner of business to attend to, why else would we be here." I chuckle nervously.

The alicorn sisters nod towards each other.

Celestia speaks. "We have decided that you study magic with Luna and Twilight," Luna nods. "We are curious to the extent of your new power."

"That's fine with me."

"Good, now we have much to do to set up this public introduction" The princesses depart to finalise preparations.

"Uhh, Twilight. There's a monster. Uhh, downstairs." Spike says drowsily, it appears he had finally joined us.

"No Spike. He's not a monster, he's a guest." Spike looks p at Twilight, confused. "Spike, this is Michael, he's staying with us for he time being." She gestures towards me.

The dragon looks at me nervously. "Um, hi. My names Spike. I'm Twilight's number one assistant." It looks likes he's back to his original self again.

"Hi Spike. Well, now introductions are out of the way, I going to take a trip on a cloud." I clamber back onto the cloud. "Hey Twilight, care to join?"

"Michael, I can't walk on clouds. Only pegasi can do that."

"Well, you know a spell to walk on clouds. I'm sure both you and Spike will enjoy flying on a cloud."

"Yeah Twilight, it will be fun!" Awesome, I got the dragon on my side.

"Okay, I don't see why not." she says reluctantly.

Twilight's horn glows with bright purple light, engulfing herself and Spike for a moment before dissipating. They both clamber onto the cloud, Spike more enthusiastically than Twilight.

"Okay, he we go."

The small cloud takes to the skies. Speeding around the town and up In the sky. Both of my passengers are thoroughly enjoying themselves. The sun's coming up now, marking the morning. We come to a stop above the town hall.

"That was AMAZING!" Spike yelled.

Ponies are waking up now, windows are opening and store signs are being switched to open. Ponyville is full of early risers.

"Well, I think we should get back to Celestia, the town is waking up." I say.

They nod in agreement.

...

We arrive at the stage in the centre of town and land the cloud behind the drawn theatrical curtains that hid the contents of the stage from curious passer by.

Celestia meets us behind the stage, Luna is not with her.

"The mayor has called the whole of Ponyville to this event, they don't know about you at all, they just know that I'm here to speak. This should be quite event, introducing a new species to Equestria. Twilight, go join your friends, I'm sure they're pretty excited. Now if you excuse me, I have a crowd to address." Celestia disappears through the drawn curtains. A loud series of cheers follow her entry.

"Twilight, what about Pinkie?" I ask.

"I don't know, but I'm sure it won't be a problem." she smiles nervously and departs to join her friends elsewhere.

I wait patiently being the curtains. I'm not exactly listening o what Celestia is saying, but it's getting quite the reaction from the audience. Loud cheers follow every other sentence.

I've never liked public speaking or standing up in front of even the smallest of audiences. I don't even know how many is out there. Calm down, nothing to worry about.

The curtains open. I can't believe what I see.

Signal spike

Chapter 8

Signal Spike

I cannot believe what I am seeing, and quite obviously, neither can the audience.

The audience consists of a couple hundred ponies around the stage, except in the centre of the crowd, is something shocking. A big ass cake! The cake is absolutely massive and layered higher than a house. Pinkie is stood on the top layer with a smile that could rival the cake itself. This cake looks more appetising than Captain Diabetus! Oh god, I hope I get some before Pinkie devours it whole.

Around the cake, members of the audience are holding a variety of coloured banners. The most prominent banner is held aloft by four ponies: Lyra (figures...), Bonbon, Carrot Top and Derpy Hooves. The banner reads 'Welcome to Ponyvill', it seems like they couldn't fit it all in.

The shock on my face at seeing such a sight is rivalled by the absolute shock that the audience is showing, well, apart from a few smiling faces. It is perfectly clear that the majority of the ponies before me were not expecting a being of such strange form. Then again, if that's so, then what the fuck was Celestia talking about! I mean, she was introducing me publicly wasn't she? And somehow she managed to miss out the part that I'm human!

The crowd is absolutely silent. Deathly silent. Even I am, despite my internal argument.

I step forward, next to the Sun Goddess. She flashes me a warm smile. Between us is a microphone, perched on a stand. Hmmm...

I use my magic to hover over the mic, such a display caused gasps in the audience. I thought they were accustomed to magic, seeing they live with it. I raise the piece of electrical equipment over to my face. I open my mouth to speak, I've never been much of a public speaker, so this is going to be difficult.

My phone rings. The ringtone filling the silence with loud music.

The audience shuffle around and look at each other nervously, even a little confused. However, they probably expected less than I did. I have to say, that timing is incredible.

I take the phone out of my pocket, it's still playing music. I float the mic back over to its stand and excuse my self from the front of the stage. Celestia has a look of worry, probably because the last time it rang, a deranged Lyra broke down a door.

"Hello?" I answer the phone. I can hear Celestia in the background addressing the crowd of confused ponies.

"Michael! Where are you?"

"Daddy? Is that you?"

"Yes! Now, where are you? I've been waiting in the airport and your plane never arrived." Strange. I been here for more than a day.

"It crashed."

"What?"

"The plane, it crashed."

"Fuck. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay. But, I was just in the middle of something really important and I need to get back to it. Sorry for any inconveniences, I'll contact you again shortly. Bye."

"But..." I hang up. I hate to leave him like this, he's probably very worried right now. But, this is important, you never get another first impression. I check the signal, full bars. How very peculiar, I wonder what's causing the sudden signal spike.

I return to the front of the stage, where the Princess is trying to buy me time. How kind. I retake my position alongside her, floating the microphone back over to my mouth, much to the surprise of Celestia, who didn't even notice me return.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts, I am truly sorry for this sudden delay. But you must understand, my father just contacted me. He was really worried. The reason being that my appearance here was a accident, that saved me from death. A transport error, that caused me to be with you now. I arrived here, on a planet that is not my own, and only seek your friendship. I wish to live alongside you in harmony. And I am thankful, to have a few among you that have already accepted my friendship. Namely, the princesses, Twilight and Fluttershy. I sincerely hope that you can show me the same level of kindness and hospitality to a lost and lonely traveller. My name, is Michael. I'm a human and it's been a pleasure being in Equestria so far. Finally, from the look on Pinkies face, I think I could safely assume that it about time to cut the cake." Wow, that was really hard, especially since it was entirely improvised. I hope I will never have to do it again. Ever.

The crowd bursts into applause, Pinkie and the surrounding ponies dive into the cake. Celestia smiles.

"That was pretty impressive, I think they like you."

"Yeah, I hope so too." I depart into the crowd of ponies to get some cake.

I'm absolutely swarmed by ponies introducing themselves and asking me simple questions about where I come from and stuff. So many questions, but I manage to get to the cake eventually.

The cake looks even bigger up close, enormous. I reach for a slice, only to see it disappear before my very eyes. What? I reach for another, only for it to disappear also. I reach for another, and another. To no avail. They all disappear in a cloud full of crumbs. Fuck, and that cake looks so delicious.

"Michael!" Twilight bounds over to me, closely followed by 5 other ponies.

"Oh, hey Twilight."

"These are my friends..."

"Yeah, Twilight, no need for introductions. I already know the names of the elements of harmony. That, and I really need some cake." I reach for another slice of cake, it disappears too. "Damnit!"

The elements look at me confused. I knew they were the elements, I said I knew their names and I'm being plagued by disappearing cake. If I were them, I would be pretty confused too.

"Problem?" Oh no, could it be? Trollestia!?

I turn to the sound of the voice. Nope, it's just Luna, with the cake that had mysteriously vanished.

"Why?" I say, rather melodramatically.

"Because you funny when your angry." Wait, what.

"And you look funny covered in cake." Her face contorts into a look of confusion because, of course, she wasn't covered in cake.

Click!

I click my fingers with a flash of darkness. Magic. All the stolen cake decides to dump itself all over the princess of the night. She's absolutely covered.

Twilight and her friends gasp at the scene before them, I had just humiliated the princess. Well, really I would call it playful revenge. Because revenge ends in suffering, and there was no suffering as both me and the princess are laughing our asses off. Or flank in her case.

It seems me and Luna are getting along nicely, if only I could shake the feeling of being watched. I need to get out of this crowd. Anyway, I said I would contact my dad again.

"Right. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash and Princess Cake, I'm off to the library. I have some stuff I need to do." I depart towards the library, I make sure to grab some cake before I go.

The cake is amazing, better than I ever could of imagined. It's so good. I'm sad that it's gone.

...

Show no mercy

Chapter 9

Show no mercy

I arrive at the library, it's the late afternoon. Who knew that the journey would take so long, except, I did get lost. Twice. Ponyville is quite difficult to navigate. Damn, I left my cloud mobile behind, it would of made the trip so much easier.

I enter the library/tree/house thing. It appears Twilight and Spike are still out, judging by the silence that greets me. They're probably still trying to devour that monstrous cake in the centre of town, that is, if Pinkie hasn't swallowed it whole. I hope there's more left for me.

The library is absolutely silent, the rays of the afternoon sun streaming in through the windows and casting eerie shadows up the walls. Small piles of books litter the floor, obviously Spike didn't get to finish his chores before we left. The smell of dusty old tomes invade my nostrils, well, it is a library. The entirety of the building is still, the only sound being my heart beat and the only movement being my own.

I make my way into the rear room where the sofa I have been using as a bed resides. I retrieve my IPad from its position on the coffee table next to the sofa. I unlock the device after entering the pass code, I don't want anypony's innocence to be lost to the Internet. An image of 'Shy illuminates the once black screen, causing the shadows to shift position.

Creeeeeaaaaak.

The sound of the front door opening breaks the silence that hangs in the air, followed by slow and quiet hoofsteps. It sounds like whoever it is, is trying to sneak in. That's not going to happen, I already know they're there.

I place the tablet device back onto the coffee table, slowly, soundlessly. The hoofsteps draw closer towards my current location. I retreat into the darkened corner of the room, where the afternoon sun doesn't shine.

I wait.

The hoofsteps draw closer still, echoing off the wooden walls. I reposition myself in the darkness of the corner, I wish to remain unseen for now. My magic seems to take over as I meld perfectly into the shadows. A welcome occurrence, but unexpected. The element of surprise is mine.

An equine slowly enters the room, clothed in a black robe and a hood covering the head. The pony looks all around, even straight at me, and continues to wander into the room. It appears that it didn't see me, I love magic so much. The figure pulls the hood from over its head, revealing who it really is.

Trixie.

I hate Trixie with a passion, and I'm currently suppressing the urge to put my fist through her chest cavity and rip out her still beating heart. Her presence is provoking of action, because I can't think of any reason she should be here. But, I mustn't jump to conclusions, I'd rather have a justifiable reason to beating her with her own leg, instead of finding out she was innocent all along and taking the fall.

The blue unicorn's horn glows with an aura of magic, levitating an assortment of books onto the coffee table, creating a pile of books a foot high that has completely buried my IPad. Her horn sparks and the pile bursts into a raging inferno of flames, engulfing the centre of the room.

Bitch, I don't think so.

I click my fingers with a loud snap, alerting Trixie to my presence and completely extinguishing the bonfire. She looks around, suddenly extremely nervous. She should be, because there is no way she is getting away with attempted arson. Not when I'm involved.

I emerge from the shadows that I had melded in with so well, confronting the now frightened unicorn. I step slowly, my footsteps silent and my face twisted into a mask of pure hatred. The power that resides within me flares, my arms glowing with a familiar black aura and my eyes aflame with the same black glow. That's new, but I pay it no mind, I have meat to cook. The sofa and table part to different sides of the room, allowing me a straight path to the soon to be dead mare.

She cowers in the opposite corner, trembling in my presence, mumbling about how she's sorry. Too late, if I didn't intervene, this building would be ashes. I stop, towering above the robed, blue unicorn. To be honest, I think red is more her colour. My right arm changes into a dark and shadowy claw, from the tips of my fingers to my shoulder is a completely monstrous tool of brutality. She screams as I bring the claw down onto her, blind with rage and animalistic bloodlust, I show no mercy.

In an upward slash, the claw shreds her robes and removes the leg she raised to shield herself, the forcefully amputated limb falls to the floor. Her screams turn into gurgles of pain, blood seeping from the wound and onto the hardwood floor. At least it will be easy to clean up. I slash again, tearing off her other front leg and exposing her chest. In desperation, her horn flares and, nothing. Nothing because I had grabbed her horn and ripped it from her skull. The sounds emanating from her mouth gain volume and intensity, only to shrink away when I plunge her horn into her throat. She gurgles a large amount of blood before I finally put my claw through her chest cavity and rip out her still beating heart, only to devour it in a single bite. Meat never tasted so good.

The limb body that was once Trixie slides down the wall, a pool of blood spreading from around her corpse. The pool of crimson engulfs the majority of the room, leaving the ceiling visible on its reflective surface. The gaping hole in her chest leaks blood all over her coat, I was right, red really is her colour. Her eyes are wide open, suffering imprinted in her gaze. I hope she faces eternal torment for the rest of her petty afterlife, if there is an afterlife.

I sit down on the sofa, its new location being against the back wall. My claw, it hasn't disappeared like the rest of my magic has. My eyes have stopped glowing, it's just this dark and animalistic weapon where my right arm used to be. It should turn back to normal in time, I can't think of a reason why it wouldn't.

Creak.

The door opens once again and both Applejack and Rarity walk into the room where I am sat, glaring at each other in suspicion. They see me and stop dead, the claw obviously drawing their attention, before they laid eyes on the vast pool of crimson that they had just stood in. Their jaws hit the floor, absolute terror in their eyes.

Fuck, how the hell do I explain this mess?

...

Shock and awe

Chapter 10

Shock and Awe

Shocked silence. The only sound that is remotely audible is the sound of shallow breathing. Shallow breathing from the two most recent additions to OMG club. The same club that nearly every equine joins when they look at me, the same shocked silence and ragged breathing. They could even be hyperventilating if they weren't so stunned.

The awkward silence continues, for what closely resembles an eternity. Blood gently flowing further across the hardwood floor, acting like the tiniest of waves against the front hooves of both the farmer and the fashionista. The blood staining the previously pristine white hooves of the marshmallow pony.

The mutilated and disfigured corpse that was once Trixie, continues to lay on the floor towards the far wall. Just sitting there, leaking crimson liquid into the pool of increasing size. Whether or not they actually recognise the deceased unicorn is beyond me, I doubt I would be able to recognise her under all that blood. That blood that stains her coat, and the hooves of Rarity.

In hindsight, the rage fuelled slaughter was probably a little over the top, but it felt so satisfying. It actually still feels that way. Plus, you could probably never remove the belief that she completely deserved it from my mind, I'm not one for easy forgiveness. I never have been.

My appearance probably worsens the issue at hand, I have blood all over my claw thing and all around my mouth. There's blood on my clothes, and my trainers. Blood absolutely everywhere. The claw itself is probably unnerving enough without it being smeared in blood, oh so much blood. I wouldn't be surprised if there's blood on the ceiling.

The two mares continue to stare in their stunned silence, and I stare back. My facial expression is rather calm despite the blood, and ...

Creak!

The door creaks open for the third time after my entrance earlier on. I'm pretty sure I'll end up with the entirety of Ponyville just wandering in here and staring at me in a state of shock and awe.

A lavender unicorn wanders into the room, humming happily to herself. That is, until she sees what the other two ponies see. The very sight that has chilled them to the bone. She gasps, loudly, and breaks the awkward silence.

"Hi." I say, trying to be as calm as possible.

"Wha... What did... You do?" Twilight stutters at me, and understandably so.

"I, took on an arsonist in the middle of an attempt to burn down this particular library, with me inside it. The arsonist, whom you would surely recognise if it weren't for the obvious mess, is a mare who I hate very much, for reasons you wouldn't quite understand. The anger and hatred boiled within me and caused the magic which I possess to flare and blind me to potential consequences that my ruthless actions may have. In my blind fury, my arm twisted into a tool of violence, and I descended upon the arsonist. I then proceeded to rip her, quite literally, to pieces before devouring her cardiovascular muscle. I then sat down, not fully aware of what just occurred, and watched the pool of crimson spread across he floor. This is about when your two friends walked in, they haven't made any signs of intelligence since." Well that was really over complicated.

The eyes of all three mares were wide, I'm pretty sure they didn't understand most of what I just said. The shocked silence continues, but only from Applejack and Rarity.

"She tried to burn down the library!? And you killed her!?" Twilight shouts.

"To put it simply, yes."

"But why?" She asks, tears beginning to form on her face.

"Don't you recognise her? It's Trixie, the show pony that you upstaged. She was probably out for revenge. She would have succeeded if I didn't intervene, albeit my hatred for her probably didn't help the situation."

"Trixie!?" The other two mares seem to have joined in the conversation.

"Indeed."

I stand, towering above the trio of frightened mares, and walk towards the body. I use the black claw to tear the partly stained cutie mark from her flank, and I return to the sofa.

"Look familiar?" I say, while showing them the mark on the piece of flesh.

Three gasps of sudden realisation leave the mouths of the three ponies. They look at each other nervously, probably unsure what to do next. Well, I did just rip this off of here corpse, and the disgust is most evident on Rarity's face.

My phone rings, for the second time today. The timing just keeps getting better. Unaware of anything I should say to the mares, I answer the phone. I have to use my left hand because of this claw thing.

"Hello?"

"Oh hey Michael, my muffin oven exploded!"

"Uh, okay then. Jacob, why do I need to know?"

"I AM STEVE!,and well, a grey blob flew out the oven. Mike, I have a Derpy!"

"How peculiar, I may have to look into some stuff."

"Why?"

"Jacob… I mean Steve, I am in Equestria!"

"Cool! But I’ll ask more later, I need to blow up some balloons!" He hangs up.

What the fuck. I have no idea what the hell that was.

I slip my phone back into my pocket, silently wishing that it never occurred.

"Well, I'm sure this mess needs clearing up and I suppose it is my responsibility since I made it." I say, readdressing the ponies in the room, all of which were looking at me in total confusion.

I click my fingers with a loud snap, my arm glowing briefly before the blood evaporates and disappears. The only traces of blood left are on me, Trixie and on the hooves of those two who decided to stand in it. I levitate the dead pony over to me and set fire to it. Burning it until nothing but ashes remain. I blow the ashes into the wind and it disappears out the door, still open from most recent events. I then evapourate the blood from my stained clothes, also removing the smell. Mess clear, I do so adore magic.

The three ponies stare at me dumbfounded, once again. It appears quite obvious that it is not within reach of their magical ability to complete the task of clearing up the way I did. I mean the two unicorns, not Applejack.  Obviously.

"You should get cleaned up," I say to Rarity. "Especially since blood stains." I smile widely.

The eyes of the marshmallow pony widen further than I actually thought possible, she rushes out the door saying something about a fashion emergency and this being the worst possible thing. I'm not one for melodramatics, but it is Rarity after all.

"What happened to your arm?" inquires Twilight, curiosity ruling over the previous state of shock.

"I'm not entirely sure, it just happened and it hasn't gone away. Yet." I assume it's going to turn back to normal eventually.

Twilight whispers to Applejack, her facial expression betraying nothing that I can work with. Applejack nods her head solemnly and leaves. Didn't even speak, just left. Twilight looks at me with fire in her eyes.

"You KILLED her!?" she screams, I thought we had already established this fact.

"Twilight, I come from a world where death is a fairly common occurrence and murder happens often. Crimes rates are high and the government does sod all. It's a world where a man would kill another man for sleeping with his wife, or stealing his belongings. People even kill each other for trespass, jealousy, revenge and just because they can. Therefore, where I come from, killing someone for attempting to burn down a building with you inside is far from the worst that could've happened. Twilight, what if she burned down the library? And I died? What then?"

"I don't know, she would probably be banished or imprisoned for many years. Crimes don't happen very much in Equestria." She sobs, fresh tears flowing from her eyes. The anger gone, replaced with sorrow.

"I believe in Capital Punishment, I believe that the wicked should pay the ultimate price for their crimes. They may be able to change, but the hatred, the anger, the suffering and the fear would stay with them forever and influence their actions. The convicted have a terrible habit of seeking revenge on the ones who caused them to suffer. You could even say that gave her the small mercy of not having to endure those negative feelings, but that depends on point of view. I also kinda enjoyed it."

"You enjoyed it?" Her voice is quiet now, fear and sorrow evident in her voice.

"Yes, it was rather satisfying. Especially since I haven't eaten any meat since I arrived. I've barely eaten anything."

"You eat meat?"

"I'm an omnivore, humans can eat most things."

I stand and approach the mare before me. I kneel down to her height and smile.

"Just don't worry about it, I won't eat anypony." I hug her with my left arm, chuckling slightly.

"Okay." She rests her head against my chest, trusting me.

Twilight's mood improves during her time listening to the rythmn of my heart. The steady beat is always fairly relaxing. I let go, standing up to my full height. I ruffle her perfectly tidy mane.

"Where's Spike?"

"Oh! I left him with Pinkie!" She gasps, disregarding her new unkept mane style, and charges out the door in a blind and paranoid panic.

That's Twilight, always worrying and being paranoid.

I sit down on the sofa, after moving it and the table back to its original position. I put the slightly blackened books back onto the shelves with magic, taking care to put each one back in the right place, and I grab my iPad. The claw is still present, but I have to make that call.

Blissfully unaware

Chapter 11

Blissfully Unaware

I lift the iPad with my left hand, wary of the claw where my right once was. I attempt to to unlock the device to no avail, the claw won't let me. Frustration grows and my eyes glow. I completely disregard the option of unlocking the device with my left hand, and instead crush the object into shards of sparking electronics and glass. Well, it was low on battery anyway and I can't charge it.

I sit alone, on the slightly charred sofa, contemplating my previous actions. I had thought about harming Trixie and other beings numerous times, but to carry out is a bit extreme. I loved every second of it, but I don't think I should of done it. I know I shouldn't have done it. Murder is almost unheard of here and my actions are going to have some serious consequences.

Frustration, anger, hurt and fear. I think these emotions cause my violent outbursts of dark magic, considering that it belonged to the Nightmare, it is highly probable. The anger that flared just now with the iPad, caused me to destroy one of he few methods of communicating with Earth I have left. I still have my phone, but credit only goes so far, and the signal comes and goes under its own rules. I regret crushing the tablet, but what's done is done.

Twilight is probably going to tell Celestia and prove the theory that humans are evil, ending in some form of godly retribution. I don't really want to be destroyed by creatures I am so fond of. I don't think my prior words of comfort are really as effective as they seem, Twilight is most likely panicking at the thought that I would kill and consume innocent creatures. Though, Trixie wasn't innocent, she attempted arson.

I still haven't eaten that much at all, except for a raw heart, which wasn't very filling. The concept of food is pleasing, a low growl emitting from my stomach and shattering the sound of silence. A barbecue would be nice, all the meat and stuff. But I suppose that's not going to happen.

Another thing is that this claw is still here, I guess that it should have disappeared when my fury ended, but obviously not. It feels alright, I am rather fond of it actually, but it will take a while to get used to. The iPad proves that much. I think I may have to learn to be left handed. I hate unnecessary effort.

Actually, fuck the calls I have to make. Fuck my previous life. And fuck the past. I'm going to go for a walk, I'm going to socialise and I'm going to find something to eat. I don't care about moral implications or politics or law. I'm going to live how I want, it's my life and I just received a do-over. I don't think many people get this kind of opportunity to start again. Let's do this.

I hastily make my way over to the door, making sure to close it behind me before striding off towards town. I have stuff to do, and food to find.

...

The party is still going strong, the princesses among the crowd. Luna seems to be socialising well, better than the Nightmare Night celebration. The cake is mostly gone, Pinkie sitting on top of he ruins of what once was the most magnificent cake I had ever seen, rubbing her bloated stomach and groaning. Too much for the party mare? That's a first.

I stride into the crowd towards the cake, the reason I'm here right now. Ponies stand aside when I walk past them, the claw giving them reason to be slightly uneasy. The cake still towers over me, albeit barely. I dig into the mound with such gusto that would rival that of he pink mare. I get lost in the cake, paying no mind to the world outside of me and the cake. All this cake could possibly need is bacon.

A hoof lands gently on my knee, breaking me from my little world of cakes and bacon. I look down to see Scootaloo and the rest of the CMC, smiling up at me. The CMC normally mean some sort of trouble, but I was looking for something to do, the cake is nearly gone, and I'm rather full. A piece of bacon wouldn't hurt though.

"Hi," I say, crouching do I don't have to look straight down.

The fillies look at each other nervously, before Applebloom nudges Scootaloo. The orange filly smiles weakly at me, avoiding eye contact.

" Um, do you want to play with us? Nopony else will and you look pretty cool." Scootaloo asks, quite nervously, glancing at my claw throughout the statement that followed the question.

"Okay, I was trying to think of something to do anyway." I smile.

"Cool! This way." Scootaloo and the other Crusaders suddenly perk up and race away, with me trailing behind, trying not to lose them in the crowd we were racing through. I shoot a glance behind me to see Pinkie finishing off the cake, next to Twilight who's talking with Celestia. Crap.

The Crusaders exit the crowd of pastel ponies and continue to run in a fairly straight line. I follow through the empty streets of Ponyville, everyone must be in the centre of town.

We finally arrive at the Crusader clubhouse, in the top corner of Sweet Apple Acres. We start of with a game of hide and seek, I'm really good at hiding because of this shadow meld thing I can do, but I can't find them either. Occasionally, I get lucky and find Sweetiebelle or Applebloom, but never Scootaloo.

...

An hour passes, we played hide and seek, a bit of tag and some 'hoof'ball. I tried really hard not to cause any damage to any of them considering my size, strength and the claw that is attached to my shoulder where my arm should be.

I wave the CMC goodbye and climb a tree out of sight, but overlooking the clubhouse. The sun is getting lower in the sky, casting long shadows. I lean against the tree, from my position on the highest branch, I can see the Crusaders sat outside the clubhouse, talking. I can't hear their conversation , but I don't care. The fresh air is relaxing and a light breeze sweeps through the trees.

Two figures emerge from the bushes opposite the clubhouses, fillies from the looks of it, and approach the CMC. No, it's Diamond and Silver. This isn't going to end well. The antagonistic bullies exchange insults with the Crusaders for a while, I guess, before Sweetiebelle bursts out crying and flees. The mini marshmallow pony disappears into the tree line towards the farm, closely followed by her friends.

Diamond laughs loudly, exceeding the volume of Silvers sniggering. They leave, but not before defacing the clubhouse with crude drawings and scribbles. They leave the pens and crayons they used behind and set off in the opposite direction to the Crusaders. The laughter gradually fading as they went.

I followed, treetop to treetop, silently and unseen.

...

They stop at a clearing, next to a steep decline, couldn't be more and 50ft down, but the sheer drop onto the many outcroppings of jagged rocks didn't help. They walk over to the edge and sit, lightly conversing while staring off into the sun as it sets on the horizon.

From my vantage point, I can see the moon rising in the east. This means that the party must have concluded, as Luna is doing her thing. The rays of the sun recede as it descends over the horizon and out of view. The moon takes over lighting up the environment and the stars make their appearances.

The two fillies shuffle closer together, leaning on each other and their voices soften. I couldn't hear their words before, I certainly can't hear them now. They continue to talk while staring off to where the sun had just been, Silver lightly pecks Diamond on the cheek. I can see her blush from here, it's practically blinding.

My stomach growls again, despite the sheer amount of cake I ate, I need some meat, bacon preferably, but there are no pigs here. I consider what to do now, reflecting on what happened most recently. I remember seeing how hurt Sweetie was, a familiar glow radiates from my eyes. Before I know it, I'm stood over the two fillies, watching them cuddle in the moonlight while being blissfully unaware of my presence and the fury dictating my actions.

I hunger.

...

Bile and blood

Chapter 12

Bile and Blood

I tower over the two fillies whom I assume to be lovers. Figures. How unfortunate that they would be torn apart, both figuratively and literally, but I don't care for their feelings. My mind is clouded with darkness and hatred, impenetrable to any compassionate notion. No compassion, no sympathy, no mercy. The same feelings I felt when I dispatched Trixie. I guess it's true that history repeats itself, albeit sooner than expected.

The two fillies are still unaware of my presence, and my intent. An intent that is very much foreign to the land that is Equestria. The element of surprise is not one of harmony, but mine none the less. The element is a valuable asset, but it's not like they could fight back anyway.

They continue to cuddle with each other in the moonlight. Silver whispers something in her companions ear and they both giggle. Normally, I would say it was adorable, but the darkness that clouds my mind and influences my actions.

My eyes glow with increased intensity, the blackness leaking from the sockets at the sides. I levitate a large fallen branch into my claw and raise the wooden club above my head. It catches fire, dark purple flames dance across the surface of the wood.

Thump!

The makeshift club comes down onto the nearest target, Silver Spoon. The grey body of the filly slumps the ground as a loud piercing scream echoes through the forest. The scream that has surely woken half of Ponyville brings a smile to my face. Diamond's scream is music to my ears, the fear feeds the power coursing through me. Nightmare's power.

I grab the screaming purple filly and pound her against the ground, right on the edge of the cliff. My claw digs into her sides as my grip tightens, fresh blood trickling from the wounds. Her scream raises an octave as the pain overwhelms her.

I throw the still screaming filly into the air, blood staining her coat. I drop kick the bully off of the cliff. The screaming fades as she gets further away, eventually turning to silence. Silence being just as satisfying as her screams.

I turn towards the unconscious Silver Spoon. I dig my claw into her stomach and throw her against the tree that I was sitting in before. I grab her leg and swing her repeatedly against the tree. Ultimately breaking her leg before letting her fall the floor. There are large black bruises on her face and her glasses are smashed, leaving shards of glass embedded in her face. Blood trickles from the wound on her stomach. I float over the flaming club for where I dropped it and raise it high above my head...

Another scream echoes through the forest, tearing my attention from Silver. I run towards the edge of the cliff, my magic flaring once again. I throw myself off the cliff towards the source of the screaming.

Free fall. The brief time falling causes a rush of adrenaline, affecting my magic. My magic engulfs the branch in my hand, wood turning to metal. The transformation lasts a little over a second, changing the flaming branch to a sword of deepest black. Perfect.

I land next to the screaming, blood stained filly with such force that I leave a crater. A large crater. Diamond, surprisingly still conscious and screaming, attempts to get away from me. Only to hurt herself more. Her broken legs prevent her from running and the wounds I inflicted have opened up more, leaving a large crimson pool around her body.

A reach towards her horn, taking large amounts of pleasure from ripping her horn from her skull, spurting blood all over me. I take the horn and plunge it into her side, tearing open the existing wound more, before pocketing it as a trophy. I just wish that I kept Trixie's horn too, I could start a collection.

Her screams raise in volume, tears streaming down her face, mixing with blood from where her horn used to be. I gouge out her left eye, spurting viscous fluid down her face, mixing with the blood and tears. I force the eye into her mouth, silencing the screams while she chokes down on the eyeball. She vomits onto the ground, then coughs up a large amount of blood. I make sure to punch her in the face a few times for good measure, causing as much pain as possible. I throw her against the face of the cliff, causing her to slip into unconsciousness. I lift the now silent filly and rip off her legs, one by one, spraying blood all up the wall and myself. The purple colour of her coat is smothered in crimson. The red colour suited Trixie better.

I beat the body with the limbs, causing blood to gush from her sides. Dropping the limbs, I lift the black sword above the filly, she's probably dead, but who cares? I bring blade down upon her stomach, slicing it open so the entirety of its contents spew out. The disgusting mixture of bile and blood kicks up a stench, but a stench that I disregard.

I impale her on the sword, flames bursting forth from the black metal. I really like this sword. The flames roast the body of Diamond Tiara, providing a feast for myself. The sword dematerialises from my hand in a bout of dark smoke. I lift the cooked meat to my mouth and gorge myself, the meat tasting better than bacon. Much better. I take joy in devouring the organs, especially the heart. Blood flowing from my mouth,  soaking into my t shirt. But I take no notice.

...

I eat until I'm only left with the head. I tried the brain, but it tastes absolutely vile. I leave the head in the pool of bile, I'm not hungry anymore. I attempt to scale the face of the cliff, failing. I try again and again, doing nothing but fuelling my frustration. My still glowing eyes glow brighter still, before my magic engulfs my body.

I am racked with intense pain. The magic causes something to grow out of my back, the bones tearing through my flesh puts me in excruciating pain. The burning sensation causing muscle spasms. I scream out as the transformation comes to completion. I have grown two, large, leathery wings.  Wings!

I fly up the cliff face, landing where Diamond and Silver were cuddling. The speed of my flight would put Rainbow dash to shame. Flying is incredible, even better than the cloud. The wings seem permanent, just like the claw I possess. They both seem to be part of my body now. But I'm not complaining, being superhuman feels so good.

I walk over to where I left Silver, only to find nothing put a small pool of blood. The filly has disappeared, I would hunt her down, but she will suffer more knowing that Diamond is gone forever. If I see her again, I make sure to show her my trophy, and break the rest of her legs. I'll make sure to visit her in hospital, making sure she never leaves. That is, if she survives the journey back to town.

I fly back towards town, my smile larger than the cake that had brought me so much joy. But who needs cake, pony flesh tastes so much better...

I'm such an Asshole

Chapter 13

I'm such an Asshole

The flight back to Ponyville didn't take much time at all, allowing me little time to actually comprehend what I had actually done. It hadn't even passed my mind that there would be severe consequences, or the fact that Silver old now tell everypony about what I had done.

I land in the centre of town, it seems the party has long since been disbanded. It is clear from the fact that any trace of the party has been tidied away perfectly. Nothing is out of place and there are no lights in any of the houses. The apparent pitch blackness seems to have no effect on me whatsoever, I can see as clear as Celestia's day.

The lack of street lights and other forms of light pollution means that I can see Luna's night with an impossible amount of clarity. It's absolutely stunning. Beautiful. An observation that shows that the cloud hanging in my mind is dissipating, allowing my calmer side to emerge from the fires of hatred. It suddenly occurs to me, I murdered  Diamond Tiara in cold blood and despite the emergence of the rest of myself from the cloud prison, I smile.

I always hated bullies, and the majority of other antagonists. That and politicians, and lawyers, and the educational system, and democracy, and the government. I really hate the fucking government, there're always trying to screw over the people of their nation. But I especially hate the way Diamond and Silver antagonised the CMC. I can take abuse, both emotional and physical, a resilience that they don't seem to have. I remember someone saying that ignorance is bliss, but I can't remember who.

I stroll through the darkened streets of the silent Ponyville towards Twilights library for some rest. A sanctuary in this...

Wait.

Twilight was talking with Celestia at the party, and she knows about Trixie. She tells Celestia everything, which means I'm not safe there. It may be best if I go incognito for a while, even disappear entirely. Invisibility is something I can do. I despise confrontation, and such confrontation may lead to unwanted conflict. I don't want to hurt anypony, apart from maybe Blueblood and a few others. Bastards.

I wonder how comfortable a tree is?

I know, I'll sleep in a cloud, in a tree, in the everfree. Nopony would look for me there, at least, I hope not.

I retrieve my lonely little cloud car from where I had previously parked it, I'm fairly surprised it was still there. I fly it over to the Everfree forest, a place nopony dare tread without a real good reason. Or a death wish. It's also an abundance of interesting creatures, the likes of which never been tasted by humans. Manticore burgers, Cockatrice kebabs and flame grilled Hydra steaks, I'll have a BBQ! It's going to be awesome!

I insert the cloud into the top branch of a tree, a tree that is slightly taller than the others to make sure I don't lose it. The tree is just within the borders of the Everfree, making sure that I'm not too far from civilisation. I attempt to cloak the cloud nest thing from prying eyes using a touch of magic. It looks just like a regular tree, the magic even hiding me when I lay in the cloud. Perfect.

From my nest, I can see above the tree line, all the way to Ponyville and all the way to the mountains on the other side of the forest. Hey, I can see Fluttershy's cottage from here, I'm not even that far off, maybe I'll pay her a friendly visit at some time after my situation has improved. But like that's ever going to happen, I'm probably a criminal now, the likes of which Equestria has never seen. Humans are assholes, that much I know.

I curl up in my cloud nest in the tree and make an attempt at sleep. My mind still full of the murder and hatred from earlier today. Two murders, an epic party, aggravated assault and games with the CMC all in one day. Incredible. I'm such an asshole, killing may be fun and satisfying, but it's still wrong. I'm such an asshole. I am such a fucking asshole. This is no way someone is supposed to live.

I tore two ponies to shreds because I dislike them. I admit that Trixie deserved it through attempted arson, but I forced them to pay the ultimate price and enjoyed it. The law would've taken care of the whole situation if I had just simply detained Trixie. I stole from Silver's lover from her and ate her, this was completely unnecessary considering what they had done. I could have just confronted them and intimidated them into not being assholes like me, and instead to try and be nicer. But no, I attacked them instead. I don't deserve any of this, I should be dead. Why did fate choose someone like me to save from that plane crash?

Sleep comes shortly after, tearing myself about being a murderer sapping my strength until I drifted off to sleep. And into his realm...

Madness

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.

Melding of the minds

Chapter 15

Melding of the minds

Great, breakfast.

The manticore roars with the volume of thunder, knocking the drowsiness from me as the adrenaline kicks in. It pounces. In reaction, I disappear, gone for a second before reappearing behind the bewildered and apparently frustrated beast. I do love teleportation.

The lumbering beast lands on the ground where I was mere moments before, only to find nothing there but dust. It has good reason to be confused, but it has only itself to blame, it gave up the element of surprise by roaring. It turns around to retreat back into the bushes where it came, only to find a fist in its face. A fist made of dark and sinister energy, courtesy of the thing in my head. Bastard.

The manticore flies backwards into a tree, the same tree that harbours my cleverly concealed nest. The very same tree where that bastard decided to reappear, in my head. Exactly the same tree that I have just tumbled out of.

The manticore shakily stands, growling with an equal amount of pain and anger. I flare my large, ethereal wings, causing myself to look larger and more intimidating. I don't really need to though, there's no way I could lose. Power flows into my claw, building up the dark magic in its palm. The manticore charges towards me, eyes glowing with pained rage and thick drool hanging from its gaping maw. I let loose the energy from my claw at the beast, the energy taking the form of a gyrating crescent of purple fire, striking the beast in its hideous and battle scarred face, halting its advance entirely.

The beast wails in anguish, its face burned by the crescent as it sliced through the flesh. Blood pours from the wide gash that stretches from its cheek to down its neck. A thick stream of liquid from a severed artery sprays me and the surrounding flora with a coat of deep crimson. The manticore wails again, bringing its paw up to cover the wound. It looks pathetic.

Another dark crescent strikes the manticore, tearing open its arm, exposing the bone. Another hit, and another hit as I continue to to barrage the pathetic creature before me with crescent blades of energy. The manticore hits the floor, heavily wounded. The last blade had sliced clean through its leg and knocked it to the floor.

I approach the downed manticore, slowly, as if to drag out its suffering. It cowers before me, panic in its hate filled eyes. I grip its jaw in my claw, forcing it to look deep into my eyes. I smile at the beast beast briefly, before ripping out the creatures jaw from its face. Blood continues to pool around the body, painting the canvas of green grass red.

The sword from yesterday materialises in my hand. I like the sword, and I think I going to call it Bane, as it is the bane of all things living. Fitting, I force Bane through the creatures head, ending its miserable existence. Now I can finally feast, I'm so hungry.

...

I wipe the blood from around my mouth, the meat of the manticore was delicious, even if it was raw. I burn the remains of the pathetic creature, the less evidence of me being here, the better.

"Congratulations," The 's' sound being stretched out "It seems like I made a good choice." a loud and powerful voice echoes through my mind. I know the voice, the bastard is back.

"What do you want?" I snapped, sounding more animalistic and primal than I intended.

"To applaud you, you show such prowess and dispatching those before you. Guilt free too."

"I don't need your approval," I growl, "I do what I want, and I will be rid of you."

"Is that right? Tell me, who gave you the power? Who gave you the means to make nice with those ponies?" It shows obvious displeasure in uttering the word ponies. "I did. Who ruined it all for you? Who murdered and destroyed? Who abused the gift of power? You did, not I, you."

"No! You were influencing my decisions from the start. You made me a monster."

"How could I? I have only just absorbed enough power from your hateful actions to communicate with you now."

"You're lying!"

"Am I? Tell me, what do I gain from making you eat raw flesh? That was all you."

"But I..."

"No, it was all you. You used my power to make you a monster. Not I, you."

"..."

"I underestimated you when I attacked back at the ruins, you overpowered me in my weakened state. I lost, you attempted to steal my power. You're own greed chose trying to control my power over destroying me."

"It's, all my fault."

Yes, yes it is."

"What should I do?"

"That."

"Wha..."

I hit the floor, filled with familiar burning pain. Exactly the same from the dream. It tears through my being, causing me to cry out in pain. My blood curdling screams echo through the forest, but I can't hear them. All I can hear is laughter, Nightmare's laughter. It fades out as the world goes to black. I must fight the urge to all unconscious, I must resist. I must...

I fall into the icy grip of unconsciousness. Back into his realm.

...

I float aimlessly through the large and foreboding expanse of darkness. The void. I am racked with pain, worse than that of before. In too tired to scream anymore, to tired to cry anymore. Just float through the void, suffering at the metaphorical hands of the Nightmare.

My own greed caused this, my desire for power. They say absolute power corrupts absolutely, they would be right. I could be living a life of happiness and harmony, just like all the HiE fics I have read. But I messed that up. This is all my own fault. I brought this suffering upon myself, upon everyone else too. I hate this, I hate it all.

I cringe, the pain intensifies, like my own intestines have been liquefied and boiled inside me. All my previous defiance lost to the depths of the void. I don't have the will, or the energy, to resist. The Nightmare has won. That small part of me ignores my resignation, only fighting back harder. But it won't succeed, the Nightmare has won.

"How wise," The Nightmare's voice echoes over the deathly silence that accompanies the void.

I don't react. I have already accepted defeat. The Nightmare surrounds me, engulfing me in its dark embrace before assaulting my mind and overloading my senses. I'm going to be the next harbinger of darkness, the new Nightmare Moon. The elements won't stand a chance against us, they will be destroyed.

Fluttershy.

A faint voice echoes around my mind.

Fluttershy.

No, I can't let him win, I can't let him harm the elements. Especially Fluttershy. This bastard is going down! With newfound energy, I resist the Nightmare's influence. The sudden resistance takes the Nightmare by surprise, but he gives no ground. I continue to fight back, fuelled by my sudden revelation. I squirm within his grip, doing everything I can to break free. Nightmare redoubles his efforts, shattering my resolve and allowing entry into the deepest parts of my mind.

The Nightmare merges into my thoughts and emotions, corrupting them, possessing them. He has me now, it will be no time before I am nothing but a puppet, a vessel for the Nightmare. Lost to the void. A fate worse than death, to forever float around this plane, while the Nightmare assumes direct control of your body. This is how Luna must've felt for a thousand years, trapped within the confines of her own mind.

There's a crack of light, blinding in the darkness. A strange fluctuation of pure magical energy courses through the void, through me, and through the Nightmare. It disrupts whatever magic he was using to control me. The magic mutates and warps into something else, instead of possession, both me and the the Nightmare are thrust together, minds melding into one. The flow of magic abruptly stops, leaving one being floating through the endless void. The being neither himself or not, but in complete bliss.

...

I am all of me

Chapter 4

I am all of me

Fear. Right now, I know nothing but fear. Celestia wished me away with almost no effort, imagine what she could do if she focused. As much as I like solitude, I don't want to go to the moon.  Heh, I'm starting to sound like paranoid Twilight from lesson zero.

I'm cowering behind my onetime rival and enemy, the frying pan. I hope the frying pan will protect me, but deep down, I know it won't.  Although, they say that if you believe, you can do anything. I believe that I'm going to suffer, all because the princess if discriminate. How pessimistic.

The fear manifests itself in my mind, the instinct that is fight or flight dominates my actions. I must run. The nearest exit is the door, still open from my entry previously. However, a certain white alicorn stands between me and that exit. Running is not an option.

The fear vanishes, anger taking it's place. I must stand my ground and not become a doormat for Celestia to walk over. I stand, ever so slowly, holding both the frying pan and my head high. I am not a doormat, my will is iron.

Celestia's once exaggerated smile, contorts into something different.  A grimace of terror, matching her dilated pupils. It's an emotion I know too well. Absolute fear. Even Twilight had moved from my side and is now cowering behind the sun princess like I cowered behind my onetime nemesis. She has the same look of terror. Fluttershy is nowhere to be seen. Why are they so scared of me?

Oh. That's why.

My shadow has been replaced by a fearsome mass of shadowy tendrils, flowing outwards from my original shadow. My lower arms and hands have an aura of magic surrounding them just like Twilight's horn, except it's black and ominous. The light of the multiple lamps around the room do nothing to pierce the various black shapes erupting from my shadow.

I smile. The power brings a familiar feeling, a feeling I didn't expect to have again. The same feeling I had when Nightmare's power coursed through me and I blew up that uncooperative door. It feels good.

I drop my enemy turned ally, the pan used for frying. I don't need it anymore. I have power of my own.

"Nightmare,"  Celestia gasps.

She knows this power, then again, it did possess her sister a thousand years ago.

"No, Nightmare is gone, crushed, defeated and absorbed." My voice echoes with godly power similar to that of the Royal Canterlot Voice. "Please, call me Michael." I could come up with something darker, or more intimidating, but I lack creativity when it comes to names. My real name will have to do.

Twilight looks at me with less fear, but more curiosity. "Michael?"

"Yes, that is the name I have had for fifteen long years on Earth."

The tendrils fade from existence, my true shadow returning. The aura of magic dissipates.

"Just imagine what Hitler could've done done with magic. 6 million would've turned multiple billion." I say jokingly, a poor attempt to lighten the mood.

Twilight shies away at the mention of that name. Celestia growls. Bad joke.

I step towards the princess, my movements slow, in an attempt to appear less aggressive than I already have. I can't believe I'm about to do this. I stop within reach of Celestia.

"I'm sorry for whatever caused you to assume me evil and send me to some cave. I didn't mean to leave that impression on any..." I consider how I'm going to finish that word. " ...pony. I am also sorry for scaring you just now, I felt scared and intimidated by what you could do to me and the new power within me reacted. I hope you can accept my apology" I stare at the floor. I've never been one for apologies, but I know how much it means to ponies.

 I hug the very being that rules over this land and raises the sun each morning. A bold move.

She hugs me back, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry for treating you so poorly before getting to know you." I just hugged the princess, FUCK YEAH!

I think I can hear Twilight lightly sobbing at the heartfelt moment before her, or it's just my imagination. Regardless, she joins in the hug. Hugged Twilight too, FUCK YEAH scale is in overload.

A soft murmur is given off by none other than 'Shy, she had obviously returned at some point. I am probably too oblivious to have noticed anyway. She joins in the group hug.

KABOOM!

The scale exploded.

The hug continues for a couple moments more. The longer the better, I don't recall ever being this happy to go all soppy.

"So, the Nightmare is inside you now? It must be removed at once." Says Celestia, the caring and authoritative tone recognisable from the tv series.

"No, the Nightmare is no longer the Nightmare, but part of me. Removing it now would be like removing a part of me, and I am all of me."

All three equines look at me like I just spoke gibberish, but pursue the matter no further. It seems I have convinced them for now.

"Michael, I welcome you to Equestria." Celestia says with a smile.

"Thank you, princess."  I hate formalities. "I would like to ask if I could stay here in Ponyville for the foreseeable future."

"Certainly."

"Great. But, I don't have a place to stay..." the sudden realisation of my current predicament causing the sorrow I feel to be evident in my voice.

"Don't worry" Twilight pipes up. "You can stay with me and Spike in the library."

"Thank you Twilight!" I'm so happy I could just... just... do something crazy and Pinkie like. "Princess?"

"Yes?"

"Could you personally introduce me to the town? I don't want the ponies to fear me because I'm different, just like Zecora. And I know they trust you more than anypony."

"I'd be happy too."

Pure success, now everypony in town will be more accepting of my presence in their community.

"Alright then, let's go" I say, following Celestia as she leaves for Ponyville, closely followed by one unicorn, one pegasus and a mysterious moving cloud.

...