The Rise of a Genocide

Even though you could clearly see that it was the same pony from my nightmares there where some differences.  Like the fact that she had bags under her eyes and almost all the divine grace she had in my dreams was gone, almost.  A other thing was the enormous stack of books she levitated a few feet in the air. The pink pony ran over to her and lunged at her in a tight embrace. “Twilight! I've missed you so much!” The Alicorn that had to be the Twilight I had heard Rarity talk about gasped for air and tried to get the nearly rabid pony of her. “Hello Pinkie.  You're choking me.” Pinkie, relentlessly, loosened here grip around Twilight and jumped up and down whilst the rest of my company came towards her and the Pegasus that had been flying over us when we got to the station.  Over the now departing train I could here Pinkie shout something along the lines of. “Rainbow Dash! I'm so happy to see you!” And then she jumped a few feet up in the air and stuck to the Pegasus like a mosquito and she dragged her down towards the ground.  And I could here different greetings mixed in between and at last when all that had been done Twilight asked. “Who is that guy,” She pointed a hoof at me. “He's been standing there ever since you left the train.”  Rarity was the one answering and I didn't care I was just glad that I didn't need to engage the conversation. “He says that his name is Deman Ner're and that he has come to ask you, Celestia and Luna something.”  I was about to say “No, I came to speak to royalty.” When I realized what Rarity meant I stopped and I didn't come longer than. “No, I ca-.” And I fell on my knees. “I-I'm sorry your highness.  I deeply apology for meeting you in this state.”  I slammed my gaze down and bent my head. “I'm glad that you bless me with your presence.”

I heard hoof steps and I awaited a slap over the back of my head.  But, all that happened was that someone put a hoof on the side of my head and turned my head up. “What's with the act?” I was staring into the cyan Pegasus' red eyes.  She shook her head and a strain of rainbow colored hair fell in front of her eyes.  After a short huff she pulled me up on my hooves.  Out load I said. “I'm showing respect.” And then I said so low that she wouldn't be able to hear me. “Something you apparently can't...” The princess came over and said. “Now, what did you want to ask me?”  I swallowed a lump in my throat and said carefully. “I wish to have some time to prepare myself and I would like to do it in the presence of all of you,” And I quickly added. “Unless it bothers her majesty.”  “No, it doesn't.” She said with a smile.  With a sigh of relief, we walked to the castle and when there I got into the first unoccupied room and got my things ready.  First, the suit.  It fit like a glove, perhaps a bit tight around my fore legs but, nothing I could make a descent complaint over.  And then the difficult part came.  Getting the eyebrow piercing to sit straight.  I didn't remember much when it came to the subject of my past but, something I remembered was that the eye piercing was important to get right.  I had no idea why.  No need to take risks though.  The one I chose was a semi-circle with three spikes pointing out from it.  Each symbolizing the crown's ruling might .  One was the might to make rules, the second was the might to approve rules and the third was the might to rule.  I found out that the problem with getting a piercing, if you don't wear it, is that it gets tricky to find the holes again.  After some failed attempts, and a whole lot of swearing and paper towels, I got it to sit correctly.

After that I took out my notes and rehearsed a few times over until a guard came in and said that they were ready to meet me.  I followed him through the corridor, up a small staircase and into a enormous throne room.  In the end sat yet again two more characters from my dreams, the only thing that missed now was the shadow stallion.  With a deep breath and went towards them at a slightly faster pace then I was personally comfortable with. The white Alicorn in the middle was the first to say anything. “Greetings Deman Ner're,”  I stopped, bowed and resumed walking towards them.  When I was few steps away from the platform the three thrones were placed on. “Your majesties,” I talked in a slow voice with clear emphasis on when I addressed their titles, as I had been taught. “I have traveled far, for the deepest south, to seek your help.” After a small pause I resumed. “For the past thousand moons or so, I have been haunted by nightmares.  And now I seek your help.  In return I will teach, and pass on, the ancient magical art of ritual magic.” The dark blue one that had to be Luna arose from her seat and walked down from the platform. “What rituals?” She turned around, looked at the others of her kin and back to me. “We all have bad experiences with rituals?” This hit me like a hammer.  I had totally forgotten to write this down.  Before I started to hyperventilate I calmed myself down and took out a book with rituals and guidelines on how to execute them.  I browsed through the pages until I found something of interest. “Visit the past, see things you thought were lost to the waves of the past.” I flipped the book around and showed it to the princess.  The picture showed a star piercing a mirror with a beam of light.  Under the steps of how to perform the ritual were written in order.  She took the book in her magic and read down the page. When she got back to her seat she said. “Well, I must say that there is some things here that seem interesting.” She sat down and said. “I accept you offer.” With only one name remaining I connected the dots with the names and all. “Very well,” Celestia said. “Feel free to start when ever you feel like it sister.” “Deman, are you ready?” Luna asked.  No word could even scratch the surface on how ready I was.  So, I just nodded.  The three princesses got up from their seats and walked down from the platform.  Celestia and Twilight stood behind Luna. “Before I can cure you from your nightmares I need to see them first.  So brace yourself, if I go to deep into your mind just tell me to stop.” I nodded again, slower this time unsure about what would happen.

Her eyes turned white as she went down in the dark abyss of dreams and nightmares.  Then, it came.  The dark figure.  Black as the night, like no light hit it.  My heart started to race as a well known feeling came to me, fear.  The stallion went trough the room towards Luna.  I tried to scream and tried to move towards her, but the words froze in my throat and my legs became as melted to the ground.  It blended with her and they turned into one being.  It was black as night with armor as stars in the sky.  The being in front of me turned back into Luna, back into the unknown shadow stallion, back into the unknown shadow mare and, finally. back into Luna.  Then I heard the voices of the shadows through Luna's voice. “Yes, we are here. You can't escape us, we are you.” With a voice trembling with fear I finally managed to whisper. “No...not here...” The shadow beings started to laugh trough Luna. For every heartbeat, for every breath of air, a pain inside my head grew stronger and stronger.  All until I finally screamed in pain and agony.  A bright flash of light and the shadows in the nightmare version of the throne room burnt away and I closed my eyes.

The force of gravity seemed like it was exemplified by a thousandfold when I opened my eyes.  I struggled to hold my balance as I looked around the room.  The once glorious throne room was in ruin.  The three princesses had been sent flying and were now laying in different piles around the platform in puddles of their own blood.  Behind me, I saw that the guards were in equally painful situation.  There were cracks in the floor and the walls and the windows were in a billion pieces of the floor.  As I turned around and intended to gallop away from the mess I had created a pain in the back of my head hit me and I fell to the floor.  When I got up the room was dark as night.  Dark storm clouds covered the skies and almost no light could penetrate them.  A flash of light and after it came the sound of a thunderclap.  On the staircase in front of the platform lay Luna.  She was dark with blood and her wings were contorted in a angle that meant that they where broken in several places. "You dare to turn you back on me?" The body of Luna started to float in the air with blood from the wounds in her chest dripping on the floor.  She opened her eyes and a dark aura surrounded them. "How dare you turn your back on me?" Blood dripped from her mouth as drool. "I have been alive for fifteen thousand years and I will not let you ruin my life." She was possessed!  The sickly contorted body and the eyes.  No normal pony would look like that. "Don't run away from me," Luna spread her fore hooves as to embrace me. "Come here.  Be one with your darkness." I would at a later time come to regret my choice of words, but now, the stereotypical hero's courage had come over me. "If it looks like this, like you." I braced myself for the attack I thought would come. "I will rather die!" Whoever was possessing Luna let her go and she fell to the ground with a sickening sound. "Very well, let's see about how your promise holds up." The shadow stallion materialized in front of me.  And just as I was about to take the initiative to attack, he vanished. "You call me a coward?" As the shadow stallion disappeared the light and reality came back.  And after a few minutes everything was back in order, or depending on how one sees order.  There were still ponies laying around the room, in puddles of their own blood, the walls and the floor still had cracks, and the windows were still in shards.  And then the truth came to me.  Luna wasn't possessed.  I was...

In the hallway behind the throne room I could hear guards galloping towards the door.  With only a second to spare I found my only route out of the room that didn't involve me getting arrested.  The window.  As I threw myself out of the window I knew that my chances of surviving would be less than zero. "To the afterlife..." And I was on my way.  The ground came towards me at a incredible pace and I would have hit it if a cyan Pegasus had interfered. "You idiot, I wan't to die!" I hit her in the face in a vain attempt to get her to let go of me. "Wait a bit and I will spare the trouble of suicide." When we got behind the walls of the courtyard she let go of me and I fell down.  My fall was only a few feet, around six, but it still hurt like the deepest pits of Tartarus.  I spun around when I hit the ground and the gravel made deep cuts in my sides and on my back.  When I stopped she lifted me up and said. "Listen here you little piece of shit.  What have you done to Twilight?" I groaned in pain. "Nothing..." Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes and said. "If you come here with such petty horsefeathers I will drag you along the gravel until your spine is gone," She held me even closer and stared into my eyes. "What have you done to Twilight?" I didn't say anything.  Eyes burning with hatred and anger, she was about to do as she promised four guards came through the small that connected the court  The shards of glass made the cuts in my side even deeper and when I finally laid still there was a trail of blood after me. Two guards took a hold of me and dragged me into a jail cell.  There they bandaged my wounds and left me there.

When the pain had somewhat subsided I thought to myself.  That went well... And I passed out.   I slept without any nightmares.  No shadow ponies or demons haunting my dreams.  And at a later time I have come to realize that every drop of blood spent that day and every deep fear were still worth the few hours of uninterrupted tranquility.