Its been almost 5 days since my eyelid was cut by Gilda, and it earned me a good scar. 3 dark grey lines are easily visible above and below my right eye, and when I have my eyes closed, the lines connect with the extended cut going up the lids of my eye. But the worst thing…? Nightmares…ever since I have had nightmares, never ending, some with me being torn apart, cut open, even pinned down and having talons dig into my eyes, and they say you don’t feel what’s in a dream? Maybe a dream, but everything is felt in a nightmare.

I haven’t slept for almost 50 hours now, and I know I look terrible. Eyes are bloodshot, my wings tend to hang quite a bit, but not drag on the ground, and floor…but its close…another 4 or 5 inches till they drag on the ground. I have moments I dose off, but they don’t last since the moment my eyes close, I see a griffon swipe for my neck, which snaps me awake anyway. I cant remember last night too well, but Twilight said she had to really focus to keep me from the kitchen…apparently I was driven to wanting to end it…now I’m on permanent watch from the girls…I remember some flashes of one instance I made an attempt, when I was at Rarity’s boutique.

I got up from the couch and snuck behind Rarity to the table she kept her pin catchers on, and I grabbed a pin that went all the way through the catcher, and luckily Rarity planned on using it which pulled me over with it, and sent me falling. What was said I’m not sure, but I remember just breaking down, and thanking Rarity, and telling her how much I appreciate what her and the others have done for me and I felt I didn’t deserve such good friends…she slapped me…I was gonna tell her sorry I said that, but she jumped on it, and said she knows I’m delirious from lack of sleep, and to just relax.

I was taken to Sweet Apple Acres, because Rarity had to head out on a ‘gem hunt’ and she couldn’t focus on her spell and me both. So, now I have been carrying bins of apples to the barn. I felt so useless, since my one trip was three or four for Applejack and Big Mac. I know they understand, but it still made me feel terrible…when they decided it was time for a lunch break, I just sat under a tree near the Apple household, and looked at the ground.

I occasionally got a weird sensation which made my ears twitch, and flick like they were wanting me to look. I finally did, and looked over at the Everfree and saw…HIM...that blue alicorn! I have never felt so awake as I did now and I just bolted up and flew towards the forest as I heard the house’s screen door open. I heard Applejack yell something, but I had to catch this alicorn. I couldn’t let him escape again. I saw him run behind a tree onto a path, and I lands at the path panting and saw nothing.

I just leaned my head forward as I yelled down the path with such anger and annoyance. “JUST COME OUT, IM SICK OF THESE DAMN GAMES, SO EITHER COME OUT OR I WILL TRACK YOU DOWN AND SHOW YOU WHAT THIS FUCKING FREAK CAN DOOOOO!!!” I just panted looking down the path hoping he would walk out…but nothing…just who is he?! And why does he appear than disappear like he is trying to….guide me…

I started hearing a female voice humming, or creating a tune, in an opera like fashion, and I felt compelled to follow it, which I did but, the next thing I knew was a mass of green, brown, and pain in my head and side, as I just stared down the path. The singing stopped and I gasped shooting my head up as my senses spiked back, and I saw a panting and worried looking Applejack.

“are ya’ll alright? Ya just started flying off, and when ah heard you scream for someone to show themselves, ah got worried!” I looked down and saw a lasso around my legs. “right, I kind of…had to use my rope so I know ya wouldn’t fly off again…”

I reached to it using my mouth to slip it off and stood up feeling…rested…? “n-no, its fine. I would have done the same thing…if I could.” I chuckled and looked at applejack with a small smile. “thanks AJ. I really owe you.”

“aw shucks, ain't nothin’ sugarcube.” We started heading back to the house, and when I stopped and looked back as applejack kept walking, I felt a huge force tackle me and pin me down.

I heard a gruff voice, with a southern accent talk from above me, while my head was held down by a huge red hoof. “gotcha, ya sneaky varmint…”

I got my head to turn and looked at him with my left eye and talked the best I could, what with my face shoved into the dirt… “Big Mac...get off me…I’m fine…”

“eenope…”

I looked at applejack seeing her smile and try to sneak off so I called out to her. “oh yeah, THANKS for the HELP AJ!!”

I started to push myself up, and I could hear Big Mac grunt in shock. I suddenly felt a surge go through me and I just stood up sending Big Mac off my back. The last time I felt like this was when…my friends sister…was getting mugged…oh shit…

I turned to Big Mac quickly. “WHERE IS APPLE BLOOM RIGHT NOW?!”

I saw Big Mac shrug. “she went to get her friends, then come ba-“I didn’t let him finish as I flew off towards town. I REALLY hope this feeling was just a shock to my system, and not my instinct warning me of trouble…

I soon stopped flapping near Ponyville square and slid a bit on my hooves panting looking around, for a small yellow filly, with a red bow. I ran down a road, and saw Apple Bloom, and her two friends, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo talking to a dark blue, gray haired unicorn wearing a cloak…wait…

I ran over and called out to the girls, which made them look at me, as well letting the pony see me as he grinned. I went to tackle him but before I got a hold of him he teleported off and I landed on my hooves. Gone….AGAIN! now I’m seeing him throughout the day?! Who is he?!?!?!?!

I looked over to see the three fillies run over to me, and Apple Bloom was the first to speak. “Blaze, what was that all about?! He was gonna ask a question, for us to help him, then you try to tackle him!”

I heard Scootaloo start after her. “yeah, he just wanted help, then you attack him, what is WRONG with you?!”

I just rubbed my head and groaned. “you three wouldn’t understand…lets just say…he is the same pony that has been causing me troubles for a few weeks now…come on…lets get you girls back to Sweet Apple Acres…” we all started walking back, the whole time the girls were talking about some stuff that happened at school, and some stuff about their homework. That must be what they were gonna do, work on their homework together, or they have some important project. When we got to the house I went to the tree and just collapsed.

Apple bloom walked over and pulled a small box from her saddlebag setting it down. “oh that unicorn said to give ya this, that it is important ya got it…” she hurried back inside the house as I looked at the box.

I opened the box Apple Bloom set down and i saw a strongbox that seemed to be designed after death itself. i pulled it out to look at the strongbox that had pony skulls carved into the sides, and 2 scythes adorned the top of it, with a...human skull under the scythes...i saw a key in the original box, and pulled it out to see a pony skull adorn the head of the key, and the bit on the end was just a curved peice making the key look like a small scythe.

I carefully opened the strongbox and saw it was empty. As soon as I closed it the pony skull quickly changed into a flame design, and it popped out of the keyhole onto the ground, which, immediately after that the whole strongbox was covered in a black flame making me jump back. Soon the fire turned blood red and disappeared showing a basic wooden lockbox with a red fire design around the sides, and a giant shield adorned the top. The keyhole floated off and moved onto the center of the shield that was on top of the strongbox, as it made a loud click.

I just backed away from the strongbox. I ran at it and grabbed it with my wing and jumped spinning in mid air. I then threw it as hard as I could towards the Everfree. not long after, I quickly ran into the farmhouse after hearing Applejack call for lunch. I hope I never see that box again…

After lunch I was helping Big Mac and Applejack again, and I was getting the bins of apples much quicker now. I heard of how ignoring sleep for so long, that you get used to the sensation of weakness and exhaustion, for a time. I must be in that phase. I hope it doesn’t end soon.

The sun was setting by the time my energy dropped to how it was…I saw it was getting late, and decided it was time I should head to the library, and also offered to walk Sweetie and Scootaloo home. They got excited at the idea which made me and Applejack laugh a bit. I extended my wing and out and low so it was like a ramp and the fillies quickly grabbed their bags and said their farewells to Apple Bloom, climbing onto my back.

While heading into Ponyville, the two fillies were asking why I was so tired, which I told them I was having nightmares that must have been caused from that griffon scratching me when she was here, that I must have formed a fear of griffons deep in my mind, that are manifesting itself as nightmares. I heard the two start whispering as I was approaching a white house with a bright blue roof. I looked back as I set my wing like a ramp by the door, letting Scootaloo slide down my wing and I knocked on the door.

“oh my parents are out right now. Its why I was allowed to go to Apple Blooms today, so I should be getting inside.” I saw her smile, yet she looked nervous as she pulled a key from her saddlebag, and said bye to sweetie and me before she got inside and closed the door quickly. It was certainly odd…

I started to head for Rarity’s as I heard Sweetie sigh, which made me look at her. “you ok?” Sweetie quickly looked at me and smiled nodding quickly. “alright, but so you know, you and the others can tell me anything, and I wont tell anypony anything, even the others, If I need to.

She looked at me and laid along my back sighing. “Scootaloo believes I don’t know but, I know she lost her father a year ago…he was a part of the guard, and a homeless stallion in Manehattan. hit him over the head. He…didn’t make it…”

“it’ll be ok Sweetie. I’m sure everything will be just fine…” I reached Rarity’s and set my wing to let Sweetie down, and I knocked on the door, which didn’t take long for it to be answered by Rarity, and I used a terribly done noble tone. “greetings m’lady. I have brought you a special package to you, from the Apple Clan. I do hope the package wont cause TOO much trouble my dear.” Sweetie started laughing, and I smiled as I pat her head gently.

Rarity chuckled a bit. “oh my, darling, that was just atrocious. Please tell me that wasn’t you TRYING to sound like a noble.”

“as if I would really want to sound like them, unless I was mocking them. Especially if that ‘Blueballs’ is a noble…he is such a fuuuu-“I cleared my throat before correcting myself. “he is such a….jerk…that doesn’t deserve the status he has…”

I could see Rarity just stare at me with unapproving eyes. I just smiled nervously and shrugged, before waving to them both and ran off. I soon reached the library and walked inside, I saw the library area empty and I was about to call out until I heard a crunching sound. I walked to the table that had a cloth over it, and slipped my head under the cloth expecting to see spike sneaking a ruby, but nothing. I heard the crunch again and I lifted my head hitting it against the bottom of the table hard and collapsed.

I soon got up and heard the crunching a bit more frequently. Now the crunching seemed to be coming from the kitchen, so I decided to head in there. When I hit the doorway I started to speak as I rubbed my head. “Spike, you know how Twilight feels about you sneaking rubies, so just put the rubies away and ill stay si-“ I looked in and saw…a black furred griffon with dark grey feathers and wings. The griffon raised its head and looked at me with blood covering its beak…I looked at the floor and saw….Twilight…her neck had three long, deep cuts, as blood pooled under her head, I couldn’t see her body, because the griffon blocked it, but just imagining what was there made me sick. The griffon let out a loud eagle shriek which made me turn and bust through the door and out the library.

I just ran. I didn’t even dare to look back. I ran to Rarity’s place and crashed through the door and used my back legs to kick it shut and jumped into it locking it. Right after I locked it I felt a thud on it, and jumped back. Rarity…Sweetie…please be ok. I ran up the stairs, and started opening doors. I saw one doors knob was crushed and I tensed up as I walked to it. I slowly turned the crushed knob and opened it a bit to peek inside. I saw Rarity sitting in there looking out the window, and I opened the door.

“Rarity, I’m so glad to see you’re okay! The griffons…they got twilight!” I walked up to her quickly and blinked as she didn’t move. “Rarity?” I set my hoof on her back and she fell over, and I could see her neck was torn open, and some of her forelegs were gone. “no...this cant be real!” I looked out the window and I saw Applejack dropped by a griffon flying by, and Rainbow Dash fell out of a tree. I backed away from the window not wanting to see any more.

I felt something go around my neck and three sharp points was set against the left side of my neck, and I heard a familiar voice that made my blood run cold, and made my body so tense I couldn’t move. “Hello, you friend stealing freak…” I moved my eyes and looked over to see Gilda’s face smirking. This cant be real….it cant be real…

I heard glass break and I saw two bodies laying in front of me. I saw a big mass of pink, covered in glass, and a yellow body tangled in a mess of pink and blood encrusted hair…Pinkie…Fluttershy….I just closed my eyes as tightly as I could as I felt tears go down my cheeks, but I quickly looked at Gilda with rage. “what are you waiting for…? JUST END IT YOU BITCH! YOU AND YOUR FUCKING KIND TOOK AWAY ALL I CARED ABOUT SO JUST DO IT! FUCKING END IT!!!” I felt her talons leave my neck as she just laughed.

I turned around to face her, and I wanted to burn her but my wings wouldn’t listen…then I saw the strongbox on the floor next to me. I opened it to see it filled with blood and a piece of paper floated in it with ‘power’ written on it.

I looked at Gilda and lifted my right foreleg to my mouth as she stopped laughing and grinned. I just bit into my foreleg as hard as I could until I bit a good chunk of my flesh off and I felt a huge flash of power as everything went black. I looked around in the darkness confused and extended my wings, making them light on fire, and I saw the girls. But, they were…I gulped and felt my tears flow as I saw they were standing, but they were torn apart, bloody, open wounds, some were missing either one or both eyes.

I saw six lights shine down in front of them all, as Fluttershy stepped into one first. “it’s your fault…you had to come to our world…corrupt it…..corrupt us…..why didn’t you go back to your world? I wish that you NEVER came out of that forest by my cottage…” the light she was in turned red.

Rarity stepped into her beam of light next. “such a lack of taste in fashion…inconsiderate…and insulting the one that saved you…you didn’t deserve that kindness, just as how you don’t deserve our friendship…you deserve to be shunned…or even left to rot in a ditch somewhere…” Rarity’s light turned red as I started to hyperventilate.

Next was Rainbow Dash. “you were a freak before you were a pony…and you just became even MORE of a freak when you became a pegasus…I bet you caused Gilda to be so mad, so scared…I lost a good friend, because I felt pity for a freak…you don’t deserve to be here…” another light turned red, as I started to shake and look down.

I looked up after hearing hoofsteps to see Pinkie walk out to a beam of light. “why did I ever invite you to any of my parties? You didn’t deserve to have any fun, or enjoy any of my parties…you are nothing more than a meany monster pants.” A fourth light gone red…another ache….

Applejack walked into one of the last two white beams, and just pulled her Stetson hat down and looked away from me. “you should have bucked off, and never came onto Apple family land…” only one white light…I cant stand it…why am I seeing this…hearing these words…?

Twilight walked out into the last beam of light and stared at me. “you claim you wanted to protect…you claim that you care…but you don’t…you wanted to feel good….your feelings…your cares for us….they were fake…you are just selfish…self-absorbed…you just wanted to feel better, and you used us to do that…” the final light turned red, and I just fell onto my flank panting at a quick rate, each inhale burning, and each exhale feeling like I was letting out shards of glass through my throat, my chest felt like it was ripping apart, my vision was blurred from the tears, and I couldn’t even think.

One more white light appeared in front of me showing the strongbox again, which opened itself and I saw a mass of shadow come out and form a copy of me, wearing a black chest plate, black leg guards, red armored hoofshoes, and a helmet with a black spike coming out of it, like a horn. He slowly formed a corporeal frame and color started to appear on him, and his coat wasn’t black like mine was…it was white, and he had black mane and tail, with dark, blood red colored feathers.

I just inhaled sharply and collapsed placing my forelegs over my head and screamed as loud and hard as I could. Screaming….screaming……………screaming………………………….screa-

I felt a hard slap that made my head turn, and I saw the back of the libraries couch, and I started panting. I slowly looked back to see Fluttershy, with a worried face then she gasped holding her hoof. “I’m so sorry, I tried so many things, and all I had left was….I’m really sorry Blaze, please don’t hate me…” I saw how sad she looked, and I quickly rolled off the couch and hugged her, shaking, relieved it was all just a nightmare…

I felt myself choke back some sobs as I hugged her with my eyes shut tightly. “I could never be mad at you…I could never be mad at any of you girls…” I felt a hoof go around me onto my back, and then another did the same but started rubbing my back.

I felt myself calm down, and I saw my right foreleg wrapped up, which I heard her speak soon after I saw my hoof. “you need to rest, you hit your head pretty hard, and Twilight went to get a doctor for you…” I nodded and let her go laying on the couch again as Fluttershy picked up an ice pack from the floor, and set it against my head gently.

After 15 minutes, Twilight rushed in with a brown coated stallion with a doctor’s jacket on, following close behind her. I didn’t feel like talking after what happened in the nightmare came back. I felt the gauss on my foreleg come off, and the doctors voice a few times, before I heard a loud ‘clack’ at my ear making me jump.

“would you mind telling me who or what bit you Mr. Blaze?” I looked at the doctor then my hoof, to see a decent sized bite that was slightly bleeding…but, as I looked at it I felt a big surge of power.

“I…I guess….I did…..” in my peripheral, I saw the doctor look at me quickly and I could just feel twilight and Fluttershy do the same.

“WHAT?! WHY?!” I looked at the doctor slowly, then Fluttershy, as what she said in my nightmare repeated in my head, which lead to Twilight’s words playing which lead me to look at her.

I looked at my hoof turning it slowly looking at the bite mark, and I heard a raspy voice say ‘power’ like a whisper in my ear. “power….”

“power? What kind of power can you gain from biting yourself?!”

I heard the raspy voice whisper ‘blood’ to me again, which made me want to say four words, but I stopped myself and sighed. “none…I was having a terrible nightmare…that’s all…and I thought that if I could create pain, I could snap myself awake...it didn’t work…”

“mine explaining this nightmare?”

“griffons….”

“griffons? What about them?”

“they were…killing….and….eating….everypony….” I tensed up and closed my eyes tightly as I saw images of each of the girls mangled, bloody bodies flash in the darkness, which lead to tears flowing. “all of them….mangled…bloody….” I started shaking as I breathed unevenly. “Gilda…leaving me to wallow in the pain of seeing them dead…a note mentioning power, as it floated in blood…’power in the blood’…but…” I held my head in my hooves breathing hard.

I then started to explain the part about the girls, the lights, what was said, and the pain I felt through it all…

After I finished I looked over to Fluttershy and Twilight, and I saw all six of them there. It was so hard to see them like this…

Fluttershy looked so scared and shocked, as she looked away shortly after I looked over.

Rarity was sitting there with her hooves to her mouth, and a few streaks of black from her eyes.

Rainbow Dash looked shocked as she stared at me with misty eyes.

Pinkie’s mane had fallen flat, as her usually bright pink color was dark, and she looked so hurt, and scared.

Applejack had taken off her Stetson, and looked so worried.

And finally…Twilight seemed sad about how bad my nightmare was. I could just tell she was wondering if my other nightmares were this bad…

I looked at the doctor as he had finished rewrapping my hoof. “everything is just fine…after facing something as traumatic as you did, I could understand the griffon oriented nightmares…but by what your friends said in your nightmare…it seems you believe they don’t really care…or you had some doubt, even if you believed they do care…but I’m not a psychologist, I may be FAR off…all I can say is face your nightmare…accept the fact of what happened…but I do have a question you should ask yourself…is it griffons you are afraid of…? Or do you fear losing those close to you?” the doctor left the library leaving me staring at the door stunned…

I knew the answer to that question quickly…I wasn’t afraid of griffons…it was a griffon that CAUSED the thought…so my nightmares is making griffons CAUSE my fear….I’m afraid of losing my friends….losing the only ones that really made me smile, made me laugh…the only ones that I know would be there for me when I really needed them…

I carefully got off the couch, and soon after I was in a hug with the girls. It made me smile a bit as I hugged as many as I could, and I even used my wings to hug them. I won’t lose them…I know that now…but one question remained…what WAS making that crunching sound before I hit my head, and blacked out…?

Author's Note

i just had a HUGE inspiration for this chapter...you could say i "lived" this chapter!

so...i DID sleep. (thank god, or celestia, or whoever ) and lets just say i dreamt up this WHOLE story up to the end of the previous chapter, "Griffons and Rage".

and then i dreamt this whole thing up. as soon as i woke up, i grabbed my laptop, and started typing it. 13 hours....i had to REALLY focus to remember every word said, and i needed to take some aleve for a HARDCORE headache.

i hope you all loved my first completely original (or i at least hope so...) chapter. i REALLY pushed myself for this one. but i hope to hear my self inflicted stress was well worth it.

i ORIGINALLY planned a trixie chapter before bringing the blood's power into this, but then i dreamt all this, and went through...THIS!!!

LESSON PORTION BEGINS!!!

and what i said is true...dreams, you dont feel pain...but a nightmare? a nightmare isnt really you completely asleep. a nightmare is a between area of your thoughts, and your dreams. and because fears always go through your thoughts, whether you know it or not, they meld. and because your thoughts can affect your body. (EXAMPLE: thinking of a big crush, you might bllush, or your heart speeds up)
so because your thoughts are bleeding into your dreams, your dreams are bleeding into your thoughts. so the inflictions you take in a nightmare, bleeds from the dream, into the thought process of the brain, sending a signal of pain.

LESSON PORTION ENDS!

ok, lesson over...so, i am going to try and get an hour of sleep, before i go to church...i could really use some good vibes, after working on this dark and gore[ish] chapter.

oh and also...a little teaser in there. can you guess the teaser?

you get it right, i will...hmm....maybe you readers can help with a "prize" idea

ok, im going insane from exhaustion and my splitting headache...next chapter might take a while because there is one moment i really want to rethink, but it is gonna be...difficult...so...lets see if i can change that part to be entertaining...
can i change that little scene?
will i be able to focus on one idea to stick to, or will i continually change my idea?

figure out next time on DRAGON BA-

AHEM!

...wow...for the first time ever i get to say this about you...pinkie....you...are....no....fun...

*GAAAAAAAASP*

UUUUUUGGHHH!!! *grabs pinkie and hugs her not looking amused*

YAY!!!