It appeared as soon as I entered my room; standing motionless in the corner.
A black mass.
That’s all it is. Its presence brings me so much dread. To see it is to stare into the eyes of a demon. I ran from it without a second thought. I know what it is. I know what it lusts for. It’s a beast of nightmares. It’s evil incarnate.
Try as I may though, outpacing it is not possible. Its voice echoes like it was right next to me.
I see you…
Its voice sent a chill running down my spine. It is icy and feminine, yet exudes arrogance. A short time later, I feel something strike me—hard. I fly through the air and careen through a wall. The world around me shifts in every direction, extending and compressing. Orbs of all colors float past me. Reality ripples like a pebble falling into still water.
Then, a bright light envelops my figure.
I awake not with a start, but slowly. My heart is unusually calm; its beat no different than when I shower. My eyes sluggishly crack open not too long after.
The world around me is fuzzy. There are shadows everywhere. Color feels distorted. Splotches of black are all over the place.
It all feels dreamlike.
I must be getting sick. I better tell Celestia.I try to sit up, only to feel an unbearable pressure on my body. It’s like somepony slammed the weight of a mountain onto me. Oh dear… did I levitate something onto myself? I try to levitate whatever is on me off, but… my magic won’t work. Yet I don’t feel a magic suppressor on it.
In fact, I don’t feel much of anything. I feel like I’m still asleep.
Perhaps the guards can help. I attempt to open my mouth, only for it to feel like it’s glued shut. The bottom muscles merely shift like I’m half chittering from being cold.
An unbearable amount of terror fills me. Its weight is crushing. In spite of this, my heart remains at a steady pace and my breathing. Try as I may, I can do nothing more than move my eyes, which dart back and forth. To my horror, the splotches follow. The color doesn’t change; the fuzziness remains. Eventually, my eyes settle on a pair of curtains. The sun is locked away by those very ones, which Celestia made for us many moons ago as a gift.
Though something feels wrong...
I don’t remember them being that dark.
As I stare at the curtains, one of the splotches detaches itself and floats away like a leaf in the autumn breeze. Another soon follows with equal grace. Then a third, a fourth not too long after. Finally, the fifth removes itself and follows the other four.
The five splotches seep into the curtains, darkening it and blocking all the light. As quickly as it does so, the darkness drips down onto the floor. It’s there where the dark mass forms. It rises up and stares at me. It… looks like a pony.
But it has no face.
Its hooves are globs of black smoke.
It has no mane.
Yet it’s still recognizable. It’s just like I saw it in my dream.
The thing remains still for a few seconds, looking around at its surroundings, only to then make its way over to me. It stops just short of clawing its way onto the bed. I try my best to scream, but manage to do little more than feed into this thing’s insatiable thirst for my terror.
The beating of your heart is so rhythmic.
Its voice echoes in my head, mocking my terror. Which in return fuels it more.
The thing climbs onto my bed and straggles over to me. Its mere presence causes the air to become significantly heavier and warmer. It hurts to breathe and I feel tears well up in my eyes. This thing… it’s a walking nightmare.
Miss me? The thing caresses my mane. Its touch is tender and motherly. It reminds me of when Celestia or mother would calm me down as a filly after I had a bad dream. Though its hoof feels wrong. It feels skeletal in spite of its globular appearance.
I blink, and a chuckle echoes in my head. What’s so funny? I wonder.
Everything about you, my dear.
I feel a rush of fear fill me. You can… hear my thoughts?
The thing nods. If you’d like though... A jagged gash which stretched from ear to ear formed onto its face. Slowly it split open as tendrils of the darkness still stuck to each side, forming a horrific, dripping maw. “I can speak to you.”
My eyes widen in horror as one of the tendrils detaches itself from the creatures face. It gracefully floats towards my right eye, all the while the thing smiles its unholy smile.
Dearest Luna. I’ve waited so long to feel you again...
The edge of the tendril looks like a sewing needle. I try to shake, but still I feel like I’ve stared at a basilisk. As the tendril draws ever closer, I scream furiously in my mind in the hope that something will come out of my mouth, but nothing does. A mere silent, unheard voice in my head cries out in vain.
The tendril passes through the top of my eye. I can feel it all; the agony of the thing piercing my flesh. It skillfully avoids striking my eyeball. It eventually stops and I feel a surge of pain shoot through my body as the tendril skewers my mind.
Then, the world around me becomes clearer. A massive weight is taken off of me. I also feel... in control.
I jolt upright, gasping for air. A searing pain courses through my head. My eyes dart around. The world feels so unfamiliar and surreal, yet all so familiar. I can’t help but wonder if I’ve I fallen back to sleep.
The pain in my head quickly fades away, after which I cautiously get off of my bed and look around, panic filling me. Nothing looks out of place. It’s like I left it when I fell asleep. A few books and papers lie scattered on the floor. My favorite teddy bear, Mister Snuggles, sits propped up on a chair...
Yet something feels wrong.
Everything is quiet. Too quiet. I can’t hear any chatter outside my doors or in the streets below. I don’t hear the guards outside my room discussing whether or not to come check up on me. The city crazies aren’t out, proclaiming about some nonsense. There’s no animal sounds. No chirping of birds or barking of dogs.
I shake my head. Maybe the guards are just switching their posts and the new ones haven’t arrived yet. I sigh and stared at the curtains. There’s nothing abnormal on or around them. Everything looks to be just as it was when I fell asleep. Walking over to it, I don’t feel the presence of anything evil, like I’ve read in tales of old about poltergeists.
Everything is… well.
Yet it only worsens my fear. Something doesn’t feel right.
I step away from the curtains and take a deep breath. I must be going mad or have fallen back to sleep. Or I’m being driven by my paranoia now. Anxiety? I cannot tell anymore. The world around me feels like the mind of a tormented foal when they have their first night terror. Confusion and distortion reign supreme. I fall to my haunches and shut my eyes. The deafening silences ring in my ears.
I can’t take this anymore.
I bolt over to the door, only for the world to feel different. The air becomes heavier and reeks of sulfur. I hold my breath and continue on. As I reach the door, a crippling pain surges through me. It feels like somepony sent a blade through my stomach. I fall to the floor and let out a cry of agony.
Shh.
The blood freezes in my veins. That cold voice echoes in my head. I crawl towards the door and reach for the handle, only to have my hoof forced down by a shapeless glob of darkness. I feel the caress of the darkest depths of Tartarus on my mane. A tendril looms before my eyes for a few seconds before latching itself onto me.
Your worst nightmare has returned...
