My Terrible Nightmare

”GALA TIME WHOO HOO!!”

Pinkie Pie called out, jumping around after the doors flew open. For some reason seeing all the ponies and crowed areas made me shrink back behind Ace. He turned his head me.

”You okay ZJ?”

I looked at him then darted my gaze back at the crowd.

”Uhm looks a bit overwhelming.”

I shook my head a bit violently for a second to try to get her nerves away, but it didn’t work.

Ace looked around the room and saw a table with no one there. He tapped my shoulder and nodded to the table, me closely following behind. I quickly scooted myself on one of the chairs facing towards the rest of the room.

My hair was styled from how I usually have it so I didn’t have any coverage for my anxiety to hide my face.

”Hey ZJ, I’m gonna go talk to somepony over there if you need anything.”

I nodded and smiled a little, then dropped it as he turned around and walked away. I put my hoof under my chin and rested my head on it, looking around the room. There was a lot of colorful ponies here. I see Twilight talking to some ponies, one blue colored, and one white with pink hair, and a yellow pony with blue hair.
Suppose they’re friends.

My eyes darted around, looking at them all and hearing all the talking and chill cello music in the background. I have seemed to zone out almost not feeling something tap my shoulder. I look over to my left where I felt it and no one is next to me. Confused, I smelled something sweet and turned back towards the table seeing a pink cupcake in front of me.

Did someone give this to me?

I looked at the cupcake, then felt another tap on my other shoulder and shot my gaze towards my right, seeing no one. I moved my eyes, then my head towards the table, seeing a chocolate cupcake next to the pink one. I placed my hooves a bit forcefully on the table looking at both of them. I though about looking back instantly when I felt another tap.

A few seconds pass and I felt a tap on my back. I turned them quickly looked back, seeing a white blue fly upwards and leaving a blue cupcake next to the other 3. I stared at the cupcake, then slowly looked up.

”Ahhhh! Ya cought me!!

Said the white pegasus. As they flew down, I see that their fur was not white, but a really light blue hue to it.

”You looked lonely over here so I thought of giving you some cupcakes to cheer you up! I was try’na be funny with making the cupcakes appear in front of you! Was it funny? I hope it was!”

I was surprised about their enthusiasm, kind of like Pinkie’s but maybe a bit less.

”So what are you doing here by yourself? You look so dressed up but you aren’t mingling! Oh! I could help with that, if you don’t mind. I know it takes me a while to do it myself but I slightly get the handle of talking to ponies. But anyways let’s start over. Hi! The names Cherry Shine! What’s yours?”

They held out their hoof, and I slowly lifted mine up and placed it on theirs.

”ZJ.”

”Ooooh! That’s a cool name! What does it stand for?”

I looked around a bit nervously and shrugged. Cherry seemed to make a softer face.

”Sorry if I surprised you! Like I said you just looked lonley over here. I’d like to be friends if you don’t mind. Anyways, imma go back to handing out cupcakes to every pony! See ya around friendo!”

Cherry said, flapping their wings and waving, flying over to the sweets table.

Would be nice to have another friend.

,’Indeed.’,

I jumped a bit. The voice to familiar to be a friendly one.

”What… what are you doing here. Don’t you only come out when I’m dreaming? Or catching an innocent pony?!”

I shielded myself behind the table, putting a hoof in front of my face for extra coverage.

,’Yesss, but I finally have enough power to talk to you from your mind. Hope you don’t, mind, it.’,

Cyrobe chuckled. I shook my head and tapped it a bit hard.

”Get out! I don’t want any attention drawn to me!”

I grit my teeth and then flinched as I heard Twilight call out my name.

”ZJ? Are you alright?”

I turn around and smile, trying to play off what just happened. I felt a headache wipe across my brain, and I saw a slight purple hue glaze over my eyes, and I think Twilight saw as she cocked her head a bit. I shut my eyes and rub my head.

”Im fine I’m just uh, tired! Hah, yeah! Would you like a cupcake?”

I shoved the cupcakes closer to her still trying to smile. She smiled a bit and took the chocolate one.

”Well if your doing alright, Pinkie Pie set up a piñata in that corner over if you wanna join her and the others! I see that Ace is there. Why don’t you go join him?”

I look around and nod, hoping this will calm the damn curse in me.

”Hopefully ZJ is alright. Hopefully that purple in their eyes didn’t seem.. eh, right.”

I think I heard Twilight say something, but I just trudged on towards Ace, Cherry, Marble as well which Ace probably found when he walked away from the table I was at, and the others. I kept seeing purple start glazing over my eyes and I shook my head, tapping a bit forcefully, glancing over at some ponies that were looking at me and I just stood up straight and smiled, picking up the pace. I kept glancing over at other ponies hopefully they won’t see me how I’m acting and of course I bump into Pinkie.

”Oh! ZJ! Your just in time to hit the piñata! Rainbow Dash is going right now but you can go after her! Uhm.. you feeling okay?”

I was a bit dazed but blinked a few times looking up at her.

”Huh what? Oh uhm, yeah I’m fine.”

”Good! Because it’s your turn now!”

She got the stick back and tossed it in my arms and shoved me to the piñata.

”Have at it!”

She smiled and hopped backwards out of the way. Everyone’s eyes were placed on me, even some more ponies walking up and seeing it. Pinkie smiled and move her hoof to the piñata. It’s been a while since I’ve hit one before. I stood on my back legs and held the stick. I started to swing my arms behind me, feeling a small headache, and shook it off, rearing up again and smacked the piñata. A hole appeared and one piece came out.

”Come on ZJ! Hit it hard than that!”

Shadow Ace cheered. I reared up again and I saw some purple cover my eyes and I shut them tight, swinging it a bit harder than last, 3 more pieces coming out of the hole, and the hole opening a bit more. I hunched over slightly opening my eyes the purple filing my vision again, and a deep laughter started to fill my ears. I feel my breath quicken, the corner of my eyes tingle as purple slowly leaks out. I look up at the piñata, and it slowly turns into Cyrobe laughing. I clench my eyes and grit my teeth.

”GAAAHHH!! GET AWAY FROM ME!!”

I reared up, still having purple in and pouring down my eyes, and swing at Cyrobe, the piñata getting ripped of the string and flew all the way to the wall, cracking and opening up, the children all running over there blinded by getting candy.

I threw the stick down and landed on all fours, taking one up and covering my forehead. I feel a hoof on my shoulder and tiredly look up, the laughter quietly dying down to hear Ace’s voice.

”Oh my gosh, ZJ! Are.. are you alright?!”

I shake my head trying to get the headache out of my head then look back up at Ace and my eyes widen. I see Cyrobe appear behind Ace, his mouth started to open up. I started to breathe heavily.

”I.. I NEED A BREAK!”

I pulled away from Ace and ran towards the nearest exit, where Twilight and Pinkie were, Ace trying to follow suit, but Twilight put a hoof out.

”I know you’re friends with them, but give ZJ a bit to relax by themselves.”

”Don’t want their mind going all loopy goopy on ya!”

Pinkie added grinning, but then making it smaller realizing that the moment wasn’t really cheerful. Ace looked back to where I ran off, the door closing shut.

I found myself collapsed at the gardens fountain, thankfully far away from the gala and secluded area with tall hedges surrounding it. I had my hooves on the top of my head breathing hard, tears starting to fall down my cheeks, hearing Cyrobe whisper about talking lives and taking over Equestria.

”Stop stop stop STOP STOP!!! I don’t want to hear this anymore!”

I shook my head and slammed the side of the fountain. I looked back at my reflection in the water and saw myself looking miserable. Cyrobe chuckled and disappeared, finally getting quiet. I then placed my arms up and put my head on them, looking at the water still.

”Well well, didn’t know the weird power came from.. a pony.”

My head shot up, thinking it was Cyrobe, but this voice didn’t seem echoey and deep. I turned around, trying to see if anyone was around, which there wasn’t, and turned back around looking in the water, but then seeing a crown on my head. My eyes widened slightly. Eyes popped out of the front and I jumped and tossed it in the water, but then, he appeared. He rises out of the water and glares at me.

”Throwing a delicate crown that might be valuable to gain tons of bits from? Impossible!”

He spun his entire body like a wet towel around making water leak out, then spinning back to his normal self. He then cocked his head, probably looking at my cutie mark and smiled.

”Oooh I called it! I knew I felt Cyrobe’s deranged power come out once again, hahah! The names Discord, Lord of Chaos, but guess things have changed.”

He snapped his fingers and I suddenly felt dizzy, slowly rising up, my chest feeling pressure on it and a black mist came out, my ass stinging as the cutie mark peeled off and slapped right on the side of Cyrobe, the cutie mark getting covered up with his black mist. I then get tossed back, getting thrown on the ground about 2 feet.

”What are you doing in this pony here? Wouldn’t you have tried, I don’t know.. probably getting one of the princesses?”

”To be honest Lord of Chaos, I was minding my own business ruling over a big kingdom when I was summoned by a pegasus into this, barely called a unicorn, pony.”

They both looked at me as I scrunched away from them, then looked back at one another.

”Oh trust me Cyrobe you’d be better in that world than staying in this colorful pony realm. I’ll deal with this little one here.”

He snapped his fingers as a portal opened up and Cyrobe slithered in the portal, it disappearing. He turned around and saw me creeping away almost out of site from a hedge. His body flashed as he appeared with cowboy attire and spun a lasso around and tossed it my way, it wrapping tightly around my waist as I get dragged back to his spot and he glared down at me.

”How did a pony like you with barely any power get a being like him into you? Kind of absurd, really. Speaking of which I feel you don’t have much power from your energy at all really.”

He pulled a magnifier from behind his back and looked me over with it.

”In fact I’ve never seen you around here before? Where are you from? Oh wait! Don’t tell me! Are you from Mainehattan? Cloudsdale? Phillydelphia?”

As he said those places, a few suitcases appeared next to me and 2 hats appeared on my head as well as a trench coat appeared on my body, and flags from each place were placed in my hoof.

”I uhm, I don’t remember. I kind of, guess literally fell out of the sky?”

I shrugged a bit as the 2 hats fell into my face covering one of my eyes.

”Ha just like my cousin 4th time removed and then added with some slinkies!”

3 more of him appeared and all their bodies were slinkies. They then bounced away. I put down the flags and shook of the hats, then taking off the trench coat.

”So did you come here to just get rid of Cyrobe or was there anything else you wanted to do.”

After I looked away from the junk around me I looked up at him but then turned my head around trying to find where he went. Apparently he was in my hoodie and wrapped around me, then looked at me, waiting for an answer.

”Uhm, we’ll my friend accidentally painted the cutie mark on me since I don’t have one.”

”Wow! A grown pony with no cutie mark? That’s a shocker! I would gladly give you one but it would keep disappearing so, yeah.”

He opened up a jacket that appeared on him and I saw many cutie marks, 2 being both Celestia’s and Luna’s mark, but then he closed his jacket up and made the jacket disappear, slithering off me and standing up. He dusted off himself as I walked over to the fountain and sat down, sighing out, facing down.