Extinguished Equinox

A/N: This story is my first attempt at writing in a while, but I’m doing it to satisfy my followers. Enjoy!

My vision was still hazy as I carelessly stumbled through the fog, looking for somewhere to regain my strength. I eventually found what I was looking for, a desolate grove. I threw myself across a tree, relaxing my overstressed muscles. My dirty coat, which used to be a washed-out gray, was now stained with spots of dry blood and debris from my escape. I ran my eyes over myself, looking over my hooves and limbs to see if I was injured more than I thought. My eyes lingered over my stomach, where a gaping cavity was located. My ribs were visible, along with blood caked muscle and sinew. The muscles were torn around my stomach, the skin hanging into the cavity that was now in it’s place. I ripped my eyes away from the gory scene and tucked my stickly green wings to my side, burying them in my fur to partially conceal their glowing color. I shook my chocolate brown mane, then curled up in a concave trunk of a tree, slowly drifting off to sleep.

The memories hit me like a rock to the jaw. The nightmares began all over again, trapping me inside a world of ghastly memories.

“No! Don’t! I didn’t mea-” my speech was interrupted as pain ripped through my stomach, the epicenter at my stomach. My vision was blurred red, obscuring everything in my field of view. The earth pony stabbing me was a blood red, with her mane a tinge darker than scarlet. Her mouth and eyes looked like abysses, pure black. Her mouth had blood red strings across it, like somepony had half-sewn her mouth shut. She looked like....Pinkie Pie but more...insane. The sadist called out to a void of black behind her;

“Dull! Bring more! He needs more!” She said, giggling.

‘She’s a complete sadist’ I thought through the spasms of pain, my body involuntarily convulsing. A yellow pegasus trotted up with glowing hot knives in her mouth. Her eyes were completely black with red irises, and her tail was a rust-brown and orange. A blood caked mouth, insane grin, and stitches along her wings completed this package of insanity. Her wings seemed...prosthetic, and she had rockets behind them. She handed the knives to the blood red Pinkie Pie, who proceeded to drive them into my legs, shooting pain up through my body. My muscles gave in to the hot blade, the knife slicing through it like butter and striking my bone. The blood started overflowing, pouring over the wound and dripping onto the board which I was strapped to. The air was heavy with the smell of iron from the blood which poured from my wounds as I screamed my lungs out, knowing nopony could hear me

“Keep him alive, Dimmed! We’re not done yet!” The pegasus named Dull said, calling back to a pony sitting in the corner. She had the same deep black eyes as the Pinkie-esque one, but had a light purple coat, and a dark purple mane. Her horn glowed while she kept me alive with a spell, prolonging my pain that I so dearly wanted to end. My vision went completely black and-

“Holy-!” I lurched forward, unaware that I had fallen asleep. Birds called in the trees around me, bringing the eerie silence to an end.

    “That felt so real....” My hoof subconsciously ran over my flank, gliding along the scar where my cutie mark used to be. I had been a captive of those...monsters...for weeks. They tortured and carved me up, leaving me a gory mess. They starved me until I was begging for food, and they wouldn’t give me the meat I wanted. My cannibalistic tendencies started to wear off, until they had me hunt with them. Instead of backstabbing them, I tore apart unknowing ponies. I ripped them apart, spilling their intestines, and ripping out their hearts. Though I was kept alive only by a spell, which in itself was a time bomb. It would eventually wear out, and I would die for good. I had to find a way to get Dimmed to turn me back to normal.

    There was a snap of a branch behind me. I jumped and spun towards the noise, poised for a fight. I saw nothing, so I tensed.

    “I’m not looking for a fight, I’m just lost” A voice called, and the pony to whom the voice belonged stumbled into the clearing. He was a white unicorn with a what used to be blonde mane. He was cut and bruised all over, and had a swollen eyes. His black vest was torn all over. He smelled of fear and sweat. I evaluated him to be no threat, so I released the tension and cocked my head.

“Who’re you?” I asked cautiously. I wasn’t too trusting, now that I’d been put through hell.

“Rampage. That’s all you need to know” He stated, complete with an arrogant smile.

‘He reeks....’ I thought, realizing I probably didn’t smell freshly washed either. I pondered his response, trying to come up a proper response. ‘Do I tell him my new name, or my old one?’ I gathered my thoughts and spoke slowly;

    “Call me Equinox. I have no other name, only Equinox. What brings you here, Rampage?” The unicorn across from me was brushing himself off, all the while casually looking at me with half amusement, half curiosity.

“I’m lost, like I said”

‘He’s lying’ . I knew he was. There’s no way anypony could’ve ended up here...wherever “here” was....by being lost. I decided to let the lie pass, knowing there was nothing I could do to force him to tell me. Though, my appetite was starting to work itself up again.... “No! This might be the last sane pony I see for a long time! I can’t eat him!” I forced my stomach to calm down and looked down in self-pity. Why couldn’t I keep myself together?

“I need a favor”. I looked up to find a gemstone blade at my throat, cold and sharp. “I need your help killing somepony. Accept and help, or reject...and I’ll slit your throat right here and watch you bleed out”

“Looks like I have no choice....”