Author's Note

I am not a psychologist, nor have I studied the subject. What you will see here is pure fiction, created solely for entertainment. None of this is real or based on informative sources, so nothing should be taken as true or valid. I do not understand how the human psyche works, and this should not be interpreted as anything objective or true; it is merely a representation meant to entertain you.

I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'm currently working on the next two!

A journey into the unconscious

I found myself walking through the cold, snowy night. The air was crisp, the kind that makes your breath linger in the air like smoke. The street was empty, save for the occasional car passing by, headlights briefly illuminating the otherwise desolate road. My footsteps crunched softly against the snow-covered sidewalk, leaving a solitary trail behind me.

It was a peaceful night, the kind I always loved. The silence felt almost comforting, like the world had slowed down just for me. I kept walking, my hands buried deep in my pockets, my breath steady and calm. This was my routine. This was home. I was heading to my little kingdom—my small, cozy apartment, my sanctuary from the world.

After a while, I arrived. Standing in front of the door, I reached into my coat pocket, feeling the familiar cold metal of my keys. As I unlocked the door and stepped inside, the warmth of my home enveloped me. I felt safe.

I thought about taking off my shoes and slipping into my slippers, but I was too comfortable to bother. Instead, I walked straight to the kitchen, the faint hum of the fridge greeting me like an old friend. I grabbed my favorite snack—a microwave pizza—and popped it in. As it began to heat up, I absentmindedly checked my phone, though the signal was weak. Probably the snow, I thought. The weather always messes with the reception. Guess I should switch providers.

With nothing else to do, I glanced out the window. The view was serene, just a blanket of white stretching as far as I could see. But then something felt… off. I couldn’t put my finger on it at first. My eyes drifted to the sky, and that’s when I realized what was wrong.

The moon… it wasn’t there. The sky was lit with a soft glow, as if bathed in moonlight, but the moon itself was missing. How is that possible? I felt a strange unease crawling up my spine. There shouldn’t be light without the moon. It didn’t make sense.

Before I could process it further, the windows shattered. Glass exploded inward, sending a freezing gust of wind through the room. The lights flickered once, twice, and then died completely, plunging me into pitch-black darkness.

I wasn’t alone.

I heard it behind me—a metallic clanging, like chains or heavy metal scraping together, followed by the deep, raspy breath of something lurking in the shadows. My heart pounded, cold sweat dripping down the back of my neck. I could hear its breathing, heavy and guttural, a noise too unnatural to belong to anything I know.

Frantically, I fumbled around the kitchen, trying to find something—anything—to defend myself. A knife, a pan, whatever I could grab. But my fingers only met something soft, something damp and squishy, like wet cotton, sticking to my hands, clinging like tar. I pulled back in disgust, my breath quickening as the dread crept deeper into my chest.

I turned, my heart hammering against my ribs, and there—there they were. Two enormous, glowing blue eyes, fixated on me. They shimmered, twitching and shaking erratically, growing larger and closer with every passing second. The air around me felt heavy, oppressive. I could hear its distorted breath, a low growl mixed with the unnerving sound of metal scraping against metal.

I tried to move, to run, but my feet were stuck—buried in that same strange, sticky mass. I couldn’t escape. The eyes were right in front of me now, mere inches from my face. I could feel their gaze, cold and unrelenting, boring into my soul.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my body trembling, but I couldn’t block out the sound—the horrible, wet slithering noise. I felt it—it—right by my ear, so close I could feel its breath. Hot, damp, and suffocating, brushing against my skin like some vile, unseen thing.

And then, I felt it… crawling.

I could feel it slipping into me, through my nose, behind my eyes. It was inside. A cold, creeping sensation as it slithered deeper, digging into my mind, coiling around my thoughts, my memories. I wanted to scream, to claw it out, but I couldn’t move, couldn’t think.

It was burrowing, deeper, and deeper. I felt it unraveling me from the inside.

Finally… I was in.

I had finally done it. This creature had the most powerful mind I’d ever encountered in all of Equestria. Not even my sister, one of the most powerful beings, owner of sun itself, had been this difficult to infiltrate.

As the Mistress of the Night, the ruler of the moon and the queen of dreams, I can enter the mind of any creature I desire while they sleep. But this thing—this thing—was nearly impossible to locate.

I never even knew of its existence until several ponies began dreaming of the same nightmare: a monstrous, blood-soaked butcher, a being capable of killing purely magical creatures with its bare hands. How had this thing escaped my dreamscape, my perfect vigilance? Even after discovering it, I couldn't find its dreams. This creature… it was so strong that I had to gather an immense amount of magic from my prison, the one my pompous and arrogant sister had placed me in. The sister who stole everything from me. This creature should have been my ally—my pawn.

At last, I located it. It was difficult, and after much effort, I was forced to infiltrate the dreams of non-pony creatures—specifically birds and timberwolves—before I found its essence, slipping into its dream. But when I arrived… there was nothing.

I entered a world unlike any I had ever seen. It was foreign, no part of Equestria resembled this place. Enormous creatures roamed here, and strange metal beasts sped by, comparable only to the ancient chariots drawn by our subjects.

As if that wasn’t strange enough, its mind was protected. The dream was not the deepest part of its consciousness but a powerful distortion of reality. Even within this dream, it managed to protect its language, its thoughts.

But the strangest thing of all? No magic. I sensed not a single shred of magic here. None. That is impossible! Even the dreams of the least magical beings, insects, and animals contain traces of magic—tiny fragments, usually drawn from the environment, but magic nonetheless. In this creature’s mind, in its world, there was nothing. I was using too much magic… far too much.

What truly frightened me, though, was the complete absence of magic in this being. Everything in Equus possesses magic! From a mere stone to a rabbit, even my wretched sister—all beings, all things, carry magic, whether it be harmonious or chaotic.

And now... now I am here, in this dark space. Alone. The air is cold, and I cannot see beyond my hooves. The silence is oppressive, and a chilling dread begins to creep over me.

“Well, well, what is this? One of those colorful horses? What are you doing here? This place… it’s meant for the events that mark us, not for something like you.”

I jolted, my heart racing. "Mark? What are you talking about? Show yourself! What are you?!" I demanded, trying to mask the fear creeping into my voice. This place felt wrong. When I enter a mind, it is my domain. I am the one in control. But now, for the first time, I had no control.

A low, mocking laugh echoed around me, disembodied, filling the air with an eerie sense of dread. "Oh? You can speak? How curious. Most of your kind just… make funny noises and neigh. But why do you look like that? Are you supposed to be a villain? The colorful horses I’ve seen are bright, but you… you’re dull and dreadful. You've got wings and a horn too—an armored warrior, perhaps?"

"You… you dare mock me?" I growled, trying to remain authoritative despite my growing panic. "I am the Mistress of the Night, the Queen of Dreams, I'M NIGHTMARE MOON! Do not belittle me as a mere warrior. I demand to know who you are and how you’ve hidden from my realm!" My voice wavered, and I realized, with mounting horror, that my mane—my ethereal, starry mane—was no longer moving. My power was… diminished.

Laughter again, louder this time, more menacing. It came from everywhere and nowhere at once, accompanied by whispers, murmurs, and the soft wail of unseen voices.

“I am everything and nothing. Some call me the unconscious, others… the soul. But even I do not fully know what I am. I know only this—I am the core. I am his love and his hate, his hope and his despair. I am his most primal instinct.”

“What are you talking about?” I stammered, fear now gnawing at my composure. Before me, a black silhouette began to materialize, shifting and writhing, with white streaks erratically coursing through its form. I tried to flee, to escape this nightmare, but my magic was unresponsive. I was trapped.

“Do I need to make sense? To him, you certainly don’t. A talking horse with a horn and wings? You must be a joke. I already told you—I am all of his memories, emotions, instincts, and thoughts, locked away in the deepest recesses of his being. He doesn’t know I exist, and he doesn’t remember, but I’m always there, moving the machinery of his mind without him knowing. He thinks he’s in control, but he isn’t. I am, because he constantly tries to forget me, to hide me. But now… now he’s too stressed, too lost, too desperate to fight me.”

“Forget? Control? What are you talking about? I’m supposed to be inside this being’s true mind, beyond his dreams. Do you… control him?” My voice was barely above a whisper now. I couldn’t understand. Was this creature some sort of mind-controlling parasite?

The being laughed again, more cruelly this time. "Yes, and no. After all, I am him. I’m part of him. I take control when he enters a blind rage, when he’s consumed by passion, joy, despair… I hold all his greatest traumas and secrets, and I release them when I see fit. I am his true self.”

I was lost, utterly bewildered. I had never encountered a mind like this, let alone one that could block my magic.

“And you… you’ve intruded on something very intimate. His dreams—those are our little conversations, he and I. That’s why he always forgets them. You should’ve asked to join, but here you are, meddling in a place you don’t even understand.”

That thing... it was getting closer. Panic surged through me. I summoned all my remaining magic, focusing it into my horn, when I felt it—cold, skeletal things grasping it.

And in that moment, I knew I was powerless.

A sudden chill pierced the void as I felt that thing grip around my horn, cold and devoid of magic, as if this strange presence were siphoning my very essence. The realization struck me: this creature, this unfathomable thing before me, was no mere figment. It was a monster inside another unknown being.

“What do you intend to do with that horn of yours? Planning to flee? After all the trouble you took to invade the depths of a person’s mind?” Its voice dripped with a mocking cadence, a blend of elegance and cruelty that made my heart race with trepidation.

“Who are you?” I demanded, my voice trembling despite my attempts to assert dominance. “How can you exist in a world where everything pulses with magic? Your very presence... it defies logic!” I was terrified, my heart pounding like a war drum, echoing the confusion swirling within me. Everything I knew about magic was being dismantled before my very eyes.

“Magic? So everything runs on magic in this colorful world?” The being's laughter echoed through the darkness, its tone derisive and mocking. “How sad that you share such essential knowledge with me instead of the conscious part of him.”

“What do you mean, the conscious part? I thought you were... the one who controls everything.”

“Nobody understands where we come from… Not even the greatest scientists can explain what I am, how I function. But every human has their own true self, lurking in the shadows of their being. I am who retain the essence of what constitutes individuality, I cannot share or convey information to my host, to myself. I am but the flame that fuels his existence.”

Confusion washed over me, drowning my sense of control. I had entered this realm expecting dominance, but here I was, grappling with a paradoxical entity. It spoke as if we shared a kinship, yet I felt utterly alone, isolated in this abyss of consciousness.

“You don’t seem frightened or surprised by my presence. How is it that… whatever you are, is so calm?” I pressed, searching for clarity amidst the chaos.

“Understand, you are the sole conscious participant in this dialogue. Even as we converse, I shall remain a whisper in the winds of his mind. He won’t remember this exchange. However, I can influence him subtly, with something known as intuition.”

“Intuition?” My mind reeled. How could this enigma twist the strings of consciousness, yet remain so detached? “If you claim to be neither rational nor conscious, then how can you be so composed and civilized? Shouldn’t you be a wild beast, driven solely by instincts?”

“That’s easy for you to say. I am not an animal like you. I do not dwell in primitive instincts. I think, I am self-aware, and therein lies my imprisonment. I embody all that they strive to conceal and control. The wise and intelligent dominate me, utilizing my essence, while those unafraid of their impulses allow me the freedom to exist.”

A shiver crawled down my spine at the implications of its words. It was as if I were staring into a mirror reflecting a twisted version of myself—a creature not of darkness but of raw, unadulterated truth. “Is there a way for you to be my… ally? Is there a means to liberate you from this confinement?”

“Ah, your ignorance is delightful, isn’t it?” It laughed, a sound both enchanting and foreboding. “I cannot exist without him, nor can he exist without me. You wish to be my ally? Do not invade my dreams, do not step into my prison. Instead, converse with my warden, with his conscious self. Win his trust, his affection, and believe me, you will have my support. But should you fail, who knows what we could unleash upon you? I am quite the vengeful concept, and so is he.”

“Can you guide me out of this… prison?” I pressed, my curiosity blending with desperation.

“Ah, that’s simple enough. But I’ve never had company in this space, so I can only speculate on the outcomes. It would be dreadful if he awoke and you still here with me.”

“How do you intend to facilitate this?” My pulse quickened as dread seeped into my mind.

“Have you ever felt what it’s like to plummet from the sky?”

I recoiled at the thought, my heart racing. It was then I realized the depths of this creature’s power. It was neither ally nor enemy, but a facet of a greater whole—one that could plunge me into oblivion or grant me insights beyond comprehension. “What do you mean? Are you suggesting that I simply let go?”

“Let go, indeed.” The being’s voice dripped with cryptic wisdom. “To fall is to embrace the unknown, to surrender to the chaos within.”

What had I stumbled into? This wasn’t merely a confrontation with an aspect of a mind; it was an exploration of fear, of surrender. My thoughts spiraled, teetering on the edge of understanding and madness. Would I dare let go, to fall into the depths of this mind, entwining my fate with this elusive entity?

Yet, even as I pondered, the cold void pressed against me, reminding me of my weakness in this domain. My wings felt heavy, my heart ached with uncertainty, and I could feel the darkness encroaching closer. I was the queen of nightmares, yet here I stood, vulnerable in a realm where my magic faltered, lost in a tapestry woven with threads of fear and confusion.

Would I find the strength to embrace this chaos, to delve deeper into the darkness that surrounded me, or would I succumb to the very fears I sought to conquer?

“Are you prepared to fall?” the being asked, its voice echoing like a whisper through the void.

“Yes,” I replied, my voice a mere tremor in the vastness.

I jolted awake, my heart racing like a wild stallion galloping through an endless field. “Damn it,” I muttered, rubbing my eyes and trying to shake off the remnants of a nightmare that clung to me like a damp fog. I couldn’t recall much, only the suffocating darkness and a presence—a swirling mass that felt both familiar and utterly alien. It loomed over me, whispering something indescribable, a language woven from shadows that danced just beyond the edge of comprehension. Then came the fall, a sickening sensation of weightlessness before everything faded into black.

Slowly, I pushed myself up, the cool air biting at my skin. Night enveloped the world outside my cave, the vast expanse of the sky stretched out like a velvet blanket dotted with stars. With a shiver, I stepped out, my body still tense, a lingering anxiety woven into my very being. I needed to clear my head, to distract myself from the unease that simmered beneath the surface.

As I emerged, the night was still and calm, the kind of peace that invites reflection but, as I soon learned, only serves to mask the horrors lurking just beneath the surface. I gazed up at the sky, and my heart plummeted.

The moon—oh, the moon—was no longer a distant orb casting a gentle glow over the land. The image of the horse-shaped figure that had always been a part of its surface in this weird place, a unicorn lying sideways, was gone. In its place loomed a colossal equine visage, its eyes wide and watchful, staring directly at me with an intensity that sent a chill racing down my spine.

Those craters, once merely shadows on the moon’s surface, now shifted and writhed, contorting into a semblance of a face—an enormous equine form observing me with an unyielding gaze. My breath caught in my throat. Was this creature some kind of deity or demon in this forsaken land? A palpable sense of dread washed over me. Why was it watching me?

“Can you hear me?” My voice trembled as I called into the night, weak and uncertain. I felt ridiculous, but the unease had woven itself so deeply into my being that speaking felt like a desperate act, a feeble attempt to reclaim some semblance of control. Silence enveloped me, thick and suffocating, pressing against my chest.

Then, as if my question bored the celestial being, the visage shifted back to its original position, the side of the moon, as if to say I was unworthy of its attention. Its eye, once bright and piercing, now obscured by the shadow of a crater, turned away—abandoning me to the stillness of the night.

An unsettling chill settled in the pit of my stomach. What am I doing here? The thought gnawed at me. I felt small and vulnerable, exposed under the weight of the moon's gaze, which had morphed from a mere silhouette to an embodiment of my fears.

What was wrong with me? The world around me felt distorted, as if reality itself was peeling away, revealing the raw, chaotic essence beneath. Anxiety clawed at me, making it difficult to breathe, and I instinctively took a step back, my heart pounding violently in my chest.

I gasped, the sound barely escaping my lips as the darkness around me thickened. I could almost hear the whispers of my fears, echoing through the stillness, a chorus of my regrets and insecurities. The realization that I was utterly alone in this wretched world crashed over me like a wave.

My mind raced, spiraling into a frenzy of panic. I’m not safe here. I turned to flee, to escape the gaze of the moon and the encroaching darkness, but the shadows seemed to congeal around me, gripping my ankles like icy hands, pulling me back into their depths.

And just like that, I was swallowed by the night, collapsing to the ground in a fit of terror. Why? Why was this happening? My thoughts tumbled in disarray as I succumbed to the paralysis of fear, my body frozen in place.

As I lay there, the last shred of dignity stripped away, I felt a warm trickle against my leg, a humiliating reminder of my weakness in the face of such overwhelming terror.

I was a prisoner in a nightmare, stripped of power, dignity, and hope, with the moon’s gaze forever etched into my mind, a haunting reminder of the horrors that lurked just beneath the surface of this colorful, yet nightmarish world.