Conditioned Fear

Chapters

Ch.1 Void Gazing
Ch.2 Divinum Interventu
Ch.3 Abandonment
Ch.4 Dreambound
Ch. 5 Speak
Ch. 6 Memoir

Ch.1 Void Gazing

Conditioned Fear
By: Outsider
Ch.1 Void Gazing

I grudgingly opened my eyes thinking about how much I wished I could stay in bed this morning. Then a strange feeling came over me as I noticed that I was laying on a soft piece of moss, a warm beam of sunlight barely piercing the canopy overhead.

“I don’t even want to know what I was doing last night” I mumbled to nobody in particular as I attempted to stand up. After many tries I finally stood up however, I quickly lost my balance and fell as my hands caught my fall. As odd as it sounds it was a surprisingly... natural feeling being on all four limbs as I attempted walking this way. After what felt like five minutes (more than likely the better part of the day) I was finally able to walk about on all fours without any major problems.

As I continued to walk I eventually came upon a small clearing which seemed to me like an oasis in this jungle hell. By this time the sun was retreating behind the distant mountains as the moon began its charge through the sky. I guess this as good a time as any to talk about myself, I’m probably what you would refer to as “that weird guy” since I’m rather socially... awkward. (I believe that would be the most accurate term) Typically the full extent of my interactions with others was either strictly business, or if I happened to be in the right mood (which is to say the vast majority of the time) go out of my way to scare the living daylights out of those around me. “Hehe” I chuckled to myself recalling the time I dressed up as one of the monsters from the game “Amnesia” and barged in on my roommate while he was playing it in the middle of the nigh- *SNAP* The sound of a twig snapping followed by a few, however faint terrified gasps interrupted my train of thought.

I looked immediately to the tree line where the sound originated and I noted what seemed like three distinct figures attempting to hide in the dense brush. “Hello?” I said in what I thought was a friendly tone (in retrospect it probably sounded odd and distorted, you know how the first words you say after a long time always sound a bit... off) to be responded by what sounded like three or four young girls screaming in terror, followed by the sounds of running away.

‘Oh well’ I thought realizing how high the moon was in the sky by this point; I reasoned that it would be fine time to get some rest. I stepped back out of the clearing and back into the dense forest to lie down on some moss. ‘It was nice the first time, so why not try it again’ I thought as I lay down onto the cool, soft ground as I found myself quickly drifting off to sleep.

‘That was a strange dream’ I thought to myself as my wrested itself from the calming grip of slumber, “I thought I was in a... aw crap” I mumbled to myself as I grudgingly opened my eyes only to find myself in the forest of yesterday. I stood (still on all four limbs) taking in my surroundings once again. The innumerable trees reached out to the sky blotting out all but the strongest rays of sunlight, the mosses below were thick and soft thriving in this low-light environment, a thin stream seemed to slice through the land, a handful of smooth, mossy stones bordering it.

I continued my aimless wandering through the dense forest when, as luck would have it I stumbled upon a trail, innumerable tracks strewn throughout it, a message of its common use. I followed the trail for a time pondering what I’m going to do once I reach civilization ‘get something to eat’ was fairly high on that list by this point (after a day and half of wandering about you tend to get rather famished)

By the time I reached the edge of the forest it was already dusk, the birds had stopped chirping, the background noise of animals and wind through the tree's now drowned out by an orchestra of crickets; it all seemed very peaceful and calm. As I continued a strange feeling came over me, maybe it was the tranquil silence of the area, or the cool night air but I began to sing.
“Last night as I slumbered I had a strange dream,
One that seemed to bring distant friends near,
I dreamt of the faces of people I loved,
And I awoke with a heart full of cheer
And I awoke with a heart full of cheer”
The final word echoed through the foreboding silent fields.

As I continued walking well into the night I happened on a small pond, the surface of the water glistened and seemed to dance in the pale moonlight as it seemed to call to my thirst. I neared the pond intending to get a drink however; I was petrified with fear as I gazed into the water.

I looked at a ghastly creature its gray skin (or possibly hair?) seemed to cry out death, it stood on all four limbs its legs ending in lethal looking bony spikes, the mouth of this odd creature seemed unnaturally large and lined with razor sharp, serrated teeth that resembled daggers stabbed through its jaw rather than actual teeth. A lone horn protruded from its skull, an odd symbol carved into it, the horn itself seemed rather mundane beyond the symbol which looked oddly familiar and yet completely foreign. Its eyes, oh god ITS EYES, they were pure black like infinite soulless voids gazing into nothingness.

In a pinch of courage (more like absolute terror) I jumped back freeing myself from the gaze of the creature. Oddly the monstrosity before me jumped back as well and it occurred to me that I was gazing into the reflective surface of the water; and that I was the beast.

“How did I not notice this earlier?” I asked myself as I gazed quizzically at my han... spike, apparently my brain realizing my own idiocy is more important than the fact that I am (physically) a monstrosity. After pondering how I could go two days without realizing this I finally managed to push these thoughts to the back of my mind as I began to wonder just how am I going to get back to civilization, well that and how I’m going to avoid getting chased by a torch wielding mob screaming “MONSTER!” while looking like this after I get there.

After some more walking my thoughts turned to the symbol engraved on (apparently) my horn, why did it look so familiar? I’ll have t- “now run along little raccoons” my train of thought was derailed by one of the softest voices I have ever heard. As of right now there is a war going on inside my mind, one side (more than likely my common sense) yelled “GET HELP YOU BLEEDING IDIOT” while the other side (more than likely habit) protested “easy scare hehehe” and against all logic habit won out. I slowly crept towards the source of the voice thinking about what exactly to do... “Perfect” I mumbled barely audible as I came to rest just behind some bushes. “Go on don’t you want to be with your friends?” the voice continued confirming it was still present. I cleared my throat and began “Can you help me please?” I began in a high pitched purposely distorted voice “They’ve hurt me SO BAD” I continued rapidly dropping the pitch as I made my voice louder almost sounding demonic by the end.

Oddly however this did not get the reaction I was anticipating, the world seemed to fall into a dead silence almost as if it was in shock of what I had just done for what felt like... roughly twelve seconds. This dreadful silence was finally shattered by the voice again “Um... are you alright?” the voice said shaky with fear and yet, there was a distinct tone of concern in the voice as I began to hear footsteps approaching, they seemed oddly frequent until I beheld their source.

Ch.2 Divinum Interventu

Ch. 2 Divinum Interventu

As the source of the voice began to step through the bushes, time began slowing down as anticipation ran through my body, sending nervous "jitters" rampant through my body. So many emotions coursed through my mind it was nigh impossible to keep track joy, fear, sorrow, anticipation, when I was finally greeted by the source of the voice all but fear were shattered.

My mind is drawing a blank, attempting to do anything to rationalize this but it made no sense except to say: I was looking at a bright yellow Pegasus. It appeared to be paralyzed in fear but also lost in wonder of what manner of unknown beast it was looking at as I did the same. The Pegasus gazed at my monstrous figure with its over-sized eyes as it slowly began to back away, a dreadful silence seemed to permeate the area. This long period of silence was finally broken not by me or this... thing standing before me, but by a simple gust of wind blowing through the trees. This finally sent the Pegasus into a full blown panic as it ran screaming rather softly (amusingly enough) back to wherever such a thing would come from.

Now that I was freed from my fear-induced trance I immediately walked back into the forest to collect myself, as the long, twisted shadows of the trees seemed to beckon to some unknown part of me.

There was nothing new about the environment just more, dark trees, the pale moonlight barely illuminating the surrounding area, the distorted shadows of the night creeping up upon me, the scarce howls of nocturnal predators echoing in the distance all seemed to create a rather... unwelcome feeling. Only a small amount of the weak light could pierce the thicket of branches above; which created what appeared to be small islands of light among the ocean of darkness that flooded the ground. I pressed on attempting to comfort myself, when something occurred to me, I feel more at peace now than I had ever before, the desolation of the night, the deafening silence, a slight grin being etched upon my face as I felt these new feelings forged by my surroundings, it was glorious!

I looked towards the sky, the once powerful moon now fading before the emerging sunlight as it washed away the twisted shapes of the night, becoming familiar locations once again.

As my lonesome walk dragged on I spied something odd out of the corner of my eye, a statue, a thin layer of stubborn vegetation nearly coating it. The statue itself depicted a rather... strange being, it featured the basic shape of a man but... wrong. In the way the statue is carved it seemed to attempt to show how nothing was truly definitive about whatever the sculptor was attempting to carve, almost like a static quality. What little of the peeling paint remained were an odd mix of black and various shades of red, and the face of the statue was struck with a wide sinister grin.

I studied the statue for a time, overtaken by an unexplainable feeling of familiarity about the being depicted. I stood around the statue basking in the warm feeling I had not felt in a long time. I wonder how long this stat- My thoughts were interrupted by newcomers
"Come on it's just over here!"
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Don't be such a filly!"
I heard three distinct voices, two of young (and rather mean sounding) girls and a young 'lad' with a British accent.

Oh, how I love children, the easiest, and yet still the most rewarding of people to scare I thought, diving behind a large bush as the sounds of footsteps drew closer. I poked an eye out from behind the dense brush, and that’s when I saw them, the ‘children’ were all similar creatures to the Pegasus.

“Wow, what is it?” the whitish, light brown spotted creature asked gazing at the statue (with what I assume to be) a puzzled expression, clearly showing itself as the source of the boys voice. The pink and gray ones shared a nefarious glance towards one another, clearly planning some cruel prank. Unfortunately for all three their moment was cut short as I burst forth from my hiding place, spouting some semi-organized gibberish in a guttural tone attempting to make something resembling coherent speech. The creature’s expressions of wonder and anticipation swiftly changing to those of abject terror as they screamed, fleeing in every conceivable direction. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing, finally a successful scare that didn’t (immediately) backfire, my mean spirited laughter echoed through the now suspiciously silent forest.

My eyes slowly opened fighting through the tears, to be faced by the white... horse-like thing, my mind scrambled to think of what to do I always wanted to imitate the Lord of the Flies... was the first coherent thought I had, so I followed it blindly and hoped something positive would come out of it. “You are a silly little boy” I said, now staring directly at the now shocked creature “just an ignorant, silly little boy.” The creatures’ mouth fell agape, fear and curiosity struck on its face as it attempted to form words “Don’t you agree?” I asked moving slightly closer “aren’t you just a silly little boy?” The creature seemed to be slightly less fearful as it attempted to speak, however it was still unable to produce sound. “You’d better run off and play with the others.” I said cutting off a part of the quote that wasn’t fully applicable. “What are you doing out here all alone? Aren’t you afraid of me?” Just as I was about to continue the creature somehow found the courage to speak.
“Y-yes” it said shakily “but why do you have to act so scary?” The boy inquired, I sighed deeply as I finally stopped my incessant quoting.
“Because it’s fun and fairly simple really” I regurgitated the same answer I have said a thousand times to others. “But you SHOULD run off and get back to your friends” I answered, urging him to leave
“O-okay, I hope I’ll see you again” the boy said, almost with what sounded like legitimate emotion, rather than a learned response.

I was alone once more, as a lone thought wandered through my mind just where am I anyway? as I lazily turned back to the statue to find it was no longer there! An empty stand remained, almost sobbing over the loss of what was supposed to be its eternal partner. I don’t know how to explain it but as I looked around me I felt... an uneasy feeling that prior to this seemed nonexistent, I stared in awe as the night sky faded into existence as the sun once again waned before the appearance of the bleak moon as I wandered into the night once more.

I was unable to sleep, my mind drawing a blank as to what I should be doing, my legs were walking automatically, the once tranquil forest seemed twisted and strange in the moonlight as numerous cries and howls echoed throughout the once silent night. By the time dawn broke my legs could carry me no further, I slumped to the ground freezing, tired, hungry... bored, an odd silence seemed to rule over the area for a time as I felt the cold grip of death reach into my soul. But then, when all seemed lost to me something happened that I cannot explain, I heard a voice, like a whisper, yet it boomed with the power and volume of the THX logo "Iya kohtnetohtweb tayemhekemiyaset cesshekemayempayemtayemekemrot sehtyoodtcesskohtseht, Iya’meht sehtohtrohtrohtyahkem." The words filled me with an unnatural feeling of power as the voice echoed in my mind; I stood feeling like I had just stepped out from a grand feast within a warm palace, better than I had felt in years, as I was filled with new resolve to continue my journey to... I'm not entirely certain as of yet, but one thing was certain (as cliché as it sounds), someone or rather something is watching over me.

Ch.3 Abandonment

Ch. 3 Abandonment

The ambient sounds of the forest were my only company as I continued my search for something unknown to me, the voice that seemed to save me still clearly echoing in my mind.

As I progressed deeper into the forest the world around me seemed to darken. The familiar mosses making way for strange, new plants which dotted the ground as the trees grew ever larger. The thicket of branches and leaves above stretched to the sky, nearly blotted out all light that attempted to reach the forest floor, leaving the area with an oppressive darkness. Hungry growls echoed through the area coating the area in an unwelcome feeling. The growls drew ever closer as my legs began to automatically quicken their pace, clearly not desiring to dwell any longer in this twisted region.

The trees seemed to sprint around me as I moved through the forest, the bushes and scarce rocks below now a blur. A low panting, along with the rapid pounding of some form of foot or paw emanated from behind me. I continued sprinting in a vague hope of escaping my pursuer. The sound of air being sliced behind me rang in my ears as my breath wheezed.

My eyes darted through my surroundings, desperately looking for some way to escape the beast. My adrenaline fueled dash was cut short as I felt a slight tug on my leg as my vision quickly faced the dirt below as the ground rapidly approached. So this is how my life ends... I thought to myself, bracing for some form of horrible beast to liberate my internal organs from my abdomen. I awaited the strike, but it never came. I looked up to see something I never would have thought to see in this forest.

An abandoned castle, a decadent ruin by comparison to its former glory. However as I stood before it, something just felt... wrong about it, clearly whatever it was, even brute beasts knew to stay away because of it. Although it was rather saddening to see that which was once a grand palace, now nothing more than a forgotten ruin, any memory of its former greatness being removed by the flow of time.

I approached the rusted gate of the stronghold; the ancient bars seemed to crumble away under the slightest of touches, allowing easy access to the ruin. The sun was almost finished its dance through the sky when I neared the ancient stronghold, allowing the moon to take center stage in the sky.

I walked through the collapsed hallways of the castle, countless paintings, tapestries, and statues dotted the halls all worn away, only their basic features distinguishable, most seemed to depict various unicorns or pegasi strangely.

I walked through the desolate halls of the castle for a time, and as luck would have it I happened across a library. Long burned out torches periodically dotted the walls, collapsed bookshelves leaving a mess of splinters and books across the floor. The books themselves were either faded or rotten away, but there were some that still fought on to preserve their information. Most of the readable books were on useless topics unfortunately. But then one book caught my eye.

There was no title or author present on the tome, just a foreboding symbol which seemed to have a dim glow emanating from it as I gazed upon the cover. The book itself was unnaturally cold despite the heat of the summers night. I flipped it open various symbols and genuinely disturbing illustrations almost seemed hastily thrown on each page, not having any clear coherence or reason for them. But then there was one line of text in some language I didn’t understand.

I mumbled the words in the book, a feeling of unknown power seemed to echo behind the words as they faintly reached the far corners of the hallowed library. I hastily picked the book up holding it against my chest with one of my forelegs, hoping that walking with three legs won’t be too much a burden.

I continued looking through the decaying rooms of the castle in hopes of finding something else of interest, but to little avail, that is until I stumbled upon an empty ballroom. Countless tattered decorations covered the room, almost speaking of a better time when the warm sounds of joy, and merriment would flow openly through the vast space. A piano sat in the corner, a thick blanket of dust lay over it, oddly untouched by the flow of time. A smashed chandelier lay in the center of the floor the rusted chain overhead had clearly given up long ago. I exhaled loudly, my eyes beginning to water as I looked at the forgotten world that surrounded me.

Just as I was about to leave this crumbling world behind me something happened, the piano began to play. At first it was a few simple notes but very swiftly a dark, almost painful tune began to play as I witnessed a dull grey orb floating before the instrument.

I gazed in awe at this apparition, as it began to take form first sprouting four legs, and then a small oval body began to take shape, finally a head emerged from the orb creating an ethereal unicorn it slowing swaying its head in tune to the music as I stood, my legs shaking uncontrollably. As the song continued more orbs began to fade into existence floating around one another immediately above the desecrated floor as the room gained an almost hellish glow.

I bashed my way through the ballroom door, I could feel and count every motion, every breath, every step, and every heartbeat in my state of adrenaline induced power. Numerous other orbs drifted through the halls as I raced faster than I thought possible. I bashed my way through the rusted gate once more.

Two gaping holes in the gate, and a missing book the only true evidence I was ever in that accursed place.

I collapsed to the ground, unable to continue any further away from that place, the moon had already fallen from the sky as the sun peeked out from behind the horizon. Move you worthless husk! My mind shouted at my exhausted body as I shakily stood, barely able to remain balanced. I took one step, using what little strength I could muster, but it was a pointless endeavor, I could go no further.

After all that has happened this is how it ends? I thought as I mentally prepared for whatever lay beyond the gates of death, "What the hay is that thing?" a boyish voice interrupted my epitaph as slowly, everything began to darken.

Ch.4 Dreambound

Ch. 4 Dreambound

My mind drifted my subconscious, the memory of recent events floated slowly through my mind. The Pegasus in the field, the statue and the boy, the voice and the miracle, the beast and the castle, and the book and the ghosts, wait, the book... “The book” I whispered, lazily opening my eyes, hoping I had not lost the only thing that may contain information of my condition.

Except, there was no book, there wasn’t anything, I twisted my head frantically looking for anything. Nothing a soft voice panged in my head as I found myself adrift in a grey abyss.

The void was beautiful in a way, a dull grey sky, with no land in sight as I endlessly drifted through this world, countless black flecks of ash in the same circumstance as me. All attempts to move were futile; this world was without gravity or form, just... nothingness.

My aimless drifting continued for an eternity, the air becoming thick with ash the longer time flowed. Suddenly, the ash began to move, forming together with some force behind it clumping into a small flat island. I found myself slowly moving towards it.

I once again stood on solid ground. The pure black land almost cartoony looking in this pale world. The ash morphed once again, a warped pedestal began to form out of the flat island as more ash flowed into it.

The monotone sky began to darken, creating something more complex than the previous creations. The sky became its former deathly self as the onslaught of ash finally subsided, leaving before me a tome, as it lifelessly fell on to the pedestal that had come before it.

I found myself drawn to the book by some force that was not my own, as it flew open, rapidly flipping through the blank, pure black pages. I gazed with my jaw agape as the book finally stopped on a blank page, accompanied by the voice that seemed to save me in the past. “Gul thrak na tull, Aralyx” just as the voice finished deep red words seemed to seep into the page in perfect English ‘You had best hurry Aralyx’ “kol rax ful tal lod obv mer wark mioc archon” ‘The clock is ticking; you must bring me to them, those that hold the light and the dark.’ Unlike the first time, the voice filled me with a strange feeling, neither painful nor pleasant. The book began to write again, no longer accompanied by the voice.

As the book continued its scrawling, ashen walls began to form around me, but I was too concerned with the words that continued to appear in the book. ‘My gifts are many Aralyx; take this as a... reassurance of our pact.’ As I read the final word from the tome, it dispersed into the aimlessly floating ash once more as it flew off into the endless grey void above leaving me trapped in this ash prison below.

The black walls suddenly formed into some ungodly fluid that swiftly consumed me, coating every part of my body in an indescribable agony. My mind was unable to handle the sensory overload of the event and shut down, I had blacked out.

My eyes snapped open. The once excruciating pain was quickly fading away and I found myself in a new world. I stood on black ground; various blood red symbols dotted the featureless pitch black flatland. The black sky was dominated by a single, massive unmoving outline of an eye that shared the same twisted color as the symbols that dotted the earth it watched over.

I looked at myself for any trace of the fluid that had consumed me prior to my entry to this hellish place. I found it gathering in mass on my back forming... something. The strange, shiny blob on my back split in two equal segments that began to take some odd shape.

I stared, mesmerized by the graceful movements of the liquid on my back. The liquid dispersed, dissolving entirely the moment it made contact with the boiling ground beneath me.

My eyes quickly darted back to where the liquid once was, to behold something incredible: A pair of wings! The wings were the same deathly colour of the liquid and were like those of a bat, yet fitting with the rest of my current appearance. The wings quickly adopted the colour of their owner, as a massive grin became etched upon my face.

I looked to the sky, attempting to flex my new extremities with oddly swift success. I found myself quickly heading towards the dark sky, the still stared into nothing, dead.
I neared the painted eye, which continued its stare at the hellish world beneath it with contempt, an odd speck of white visible in its pupil. The white area grew more noticeable as I neared its orifice; the colours around it seemed to shirk away from contacting something that contrasted so much with the remainder of their polluted world.

I entered the white, to be met with strange feelings, like soft silks gently being run across my skin. Voices, not the dark, distorted ones that accompanied me in the depths below, but gentle sounds of concern, of happiness, and of sorrow. The brilliant white light was overpowering, I found myself closing my eyes in an attempt to save my sight, when everything faded to white.

I groggily opened my eyes, the pleasure I had felt in that wondrous dream now a quickly fading memory.

This new imprisonment I found myself in could be described simply as... pristine. Pure white paint coated the entire room, save for a soulless, wrought iron door which lay at the far side of the room. The remainder of the room was barren, with the exception of a bed I was lain upon.

"I...nk...ts...ke...w" a muffled voice emanated from behind the door, grabbing what little attention I could give in my drowsy state of mind. More noises persisted from whatever lay beyond the impenetrable barrier that was the door, and then a foreboding silence regained its place in the room.

The dreadful silence dragged on, almost deafening when accompanied by the oppressive mood of the room. The thin pane of silence was once again shattered by a loud metallic clang, followed by an unbearable scraping sound.

The impenetrable barrier that was the door slowly glided outward revealing beings that stared at me with a curiosity rivaled only by my own.

Ch. 5 Speak

Once more I was looking at what I once believed to only exist in myth: a unicorn. It slowly stepped into the room, a bored expression obvious on its pure white face. As the unicorn continued its unbearably slow walk into the center of the room, its horn began to glow with a peculiar white light. A small notebook and a pencil floated into the room, engulfed in a similar strange glow.

“You’ve been out for quite some time...” The unicorn began; I felt my jaw fall agape when I heard the creatures voice. I attempted to form a coherent response but all that could escape my mouth was a confused gasping. “Hmm” The unicorn mumbled something to itself before the pencil began scribbling into the notebook.

What have I done to deserve this damnation!? I asked myself, unable to pay full attention to the unicorn at this point.

“I’ll just show her in, she probably has more to ask you than I do.” The unicorn said. It turned to leave, the pencil still jotting notes down under the ethereal hand the light was forming around it. The door began to reseal itself just as the unicorn left the room, a new silence seeming to seep into the room just before

The concept of time was now meaningless in my pale tomb, an uneasy silence coating every surface in dread of what lay ahead. The silence permeated the room longer than any creature would desire, until it was pierced by a voice. “Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie!” A truly ecstatic, almost childish voice rang. “I heard that somepony was found in the Everfree Forest and I was like WOAH nopony ever goes into the Everfree Forest, except maybe Zecora, but she’s not really a pony...” Whatever was making these mindless ramblings quickly jumped up at my bedside, revealing it to be a pink, horse-like creature.

Just looking at this creature strained my eyes due to the amount of contrast between the monotone room and the bright, unnatural pink of the creatures pelt. Then the creature resumed its ramblings.

“But then I heard that you were brought to the hos...” The creature paused as it finally noticed my deathly visage, “Ew, what’s wrong with your face?” The pink creature blurted out, its tone quickly shifting from one of manic happiness to an odd mix of curiosity and disgust. “You know what this calls for?” The creatures tone suddenly became bright once again, “A welcome to ponyville and a glad you’re feeling better party!” and with the word ‘party’ confetti seemed to fall from the once empty ceiling.

I could feel my eye twitch as I gazed at the scene before me, the pink creature jumping about, singing some pointlessly happy song that I was unable to pay any attention to. My eyes began to roll into my skull as thoughts of gruesome forms of torture ran rampant through my mind. The door made a loud clang, which served to snap me back into reality as well as shutting the pink monstrosity up.

“I guess I should go now, when you get out I’ll be sure to throw a glad you’re feeling better party!” and with that the creature rushed out through the door the instant it opened a sliver.

“How did she...?” The voice of the unicorn said, clearly confused by what he had just witnessed.

“It’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.” A boyish voice interrupted, similar to the one I heard prior to my ‘escape’ from the forest.

Remain calm I repeatedly told myself as the door slowly grinded open, my heart rate drastically increasing in anticipation of seeing some new creature.

Then I saw it: just another Pegasus. It was a calming sky blue; its mane however did not sing the same song. Its mane and tail were coloured, most likely by some mix of dyes, to share the same colours and style of a rainbow. The Pegasus swiftly walked into the center of the room, while the white unicorn stood in the doorway, preparing to take notes.

“Uh... hi?” The Pegasus said a hint of nervousness and uncertainty clear in its voice. It looked directly upon my rotten form strewn out over the bed.

How to respond...? I pondered as the Pegasus stared, unmoving from its place at the heart of the room. “Hello.” I slowly said, forcing a toothy grin. I let out a slight chuckle.

The Pegasus looked at me with an odd expression, not one of fear, but rather surprise. The staring contest that I and this creature were locked in ended as finally blinked. A new silence overtook the room the Pegasus awkwardly stared at the ‘strange beast’ laid before him, or possibly her. I could not stand the ungodly silence for another moment. “Are you going to say anything, or merely gaze in awe at me?” I asked, no longer caring for my previous attempts to scare it.

“Ugh, why didn’t they didn’t just tell Twilight to come over here, she’s the egghead!” The Pegasus said, now gaining a clear irritation to its voice before turning its back to me and leaving. The door sealed behind it.

With the door re-sealed I once again found myself in a fortress of solitude. I laid there for a time, reflecting on my most recent encounters with these creatures. I also found myself gaining a slight desire to butcher the pink creature. More voices began mumbling behind the door; only a few words truly possible to make out, “are you sure you want me to do that?” one voice said, followed by another.

The door noisily swung open once more; this time a lavender unicorn stood in the aperture, “Hello?” this new interloper had an odd concern to its voice. The unicorn said nothing more as it slowly neared my bed; a nervous air seemed to accompany its movement as it drew closer. The unicorns horn began to glow with a light similar to the firsts, but this one seemed brighter, more noticeable. My vision began to blur suddenly as I felt some strange force assaulting my eyelids, attempting to force them shut as I looked at the light from the creatures horn.

I heard a soft thud on the ground. Before I could see the source of it, the strange force succeeded in defeating my body’s attempts to resist it as my mind drifted off into unconsciousness once more.

Ch. 6 Memoir

My eyes snapped open, my vision was hazy and bordered by white, like that resembling of a dream. The world swiftly formed itself around me and once it realized my sudden awareness, I found myself standing in an endless green field. No defining features present, save for a lone hill in the distance. The slope of the hill was rather gentle, the main attraction being the tree that sat comfortably atop it. I found myself walking towards the hill, not a sound was made as I stepped through the wild grass.

Once I had reached the foot of the hill, I began to hear voices. Voices of children laughing and playing, truly happy sounds, I found myself walking to the hilltop, hoping to find source.
As I neared the peak of the hill I noticed extensive exposed roots from the tree, almost to the point where it coated the entire hilltop in its earthen embrace. Strange designs became clear on the tree, they resembled faces crying out in agony. The cheerful voices were gone, replaced by whispers of conspiracy, torture, and death. I began to reach out to touch the tree, not by my own will, as if it were being pulled by an unseen hand tugging at my wrist.

The instant my pointed appendage made contact with the tree, a pure black, viscous liquid flowed from the eyes of the unnerving carvings. The liquid pooled around my spikes on the ground as the fluid began to form into what could only be described as a bloodied, demonic hand. The hand swiftly leaped upwards, grabbing hold of my ribs in a deathly grip. More liquid began to spew forth from the tree, quickly forming into an equally bloodied arm. The newly formed forearm shot out from the tree, joining with the hand that still held its grip on my body. I felt myself being thrust into the air by the immense limb that sprouted from the botanical monstrosity. The limb sheathed itself into the ground, before dragging itself back into the the crime against nature that was the ‘tree’, taking me with it.

My vision blurred into existence once more, I began to become light-headed as a new feeling of numbness spread throughout my body. I attempted to make sense of my surroundings as I found myself lying in a hospital bed once again. The room was not a pristine white as the one I found myself in before. The walls and ceiling were rusted, as putrid air wafted in from the decadent air vents. Standing up, I walked through a blasted out door frame to be beset by a horrific sight. The only thing that could be heard was the faint ringing of heart monitors, and the moans of pain, and imminent death. The hall was spattered with blood and various organs, corpses scattered across the floor. I tentatively stepped through the hall, several ponies were limping about, organs hanging out of their bloated stomachs. My legs quickened their pace, as my eyes looked for an escape from this hellish hospital wing. I saw a rusted elevator door and I scrambled for it and began mashing the button to call it with one of my spikes.

A gleeful ‘ding’ was heard as the decaying doors screeched open, revealing an equally visceral room with an unscathed unicorn hugging itself in the corner. I recognized this unicorn as the one I had seen prior to my relapse into dream, slowly approaching the unicorn I reached out a spike to touch it. The unicorn didn’t seem to take notice until my spike made contact, it began wailing in fear the instant I made contact. I stepped back from the unicorn, and turned my attention to panel on the wall of the elevator, light’s dimly illuminating the buttons for floor selection. I blindly hit one button as the elevator began shaking, the aged light overhead flickering wildly with it. After standing in the epilepsy inducing light for a time, the elevator grinded to a halt, as the light returned to its more stable state. I neared the door, when I realized the entire room was different, blood no longer coated the floor and walls, instead I now stood inside a pristine elevator.

I stepped to the elevator door as it slowly began to slide open, when I was pulled backward by an unseen force. I turned around to see the unicorn who was now standing and facing towards me, its horn aglow with a brilliant purple light. “What are you doing?” I stammered out, attempting to break myself from the unicorns apparent hold on me as I drew closer to it. I was now directly facing the unicorn, mere inches away from it, I closed my eyes, preparing for some form of assault.
“S-so you’re not a monster like the rest of them?” The unicorn stammered as she fiddled with her hooves.
“Rest?” I inquired, now curious as to what other creatures dwell in my mind.
She began to speak again after taking a quick look past me, “They...they were everywhere... I had to run, but I saw so much and I barley made it in the elevator... I was shocked at the horrible monsters I saw...” She spoke, now starting to mildly hyperventilate from the memories.
I couldn’t help but crack a slight grin, finding the unicorns fear hilarious, even if my thoughts had traumatized her, turning back around I noticed the doors had fully opened, rays of sunlight quickly flooding into the elevator, illuminating the once shady room. I looked beyond the blinding light, stepping outside to see a snow covered world, several metal structures littering the otherwise barren landscape. I stepped out of the elevator my spikes leaving almost no prints in the slow as I stepped through it. I heard the sound of snow crunching behind me as I continued walking through this empty world, the only other sounds provided by the occasional gentle gust of wind. I approached one of the structures, finding to feature a lone, rectangular door. Once inside I found the building rather small when compared to its exterior, this however was barely something to care for, given what the room contained.

A white, pulsating orb of light floated in the center of the room, suspended by metallic braces. Suddenly the unicorn burst into the room, and attempted to dive into the orb, but seemed to be repulsed by some unseen force. I looked at the violet unicorn for a moment as she struggled against the unseen hand holding it in place. My vision flipped back to the orb, approaching it I didn’t seem to be repulsed by the force that still held the unicorn.

I slowly reached out to touch this contained star. The instant my spike made contact with it the orb rapidly expanded, consuming me in its brilliant white light. While in the light I felt a rush of memories rush into my mind, memories of a world that was not my own, memories of mythological creatures, memories of cities, memories of an entire world, memories of friends.

My eyes snapped open as I found myself in the pristine room once more, my body was splayed out on the bed in a strange position. The unicorn stood up from the floor, a perplexed look on her face, until the familiar bang echoed from the door once again, stealing her attention. The white unicorn of before stepped into the room, accompanied by the pegasus I had briefly spoken to. The three ‘ponies’ converged and momentarily whispered to each other, briefly looking at me as they spoke.

After conversing the three turned away from me, and stepped out the door, slamming it behind them. I was alone in this immaculate prison once again.