Plagueby Valrek777ChaptersChapter I: GiftChapter II: VoiceChapter III: Madmare from a NightmareChapter I: GiftCHAPTER I It was a sunny day in Ponyville. The pegasi weather patrols had planned this before a scheduled rainstorm. Nothing was out of the ordinary, except for one package that was delivered to the library. When it arrived, a small purple dragon signed off for it and brought it to his friend(Also a bit of a mother figure). She was a lavender unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. Scholar, Scientist, personal student of the Sun princess Celestia, and bearer of the Element of Magic. She turned the box around, examining it from every angle, trying to find a stamp or address. It had none, other than hers, and it had a ‘return to sender’ sticker on it. “Spike,” she said “did you try to send a package?” He shook his head. “Huh. That’s odd. Either somepony made a mistake, or they want to be anonymous.” she said. Spike smiled and said “What if it’s a surprise gift?” Twilight returned the smile, and began to open the box. “Well, that would be nice. But still, I should open this carefully- just in case.” “Good idea!” After a moment of careful unpacking, they found a smaller box, wrapped like a gift. Sure enough, it was addressed specifically to Twilight. “I guess you were right, Spike. But I don’t see any identification.” “Secret admirer?” Spike said, nudging Twilight. She smiled sheepishly, and replied “Well, I’m not exactly open to a special somepony at the moment, but... It’ll be rude not to even open it.” She proceeded to open the package, and found a simple lab set including some test tubes, stirrers, test tube holders, etc. There was also another small box with a note tied to it. It read: Dear Twilight Sparkle, I know how much you like science and other related subjects, so I decided to give you a special gift- a perfume that you can make yourself!Follow the instructions exactly(I know you will), and you will have your very own custom perfume. Don’t worry, all the ingredients(except for the scent you choose) are included. I hope you enjoy this little gift. From: A friend of a friend. She set down the note, and examined the contents of the smaller box. It contained some sealed containers that were wrapped carefully. They had various substances in them, and were numbered. Number three had a notice. Do NOTspill this gas. It is a very important ingredient. She looked at it closely, and realized that it was glowing slightly. Figuring that it must be some kind of enhancer of sorts, she proceeded to follow the instructions to make the perfume. It took about an hour, and by then it was mid-afternoon. “What if it’s a prank?” Spike said. “Well, I see no hint of a prank. This seems a bit too kind for a joke.” She replied. She sprayed the finished perfume, and smelled it. Daisies. Just how she wanted it. “Anything wrong?” She said, turning around for Spike to examine her for the effects of a prank. “Uhhh... Nope, you’re good.” He answered. “Thats-” she yawned “-good. Well... I’m going to take a nap.” He looked at her quizzically. “But it’s the middle of the afternoon.” Twilight continued walking upstairs. “I just need to catch up on some sleep. I was studying late last night.” Spike shrugged. “Okay, whatever you say.” Twilight laid down in her bed, and fell asleep almost instantly. “Your magic may get weak... Use it whenever you can...” “Hello?” Twilight said. She remembered falling asleep, but woke up here. It was completely black. “Your life depends on the choices you will soon make... The lives of your friends as well... “Who’s there?” Every sound echoed, and it was beginning to creep her out. “Okay, this must be a dream.” Just then, she felt a wave of anxiety and fear. The feelings were unusual, especially since nothing was apparently there to cause them. But as she analyzed this, she had a feeling that something was coming to her. “Even though this is probably just a dream, I have a bad feeling about it...” “Its getting closer... Get away...” “What? What’s getting closer? And who are you?” The feelings of anxiety and fear were growing, and she started to smell something metallic. Kind of like the iron in blood, but a bit more pronounced. “Get away...” “From what!?” She nearly screamed. “Where is it!?” She was now in a panic. The smell was almost overbearing. She used a light spell, but it only barely illuminated a few hoof lengths around her. Now that she could at least see a bit, she noticed that the edges of her vision had blurred. Other than the odd voice, the only sound was her heartbeat and breathing. She held her breath, attempting to listen for whatever was coming towards her. She heard something. It was faint, but steadily getting closer. It was an insect-like clicking, but more gutteral. As if it came from a mammal-like throat. It stopped. “RUN!” She turned around, and saw it. The creature’s body was pony-like, but with some massive differences. It was as tall as Celestia and had legs like an insect, closest to that of a spider. Patches of its skin was covered in a carapace-like structure. What wasn’t carapace was skin, with patches of fur. She looked up to its face. Its bottom jaw was split in the middle, and moving. It has small spines along its skull, and its eyes- Wait. It had no eyes. Yet, somehow, it seemed to stare right at her, empty sockets boring into her. And its teeth were long, sharp, and jagged. Like a predator. “RUN! NOW!” She screamed, and the creature let out a deafening roar. She turned and bolted. She looked behind her, and to her horror, it was in pursuit. And catching up. Her feelings of fear and anxiety seemed to nearly tear her mind apart, and the strange blood-like smell filled her nose and head. The blurring on the edges of her vision spread to an all-out tunnel vision. “Use your magic! Don’t look behind you!” “What!? What spell do I use!?” Then she had an idea. She would teleport. She charged her magic, for it seemed to be weaker, and looked behind her to check the distance. Bad idea. The thing was so close that it was snapping at her tail. When it saw that she was looking, it jumped. She teleported. Chapter II: VoiceChapter II “Twilight!” “Twilight, wake up!” Suddenly she felt ice cold, and that made her shoot out of bed. “Rainbow Dash! Why did you do that?” Rarity said. “To wake her up, duh! And it worked!” Rainbow replied. Then they all looked at Twilight, who was shivering, wet, and scared out of her mind. “Is ever’thing alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asked. Twilight looked around. She was in her library, surrounded by her friends. “I... I had a horrible dream. It seemed so real...” she said as she curled up on the floor. “There, there. It was only a dream. You’re safe now, with us.” Rarity said as she put a comforting hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “I... Guess you’re right. So, why are you all here?” She asked, slowly getting up. “Well, Spike here said that you were mumblin’, so he went over t’ ya to see what you were mumblin’ about. When he got up here, ya started yellin’. He tried to wake ya up, but you wouldn’t.” “That’s when we came in.” Rarity continued for her. “We came here, wondering where you were, because we had an evening picnic planned. When we came in, you were screaming and Spike was asking us for help!” “They couldn’t wake you up, so I poured a bucket of water on you. Sorry about that.” Rainbow said. “Which was rude, by the way.” Rarity replied. “Well, it worked!” She shot back. “Girls! She’s okay, and that’s what matters.” Applejack shouted, silencing the two mares. “Thanks, all of you. I’ll go to the picnic, just give me about ten minutes to get ready first.” She went over to her mirror, and picked up her brush. It took quite a bit more effort than usual. She froze, realizing something. Oh no. My magic really is weaker. So it wasn’t just a dream... “Twilight? Are ya alright?” Asked as she was about to go downstairs. The others had already gone down. “Applejack, you up there?” Rainbow called up. “Yeah. I’ll be down later, go on to the park.” She replied. “If you say so.” With that, they left the library. Twilight looked in the mirror, and realized how terrified she actually looked. She sighed and said “I just don’t know Applejack. But this is only one dream, so I’ll get over it.” “Okay, but if you need anypony ta talk to, I’ll be here for ya.” “Thanks.” Twilight said as she finished brushing her mane. “So, how about we go to that picnic?” Applejack smiled. “That’s the spirit.” In Canterlot, Celestia was meeting with a group of representatives. It was going as usual, talking about taxes, projects, some new ideas, etc. That normalcy was interrupted by somepony trotting in and whispering into Celestia’s ear. “We are missing a sample of the Plague.” He said simply. Her eyes widened momentarily, but she quickly regained composure. She faced the representatives and said “This meeting will have to be postponed until tomorrow. Something has occurred that required my immediate attention.” They all got up and left the room, leaving her alone with the messenger. She turned to him and asked “Are you sure it’s missing? No mistake in inventory?” “We are absolutely sure. Only three samples of the plague are kept- for safety reasons. Now, we only have two.” “And which plague is this?” He cleared his throat. “The Mageonic Plague.” The news hit Celestia like a train. This plague caused madness in ponies. It usually began with unicorns, but was known to be opportunistic. Back when it was discovered, she was lucky enough to isolate it before it caused a near extinction of ponykind. “Keep this low-profile. I don’t want to start a panic. Alert the Guards, and tell them to search for symptoms.” “Yes, your highness.” He said, bowing. He then left the room, relaying the message. After the picnic, the six ponies and Spike headed home. It was well into the night, and they spent their time eating, playing around, going to the spa, and having an overall good time. They had all become very tired, and Spike had even fell asleep on Twilight’s back on the way home. She was feeling much better now, dismissing the dream as just a nightmare. But something still felt wrong. She could almost feel it in the back of her head. When they got home, she set Spike down in his bed. Then she noticed something. She was still having difficulty with her magic. She reasoned with herself that she may just need to work on it to make it work better. So instead of going to bed(like she wanted to so badly), she decided to reorganize the books. She went downstairs, emptied the bookcases, and proceeded to organize them in various ways. First, she sorted them by weight, then color, then size, and finally back to their original order. She now felt something odd about her magic. Every time she used it, the strange feeling in the back of her head seemed to slightly increase. She dismissed it as just being tired, for it was now well past midnight. She went to bed, but no matter how tired she was, she just couldn’t sleep. So, she got up and looked for a solution. After a while of searching, she found a small book titled Simple Spells for Restless Sleepers. She looked within it, and found the perfect spell. She cast it, and trotted quickly upstairs. She was asleep as soon as she laid down. “Hello again. I see that you think this is just a dream.” “What!? Who are you?” Twilight said. “That’s not important right now.” “Yes it is! If you are giving me nightmares and messing with my magic, then it’s pretty important.” “Not now. And I just want to help.” She began feeling afraid again. Like last time. “Oh nonono! Not again! Why are you doing this!?” “I’m not doing this. That creature is the embodiment of your flaws, your fears, and everything negative within you.” “What? How?” She could now smell the strange scent. “Remember Discord? He was the embodiment of Chaos. If he exists, then why not the sins of ponykind?” The fear and scent were getting stronger. “That does make sense...” She could hear the creature getting closer. “You had better get some light. You need to get away!” “No. This is just a dream. Nothing can hurt me, especially if I can’t even see it.” “Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean that it isn’t there.” “I know. But as I said before, this is just a dream. It can’t hurt me.” She now heard it right behind her. The scent filled her lungs, and she felt its breath. “Unluckily for you, this isn’t just a dream.” She shrieked in both surprise and pain as she felt its sharp teeth closing around her neck. Twilight woke up in a cold sweat. That dream... I actually felt pain... She thought. Then, she felt a warm fluid around her. She shot out of bed, racing to her mirror. Oh no! I’m injured in real life too! She lit up her horn to look in the mirror. No wounds. She breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately went to change her bedsheets. Nopony was going to find out that she had wet her bed. As she carried the sheets to be washed, she felt nervous. Every time something seemed to move, she flinched. If this happens again, I must tell Celestia. She may know what to do. After cleaning the bed sheets and bed, she tried to go back to sleep. However, she was too afraid of what her dreams may bring. According to the clock, it’s four A.M. Maybe I can do some research of recurring nightmares, I might find something useful. “Twilight, how long have you been up?” Spike asked as he walked drowsily downstairs. She was surrounded by her ‘organized chaos’ of books. “I’ve been up since four.” She replied. “Why?” She sighed. “I had another nightmare. I’m sure its just coincidence, but I want to learn whatever I can to prevent another one.” “Umm... Twilight?” “What?” “Are you okay?” He asked. Spike looked at her with a worried expression. “Of course I am!” She replied. “It’s just a dream. What makes you think I’m not okay?” “Well... it’s just that... you look linda out of it. Should I get some help?” Then a thought crept into her head. No. That will only cause trouble. They will think you’re crazy, and might lock you up. “No, Spike. I’m fine.” She said, as she smiled and returned to her research. This won’t help. Her thought said. Of course it will! Twilight thought back. Okay, you can try. I know that you won’t find anything useful. Oh, and by the way- you’d better exercise your magic. I won’t forget. Heh, it's like I’m talking to myself, except I’m thinking to myself! What a wonder the subconscious is. Twilight smiled again, and continued her search for information. Meanwhile, Spike observed her from the other side of the room, feeling a mixture of worry and confusion. Ever since she had that first nightmare, she seemed more... Distant. Spaced out. And maybe a bit crazy. If this gets worse, I probably should get a doctor for her. But I really hope that this is nothing. He thought. Twilight’s mane was slightly disheveled, and she seemed quite cheerful for a pony who has recently suffered from a series of nightmares and a lack of sleep. She was actually humming as she went through the books around her. I don’t want her to go through another ’tardy’ incident... Spike thought. Little did he know, her sanity was slipping. For real this time. I told you that you wouldn’t find anything to cure your nightmares. But look at that book, it seems interesting. Twilight accepted the ‘voice’ in her head as either her conscience or that ‘helpful voice’ in the back of her head. It seemed friendly, and was very helpful. For example, it focused on other things for her while she was busy doing something. She read, it planned lunch. She made lunch, it reminded her of plans and tasks. “Okay, I’ll look at the book. Wow, Spells of the Mind, Volume II. Dreams and memories. That really does seem interesting! Thanks!” She said aloud. You’re welcome. I’m glad to help. It replied. Twilight smiled. As she read the book of spells, she had the feeling of being watched. Top bookshelf to the left. Equestrian history. Rainbow Dash is there. Without even looking up from the book, Twilight said “Rainbow, unless you want to read some Equestrian History, get down from there.” “What?” Rainbow Dash said. “How did you know I was there?” “Hey, how did you know?” Twilight asked. Because I am a part of your mind, I can use spells. You felt as if you were being watched, so I used a detection spell. It replied. “Oh, ok. Thanks.” “How did I know wha- huh? I just asked you that!” Rainbow said. “I wasn’t talking to you!” Twilight shot back. I know why she’s here. “Then who are you talking to?” Spike sent her to spy on you. “None of your business, Rainbow!” He thought you were going crazy, remember? “Well, there’s nopony else here!” See? They just want to find a reason to put you away. “Get out! And tell Spike not to send anypony else here to spy on me!” Dash went silent. Twilight was frustrated and confused with all the voices going on at the same time. She had had enough of this situation. “I’m on to you! You all think I’m crazy, but I am not! Just get out now, before I show you crazy!” Rainbow didn’t move. She just stood and stared at Twilight, shocked. Let me handle this, I’ll deal with it. Just give me control. “Have it your way.” Twilight said. She suddenly felt as if she were pulled back into her own mind, into a darkness. Then, her eyes opened. She felt herself grin malevolently, but it wasn’t her. Whatever it was that was in her head now controlled her body- and she allowed it. Chapter III: Madmare from a NightmareChapter III Everything seemed odd. She felt as if she was in a dream, yet awake. Her body moved on its own. It cast a spell. Rainbow fell. It set her on top of a bookshelf that wasn’t built into the wall. Then, it tipped the bookshelf over to make it look accidental. It called over some help. They took Rainbow to the hospital, and thanked ‘Twilight’. After they left, it released her. She shot forward. She fell forward, onto her face. Her balance was off because of the ‘forward motion’ of regaining control over her body. “What did you do that for!?” She asked. It was necessary. “I never wanted to hurt her!” It was only a concussion, not severe enough to cause any harm rather than unconsciousness. I added a spell to fog up her memory as well, so you wouldn’t be discovered. “Hmm... well... okay. If it was necessary.” Just then, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy came in. “What happened to RD?” Applejack said. Play along. It was an accident, and she was being reckless. Twilight kept her look of worry. “She was on top of the bookshelf over there,” she gestured to the one that Rainbow was on earlier, which was now on the floor with books scattered around “I really don’t know why. But she fell off and fell on her head.” “Why didn’t she use her wings?” Pinkie asked. “She probably wasn’t expecting to fall off. Remember, Rainbow Dash gets in accidents all the time, she’ll be fine.” Rarity answered. “Umm... Twilight?” Fluttershy said quietly. “Hm?” “Are you okay?” She’s suspicious. “Of course I am, except for the fact that Rainbow is unconscious in the hospital, and I have to fix this shelf. Is something wrong?” “Well, no... It’s just that...” Play nice, remember that you didn’t have enough sleep last night. “It’s okay. I didn’t get much sleep last night, either.” “Was it another nightmare?” “Unfortunately, yes. But I think it’s just coincidence. I will definitely worry if it happens again. But for now, let’s check up on Rainbow.” They agreed and left the library, heading to the hospital where their friend was admitted to. Twilight, however, was nervous the whole time. As a matter of fact, she had lied about the worrying, for she already worried deeply about the nightmares- they just seemed so real. But could she tell her friends? No, she thought this isn’t something they can help with. I don’t want to burden them with it. Little by little, her mind began to deteriorate. The four mares had arrived at the hospital, and were allowed to see their friend. Rainbow had been unconscious for about two hours, and had just awoken. But, when they entered the room, they found their previously fearless friend curled up in a fetal position in the bed. “What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked nervously. “I- I had a nightmare...” She said, shaking. They looked at each other worriedly. “What about, if I may ask?” Rarity said. She explained, and to Twilight’s horror, it was very similar to her recent strain of dreams. Fluttershy was on the verge of tears, Rarity almost fainted, Applejack stared in disbelief, Pinkie’s almost constant smile disappeared completely, and Twilight stared blankly. “That’s... almost exactly the same as my dreams...” she muttered. Everypony turned to her. Uh oh... What do I do? She thought. Give me control, and I’ll handle it. Don’t worry, nopony will get hurt. Uhh... okay. She felt the pulling sensation again, but this time it was smoother and she could observe more clearly. It turned to the petrified pegasus. “Rainbow,” It said “just pick up the lantern and listen to the voice. It will help you.” They all looked at her strangely, then Rainbow said “Okay... thanks.” After this, they said their farewells and turned to leave. That was when Twilight noticed something. The most likely reason why they all looked at her strangely, and she saw it in the mirror. Her eyes. They had gone from their natural deep purple color to a slightly lighter version, with a reddish tint. Her head turned to Rainbow, and she was surprised to see her staring intently- as if she was searching for a memory. After a few moments, she shrugged it off and turned over in her bed. Twilight regained control, and her eyes switched back to their normal color. She went home. When she arrived, she noticed Spike there, doing some chores. He eyed her suspiciously and worryingly. She returned the suspicious side. After a tense day, they retired to their beds and welcomed the much-needed embrace of sleep. “Remember last night?” “Yes.” Twilight said as she lit up her horn. “Good, good. You’re learning.” “So what’s the point of this?” “Don’t ask me, I didn’t make it.” “Well, since you seem to be helping, then what advice do you have?” “For when you’re here or awake?” “Either.” “For here, just try to escape. When you’re awake... well... be wary of these ‘friends’ of yours.” “Why should I be wary of them?” “Didn’t you see how quickly they turned on you? Just a bit of bad dreams and lack of sleep- then they are immediately suspicious! Remember the spying and mistrust?” “Yes, but what if they’re trying to help?” “Then they’d be more open and honest with you. The only one that I would trust is Applejack, she can’t lie. But still be careful.” “But...” She started, trying to find reasons to defend her friends. Unfortunately, she couldn’t think of any that didn’t have a negative side to it. “I- I guess you’re right...” “I’m sorry, but some things don’t last forever. Wait- RUN! GET AWAY!” “Huh? What-” She turned around to see what was there, but the creature leapt out of the darkness and tackled her to the ground, pinning her down. She was too involved in her conversation to notice it creeping up behind her. Instead of biting her like last time, it spoke. “I will come for you. In your physical world.” It said in her voice, but multi toned. “H- how?” She squeaked. “Through you, Twilight.” It spread its split jaws wide in a loud roar. Twilight screamed in terror and squirmed around, trying to escape the monstrosity’s grasp. The creature brought one of its spidery legs down on her abdomen, impaling her. Her screams were stopped suddenly as she looked down in shock. A moment later, she felt the pain, then gasped, gnashing her teeth in agony. The creature pulled its leg out and brought its head down to the wound. It then began to eat her alive. Meanwhile, outside of her dreams, her body lay in bed. Seemingly asleep. Once Spike was definitely sleeping, she got up. She grabbed a cloak and headed outside. It had rained earlier, and tomorrow was planned to be a long, rainy day. She looked down at a puddle. She saw her reddish-purple eyes staring back. Twilight won’t be the same after this dream. She thought. But while she’s gone, I might as well do a bit of exploring. And maybe have some fun while I’m at it. She trotted down the streets, familiarizing herself with the town. Most of the ponies were sleeping, but some had late-night business to take care of. One unusual thing, though, was the occasional Royal Guard. Why are they here? And what are they looking for? She thought. Curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to follow a pair of them, to figure out what they were searching for. “So, what are the symptoms again?” asked one of the Guards, an Earth pony. The other, a Unicorn, pulled out a scroll. “Multiple personalities, recurring nightmares, paranoia, and in more advanced cases, insanity, violence, and a change in eye color.” “No wonder this is top-priority. What does it infect?” “Uhh...” he looked around the scroll. “Unicorns. But the Captain says ‘take no chances’.” The Earth pony Guard put a hoof on the other’s shoulder. “Wait- I think we have a visitor.” He gestured towards the direction of Twilight, and they both began to trot slowly towards her hiding place. There was nowhere else to go, and if she tried to run, they would give chase. I don’t think she is physically strong, so let’s try magic... she thought, as she stood up and fired a stun spell at the Guards. it struck one of them and he fell to the ground, unconscious. She’s very adept with spells, this will prove very useful. The other Guard stepped back and tried to call for assistance, but he felt something grab his throat. It was pulling him towards the cloaked pony. He tried to yell again, but the telekinesis prevented this by constricting his throat. He looked up at the stranger, and saw a lavender Unicorn mare with reddish-purple eyes. She stared at him coldly “Looking for me?”she said in a slightly multi toned voice. His eyes widened. She matched the description of the plague almost perfectly. He tried yet again to call for help, but the grip on his throat tightened. It was beginning to sting. “Nah ah aah, no yelling.” she said in a sarcastic way. “As a matter of fact , no talking at all!” She gave his throat a sharp pull with her magic, tearing out his vocal chords. The Guard gnashed his teeth in pain as blood flowed out of his throat, and some dribbling out of his mouth. “Wow, this host is powerful. Let’s see just how powerful, shall we?” she said, smiling playfully. He shook his head and tried to run away. She caught his two back legs in her telekinetic grip and broke them. He grunted in pain, for that was the only sound he could make. “Why are you leaving? We haven’t even started yet! As my host might say; we have plenty more experiments to do. How much do you know about anatomy?” The Guard was beginning to feel light headed, due to blood loss. But when he heard her say something about ‘anatomy’, he tried desperately to drag himself away. The madmare noticed the blood loss and stopped the bleeding with a spell. Her magic mended the ruptured blood vessels and prolonged his life. For now. Then she flipped him over on his back and removed his armor. She pinned him down with a restraining spell. “Let’s begin this lesson.” she said. “In order to properly access the internal organs of the specimen, they must be pinned down securely- so the process will be smooth and easy.” Then, she traced an I-shape on his underside. “Then, once they are secured, you begin the incision. To have maximum access to the organs, a clean cut is necessary. For this demonstration, I will use an I- incision.” She formed a scalpel from a part of his armor with her magic. She then used it to open up the Guard. Despite his training and tolerance for pain, tears began to stream from his eyes. He gritted his teeth, then had an idea. He used his magic to pull out a knife from his unconscious comrade’s armor and throw it at his tormentor. It missed its mark, but still slashed down her right side, and she yelped in surprise and pain. She then looked down at him in rage. “Nopony interrupts my lessons!” she hissed. She picked up the knife and used it to carve out his liver. This was when the Guard realized that he would not make it out alive. Her magic was far superior to his, and she was dissecting him alive. He smiled up at her in a taunting way. She raised an eyebrow, wondering why the sudden change in attitude. Suddenly, a knife flew out of his armor and plunged into his temple with a crunch. He died instantly. She frowned. “Aww... I wanted a live specimen. Oh well, might as well finish this quickly.” She finished her dissection, organizing the organs neatly. The deranged mare set the scalpel down next to the organs, and went over to the unconscious Guard. She performed the same spell she did on Rainbow Dash. Then, she wiped the area clean of any evidence pointing to her. After all of this, she nonchalantly trotted out of the alleyway and went back home The sun would rise soon. But another pony ran away before he could be caught.
Chapter I: GiftCHAPTER I It was a sunny day in Ponyville. The pegasi weather patrols had planned this before a scheduled rainstorm. Nothing was out of the ordinary, except for one package that was delivered to the library. When it arrived, a small purple dragon signed off for it and brought it to his friend(Also a bit of a mother figure). She was a lavender unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. Scholar, Scientist, personal student of the Sun princess Celestia, and bearer of the Element of Magic. She turned the box around, examining it from every angle, trying to find a stamp or address. It had none, other than hers, and it had a ‘return to sender’ sticker on it. “Spike,” she said “did you try to send a package?” He shook his head. “Huh. That’s odd. Either somepony made a mistake, or they want to be anonymous.” she said. Spike smiled and said “What if it’s a surprise gift?” Twilight returned the smile, and began to open the box. “Well, that would be nice. But still, I should open this carefully- just in case.” “Good idea!” After a moment of careful unpacking, they found a smaller box, wrapped like a gift. Sure enough, it was addressed specifically to Twilight. “I guess you were right, Spike. But I don’t see any identification.” “Secret admirer?” Spike said, nudging Twilight. She smiled sheepishly, and replied “Well, I’m not exactly open to a special somepony at the moment, but... It’ll be rude not to even open it.” She proceeded to open the package, and found a simple lab set including some test tubes, stirrers, test tube holders, etc. There was also another small box with a note tied to it. It read: Dear Twilight Sparkle, I know how much you like science and other related subjects, so I decided to give you a special gift- a perfume that you can make yourself!Follow the instructions exactly(I know you will), and you will have your very own custom perfume. Don’t worry, all the ingredients(except for the scent you choose) are included. I hope you enjoy this little gift. From: A friend of a friend. She set down the note, and examined the contents of the smaller box. It contained some sealed containers that were wrapped carefully. They had various substances in them, and were numbered. Number three had a notice. Do NOTspill this gas. It is a very important ingredient. She looked at it closely, and realized that it was glowing slightly. Figuring that it must be some kind of enhancer of sorts, she proceeded to follow the instructions to make the perfume. It took about an hour, and by then it was mid-afternoon. “What if it’s a prank?” Spike said. “Well, I see no hint of a prank. This seems a bit too kind for a joke.” She replied. She sprayed the finished perfume, and smelled it. Daisies. Just how she wanted it. “Anything wrong?” She said, turning around for Spike to examine her for the effects of a prank. “Uhhh... Nope, you’re good.” He answered. “Thats-” she yawned “-good. Well... I’m going to take a nap.” He looked at her quizzically. “But it’s the middle of the afternoon.” Twilight continued walking upstairs. “I just need to catch up on some sleep. I was studying late last night.” Spike shrugged. “Okay, whatever you say.” Twilight laid down in her bed, and fell asleep almost instantly. “Your magic may get weak... Use it whenever you can...” “Hello?” Twilight said. She remembered falling asleep, but woke up here. It was completely black. “Your life depends on the choices you will soon make... The lives of your friends as well... “Who’s there?” Every sound echoed, and it was beginning to creep her out. “Okay, this must be a dream.” Just then, she felt a wave of anxiety and fear. The feelings were unusual, especially since nothing was apparently there to cause them. But as she analyzed this, she had a feeling that something was coming to her. “Even though this is probably just a dream, I have a bad feeling about it...” “Its getting closer... Get away...” “What? What’s getting closer? And who are you?” The feelings of anxiety and fear were growing, and she started to smell something metallic. Kind of like the iron in blood, but a bit more pronounced. “Get away...” “From what!?” She nearly screamed. “Where is it!?” She was now in a panic. The smell was almost overbearing. She used a light spell, but it only barely illuminated a few hoof lengths around her. Now that she could at least see a bit, she noticed that the edges of her vision had blurred. Other than the odd voice, the only sound was her heartbeat and breathing. She held her breath, attempting to listen for whatever was coming towards her. She heard something. It was faint, but steadily getting closer. It was an insect-like clicking, but more gutteral. As if it came from a mammal-like throat. It stopped. “RUN!” She turned around, and saw it. The creature’s body was pony-like, but with some massive differences. It was as tall as Celestia and had legs like an insect, closest to that of a spider. Patches of its skin was covered in a carapace-like structure. What wasn’t carapace was skin, with patches of fur. She looked up to its face. Its bottom jaw was split in the middle, and moving. It has small spines along its skull, and its eyes- Wait. It had no eyes. Yet, somehow, it seemed to stare right at her, empty sockets boring into her. And its teeth were long, sharp, and jagged. Like a predator. “RUN! NOW!” She screamed, and the creature let out a deafening roar. She turned and bolted. She looked behind her, and to her horror, it was in pursuit. And catching up. Her feelings of fear and anxiety seemed to nearly tear her mind apart, and the strange blood-like smell filled her nose and head. The blurring on the edges of her vision spread to an all-out tunnel vision. “Use your magic! Don’t look behind you!” “What!? What spell do I use!?” Then she had an idea. She would teleport. She charged her magic, for it seemed to be weaker, and looked behind her to check the distance. Bad idea. The thing was so close that it was snapping at her tail. When it saw that she was looking, it jumped. She teleported.
Chapter II: VoiceChapter II “Twilight!” “Twilight, wake up!” Suddenly she felt ice cold, and that made her shoot out of bed. “Rainbow Dash! Why did you do that?” Rarity said. “To wake her up, duh! And it worked!” Rainbow replied. Then they all looked at Twilight, who was shivering, wet, and scared out of her mind. “Is ever’thing alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asked. Twilight looked around. She was in her library, surrounded by her friends. “I... I had a horrible dream. It seemed so real...” she said as she curled up on the floor. “There, there. It was only a dream. You’re safe now, with us.” Rarity said as she put a comforting hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “I... Guess you’re right. So, why are you all here?” She asked, slowly getting up. “Well, Spike here said that you were mumblin’, so he went over t’ ya to see what you were mumblin’ about. When he got up here, ya started yellin’. He tried to wake ya up, but you wouldn’t.” “That’s when we came in.” Rarity continued for her. “We came here, wondering where you were, because we had an evening picnic planned. When we came in, you were screaming and Spike was asking us for help!” “They couldn’t wake you up, so I poured a bucket of water on you. Sorry about that.” Rainbow said. “Which was rude, by the way.” Rarity replied. “Well, it worked!” She shot back. “Girls! She’s okay, and that’s what matters.” Applejack shouted, silencing the two mares. “Thanks, all of you. I’ll go to the picnic, just give me about ten minutes to get ready first.” She went over to her mirror, and picked up her brush. It took quite a bit more effort than usual. She froze, realizing something. Oh no. My magic really is weaker. So it wasn’t just a dream... “Twilight? Are ya alright?” Asked as she was about to go downstairs. The others had already gone down. “Applejack, you up there?” Rainbow called up. “Yeah. I’ll be down later, go on to the park.” She replied. “If you say so.” With that, they left the library. Twilight looked in the mirror, and realized how terrified she actually looked. She sighed and said “I just don’t know Applejack. But this is only one dream, so I’ll get over it.” “Okay, but if you need anypony ta talk to, I’ll be here for ya.” “Thanks.” Twilight said as she finished brushing her mane. “So, how about we go to that picnic?” Applejack smiled. “That’s the spirit.” In Canterlot, Celestia was meeting with a group of representatives. It was going as usual, talking about taxes, projects, some new ideas, etc. That normalcy was interrupted by somepony trotting in and whispering into Celestia’s ear. “We are missing a sample of the Plague.” He said simply. Her eyes widened momentarily, but she quickly regained composure. She faced the representatives and said “This meeting will have to be postponed until tomorrow. Something has occurred that required my immediate attention.” They all got up and left the room, leaving her alone with the messenger. She turned to him and asked “Are you sure it’s missing? No mistake in inventory?” “We are absolutely sure. Only three samples of the plague are kept- for safety reasons. Now, we only have two.” “And which plague is this?” He cleared his throat. “The Mageonic Plague.” The news hit Celestia like a train. This plague caused madness in ponies. It usually began with unicorns, but was known to be opportunistic. Back when it was discovered, she was lucky enough to isolate it before it caused a near extinction of ponykind. “Keep this low-profile. I don’t want to start a panic. Alert the Guards, and tell them to search for symptoms.” “Yes, your highness.” He said, bowing. He then left the room, relaying the message. After the picnic, the six ponies and Spike headed home. It was well into the night, and they spent their time eating, playing around, going to the spa, and having an overall good time. They had all become very tired, and Spike had even fell asleep on Twilight’s back on the way home. She was feeling much better now, dismissing the dream as just a nightmare. But something still felt wrong. She could almost feel it in the back of her head. When they got home, she set Spike down in his bed. Then she noticed something. She was still having difficulty with her magic. She reasoned with herself that she may just need to work on it to make it work better. So instead of going to bed(like she wanted to so badly), she decided to reorganize the books. She went downstairs, emptied the bookcases, and proceeded to organize them in various ways. First, she sorted them by weight, then color, then size, and finally back to their original order. She now felt something odd about her magic. Every time she used it, the strange feeling in the back of her head seemed to slightly increase. She dismissed it as just being tired, for it was now well past midnight. She went to bed, but no matter how tired she was, she just couldn’t sleep. So, she got up and looked for a solution. After a while of searching, she found a small book titled Simple Spells for Restless Sleepers. She looked within it, and found the perfect spell. She cast it, and trotted quickly upstairs. She was asleep as soon as she laid down. “Hello again. I see that you think this is just a dream.” “What!? Who are you?” Twilight said. “That’s not important right now.” “Yes it is! If you are giving me nightmares and messing with my magic, then it’s pretty important.” “Not now. And I just want to help.” She began feeling afraid again. Like last time. “Oh nonono! Not again! Why are you doing this!?” “I’m not doing this. That creature is the embodiment of your flaws, your fears, and everything negative within you.” “What? How?” She could now smell the strange scent. “Remember Discord? He was the embodiment of Chaos. If he exists, then why not the sins of ponykind?” The fear and scent were getting stronger. “That does make sense...” She could hear the creature getting closer. “You had better get some light. You need to get away!” “No. This is just a dream. Nothing can hurt me, especially if I can’t even see it.” “Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean that it isn’t there.” “I know. But as I said before, this is just a dream. It can’t hurt me.” She now heard it right behind her. The scent filled her lungs, and she felt its breath. “Unluckily for you, this isn’t just a dream.” She shrieked in both surprise and pain as she felt its sharp teeth closing around her neck. Twilight woke up in a cold sweat. That dream... I actually felt pain... She thought. Then, she felt a warm fluid around her. She shot out of bed, racing to her mirror. Oh no! I’m injured in real life too! She lit up her horn to look in the mirror. No wounds. She breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately went to change her bedsheets. Nopony was going to find out that she had wet her bed. As she carried the sheets to be washed, she felt nervous. Every time something seemed to move, she flinched. If this happens again, I must tell Celestia. She may know what to do. After cleaning the bed sheets and bed, she tried to go back to sleep. However, she was too afraid of what her dreams may bring. According to the clock, it’s four A.M. Maybe I can do some research of recurring nightmares, I might find something useful. “Twilight, how long have you been up?” Spike asked as he walked drowsily downstairs. She was surrounded by her ‘organized chaos’ of books. “I’ve been up since four.” She replied. “Why?” She sighed. “I had another nightmare. I’m sure its just coincidence, but I want to learn whatever I can to prevent another one.” “Umm... Twilight?” “What?” “Are you okay?” He asked. Spike looked at her with a worried expression. “Of course I am!” She replied. “It’s just a dream. What makes you think I’m not okay?” “Well... it’s just that... you look linda out of it. Should I get some help?” Then a thought crept into her head. No. That will only cause trouble. They will think you’re crazy, and might lock you up. “No, Spike. I’m fine.” She said, as she smiled and returned to her research. This won’t help. Her thought said. Of course it will! Twilight thought back. Okay, you can try. I know that you won’t find anything useful. Oh, and by the way- you’d better exercise your magic. I won’t forget. Heh, it's like I’m talking to myself, except I’m thinking to myself! What a wonder the subconscious is. Twilight smiled again, and continued her search for information. Meanwhile, Spike observed her from the other side of the room, feeling a mixture of worry and confusion. Ever since she had that first nightmare, she seemed more... Distant. Spaced out. And maybe a bit crazy. If this gets worse, I probably should get a doctor for her. But I really hope that this is nothing. He thought. Twilight’s mane was slightly disheveled, and she seemed quite cheerful for a pony who has recently suffered from a series of nightmares and a lack of sleep. She was actually humming as she went through the books around her. I don’t want her to go through another ’tardy’ incident... Spike thought. Little did he know, her sanity was slipping. For real this time. I told you that you wouldn’t find anything to cure your nightmares. But look at that book, it seems interesting. Twilight accepted the ‘voice’ in her head as either her conscience or that ‘helpful voice’ in the back of her head. It seemed friendly, and was very helpful. For example, it focused on other things for her while she was busy doing something. She read, it planned lunch. She made lunch, it reminded her of plans and tasks. “Okay, I’ll look at the book. Wow, Spells of the Mind, Volume II. Dreams and memories. That really does seem interesting! Thanks!” She said aloud. You’re welcome. I’m glad to help. It replied. Twilight smiled. As she read the book of spells, she had the feeling of being watched. Top bookshelf to the left. Equestrian history. Rainbow Dash is there. Without even looking up from the book, Twilight said “Rainbow, unless you want to read some Equestrian History, get down from there.” “What?” Rainbow Dash said. “How did you know I was there?” “Hey, how did you know?” Twilight asked. Because I am a part of your mind, I can use spells. You felt as if you were being watched, so I used a detection spell. It replied. “Oh, ok. Thanks.” “How did I know wha- huh? I just asked you that!” Rainbow said. “I wasn’t talking to you!” Twilight shot back. I know why she’s here. “Then who are you talking to?” Spike sent her to spy on you. “None of your business, Rainbow!” He thought you were going crazy, remember? “Well, there’s nopony else here!” See? They just want to find a reason to put you away. “Get out! And tell Spike not to send anypony else here to spy on me!” Dash went silent. Twilight was frustrated and confused with all the voices going on at the same time. She had had enough of this situation. “I’m on to you! You all think I’m crazy, but I am not! Just get out now, before I show you crazy!” Rainbow didn’t move. She just stood and stared at Twilight, shocked. Let me handle this, I’ll deal with it. Just give me control. “Have it your way.” Twilight said. She suddenly felt as if she were pulled back into her own mind, into a darkness. Then, her eyes opened. She felt herself grin malevolently, but it wasn’t her. Whatever it was that was in her head now controlled her body- and she allowed it.
Chapter III: Madmare from a NightmareChapter III Everything seemed odd. She felt as if she was in a dream, yet awake. Her body moved on its own. It cast a spell. Rainbow fell. It set her on top of a bookshelf that wasn’t built into the wall. Then, it tipped the bookshelf over to make it look accidental. It called over some help. They took Rainbow to the hospital, and thanked ‘Twilight’. After they left, it released her. She shot forward. She fell forward, onto her face. Her balance was off because of the ‘forward motion’ of regaining control over her body. “What did you do that for!?” She asked. It was necessary. “I never wanted to hurt her!” It was only a concussion, not severe enough to cause any harm rather than unconsciousness. I added a spell to fog up her memory as well, so you wouldn’t be discovered. “Hmm... well... okay. If it was necessary.” Just then, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy came in. “What happened to RD?” Applejack said. Play along. It was an accident, and she was being reckless. Twilight kept her look of worry. “She was on top of the bookshelf over there,” she gestured to the one that Rainbow was on earlier, which was now on the floor with books scattered around “I really don’t know why. But she fell off and fell on her head.” “Why didn’t she use her wings?” Pinkie asked. “She probably wasn’t expecting to fall off. Remember, Rainbow Dash gets in accidents all the time, she’ll be fine.” Rarity answered. “Umm... Twilight?” Fluttershy said quietly. “Hm?” “Are you okay?” She’s suspicious. “Of course I am, except for the fact that Rainbow is unconscious in the hospital, and I have to fix this shelf. Is something wrong?” “Well, no... It’s just that...” Play nice, remember that you didn’t have enough sleep last night. “It’s okay. I didn’t get much sleep last night, either.” “Was it another nightmare?” “Unfortunately, yes. But I think it’s just coincidence. I will definitely worry if it happens again. But for now, let’s check up on Rainbow.” They agreed and left the library, heading to the hospital where their friend was admitted to. Twilight, however, was nervous the whole time. As a matter of fact, she had lied about the worrying, for she already worried deeply about the nightmares- they just seemed so real. But could she tell her friends? No, she thought this isn’t something they can help with. I don’t want to burden them with it. Little by little, her mind began to deteriorate. The four mares had arrived at the hospital, and were allowed to see their friend. Rainbow had been unconscious for about two hours, and had just awoken. But, when they entered the room, they found their previously fearless friend curled up in a fetal position in the bed. “What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked nervously. “I- I had a nightmare...” She said, shaking. They looked at each other worriedly. “What about, if I may ask?” Rarity said. She explained, and to Twilight’s horror, it was very similar to her recent strain of dreams. Fluttershy was on the verge of tears, Rarity almost fainted, Applejack stared in disbelief, Pinkie’s almost constant smile disappeared completely, and Twilight stared blankly. “That’s... almost exactly the same as my dreams...” she muttered. Everypony turned to her. Uh oh... What do I do? She thought. Give me control, and I’ll handle it. Don’t worry, nopony will get hurt. Uhh... okay. She felt the pulling sensation again, but this time it was smoother and she could observe more clearly. It turned to the petrified pegasus. “Rainbow,” It said “just pick up the lantern and listen to the voice. It will help you.” They all looked at her strangely, then Rainbow said “Okay... thanks.” After this, they said their farewells and turned to leave. That was when Twilight noticed something. The most likely reason why they all looked at her strangely, and she saw it in the mirror. Her eyes. They had gone from their natural deep purple color to a slightly lighter version, with a reddish tint. Her head turned to Rainbow, and she was surprised to see her staring intently- as if she was searching for a memory. After a few moments, she shrugged it off and turned over in her bed. Twilight regained control, and her eyes switched back to their normal color. She went home. When she arrived, she noticed Spike there, doing some chores. He eyed her suspiciously and worryingly. She returned the suspicious side. After a tense day, they retired to their beds and welcomed the much-needed embrace of sleep. “Remember last night?” “Yes.” Twilight said as she lit up her horn. “Good, good. You’re learning.” “So what’s the point of this?” “Don’t ask me, I didn’t make it.” “Well, since you seem to be helping, then what advice do you have?” “For when you’re here or awake?” “Either.” “For here, just try to escape. When you’re awake... well... be wary of these ‘friends’ of yours.” “Why should I be wary of them?” “Didn’t you see how quickly they turned on you? Just a bit of bad dreams and lack of sleep- then they are immediately suspicious! Remember the spying and mistrust?” “Yes, but what if they’re trying to help?” “Then they’d be more open and honest with you. The only one that I would trust is Applejack, she can’t lie. But still be careful.” “But...” She started, trying to find reasons to defend her friends. Unfortunately, she couldn’t think of any that didn’t have a negative side to it. “I- I guess you’re right...” “I’m sorry, but some things don’t last forever. Wait- RUN! GET AWAY!” “Huh? What-” She turned around to see what was there, but the creature leapt out of the darkness and tackled her to the ground, pinning her down. She was too involved in her conversation to notice it creeping up behind her. Instead of biting her like last time, it spoke. “I will come for you. In your physical world.” It said in her voice, but multi toned. “H- how?” She squeaked. “Through you, Twilight.” It spread its split jaws wide in a loud roar. Twilight screamed in terror and squirmed around, trying to escape the monstrosity’s grasp. The creature brought one of its spidery legs down on her abdomen, impaling her. Her screams were stopped suddenly as she looked down in shock. A moment later, she felt the pain, then gasped, gnashing her teeth in agony. The creature pulled its leg out and brought its head down to the wound. It then began to eat her alive. Meanwhile, outside of her dreams, her body lay in bed. Seemingly asleep. Once Spike was definitely sleeping, she got up. She grabbed a cloak and headed outside. It had rained earlier, and tomorrow was planned to be a long, rainy day. She looked down at a puddle. She saw her reddish-purple eyes staring back. Twilight won’t be the same after this dream. She thought. But while she’s gone, I might as well do a bit of exploring. And maybe have some fun while I’m at it. She trotted down the streets, familiarizing herself with the town. Most of the ponies were sleeping, but some had late-night business to take care of. One unusual thing, though, was the occasional Royal Guard. Why are they here? And what are they looking for? She thought. Curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to follow a pair of them, to figure out what they were searching for. “So, what are the symptoms again?” asked one of the Guards, an Earth pony. The other, a Unicorn, pulled out a scroll. “Multiple personalities, recurring nightmares, paranoia, and in more advanced cases, insanity, violence, and a change in eye color.” “No wonder this is top-priority. What does it infect?” “Uhh...” he looked around the scroll. “Unicorns. But the Captain says ‘take no chances’.” The Earth pony Guard put a hoof on the other’s shoulder. “Wait- I think we have a visitor.” He gestured towards the direction of Twilight, and they both began to trot slowly towards her hiding place. There was nowhere else to go, and if she tried to run, they would give chase. I don’t think she is physically strong, so let’s try magic... she thought, as she stood up and fired a stun spell at the Guards. it struck one of them and he fell to the ground, unconscious. She’s very adept with spells, this will prove very useful. The other Guard stepped back and tried to call for assistance, but he felt something grab his throat. It was pulling him towards the cloaked pony. He tried to yell again, but the telekinesis prevented this by constricting his throat. He looked up at the stranger, and saw a lavender Unicorn mare with reddish-purple eyes. She stared at him coldly “Looking for me?”she said in a slightly multi toned voice. His eyes widened. She matched the description of the plague almost perfectly. He tried yet again to call for help, but the grip on his throat tightened. It was beginning to sting. “Nah ah aah, no yelling.” she said in a sarcastic way. “As a matter of fact , no talking at all!” She gave his throat a sharp pull with her magic, tearing out his vocal chords. The Guard gnashed his teeth in pain as blood flowed out of his throat, and some dribbling out of his mouth. “Wow, this host is powerful. Let’s see just how powerful, shall we?” she said, smiling playfully. He shook his head and tried to run away. She caught his two back legs in her telekinetic grip and broke them. He grunted in pain, for that was the only sound he could make. “Why are you leaving? We haven’t even started yet! As my host might say; we have plenty more experiments to do. How much do you know about anatomy?” The Guard was beginning to feel light headed, due to blood loss. But when he heard her say something about ‘anatomy’, he tried desperately to drag himself away. The madmare noticed the blood loss and stopped the bleeding with a spell. Her magic mended the ruptured blood vessels and prolonged his life. For now. Then she flipped him over on his back and removed his armor. She pinned him down with a restraining spell. “Let’s begin this lesson.” she said. “In order to properly access the internal organs of the specimen, they must be pinned down securely- so the process will be smooth and easy.” Then, she traced an I-shape on his underside. “Then, once they are secured, you begin the incision. To have maximum access to the organs, a clean cut is necessary. For this demonstration, I will use an I- incision.” She formed a scalpel from a part of his armor with her magic. She then used it to open up the Guard. Despite his training and tolerance for pain, tears began to stream from his eyes. He gritted his teeth, then had an idea. He used his magic to pull out a knife from his unconscious comrade’s armor and throw it at his tormentor. It missed its mark, but still slashed down her right side, and she yelped in surprise and pain. She then looked down at him in rage. “Nopony interrupts my lessons!” she hissed. She picked up the knife and used it to carve out his liver. This was when the Guard realized that he would not make it out alive. Her magic was far superior to his, and she was dissecting him alive. He smiled up at her in a taunting way. She raised an eyebrow, wondering why the sudden change in attitude. Suddenly, a knife flew out of his armor and plunged into his temple with a crunch. He died instantly. She frowned. “Aww... I wanted a live specimen. Oh well, might as well finish this quickly.” She finished her dissection, organizing the organs neatly. The deranged mare set the scalpel down next to the organs, and went over to the unconscious Guard. She performed the same spell she did on Rainbow Dash. Then, she wiped the area clean of any evidence pointing to her. After all of this, she nonchalantly trotted out of the alleyway and went back home The sun would rise soon. But another pony ran away before he could be caught.
