She panted as she ran down the slippery slope, galloping as fast as her hooves could possibly carry her. Staring ahead, too frightened to look behind, she continued at full speed, barely heeding the loose rocks that threatened to free her footing. Whatever was giving chase was well on her heels, causing her further panic with each galloping step.
Luna had no idea what hid in the roaring darkness that followed behind her by mere inches, but every instinct she possessed continued to propel her forward. There was nothing specifically material she found to fear when she first encountered it, but it immediately instilled such an intense, burning horror in her that she dared not stand and wait for it to reach her.
Often, it would be accompanied by a cacophonous fracas, an insane blend who's presence was more than mere sound, but an almost tangible, material presence in the air. Luna came to fear the chilling shock of adrenaline the irate screeches would carry from afar, similar to the high-pitched yells of wild animals, or the harsh shrill of some string instrument being horribly violated. The taste of blood was palpable on her tongue. Her heart throbbed increasingly harder in her throat in the presence of these noises. The sounds sent chills up her spine every time they sounded.
On the rare occasion that the shadow managed to catch up and begin to overcome her, blasts of bass would suddenly sound, which served another purpose entirely, inducing panic of a different nature. The resonance of these periodic booms would, for only an instant, drop her panic into a state of sheer helplessness. Her heart would stop, her pace would halt, allowing her an instant to fully realize her fear, before once more struggling to return to her galloping.
She continued her overstressed pace for several more minutes before the shadow slowed to an almost immediate stop, and vanished all together. This would happen arbitrarily. This dark presence was unpredictable, breaking in to give chase to the fearful alicorn at the most trying of moments, and minutes later, dissipating on the spot, leaving no signs of its existence aside from Luna's frantic hoof prints.
As the shadow disappeared, it took with it all the strange and unruly sounds it carried. This came to Luna's great relief, as she could finally stop for a moment to catch her breath. She found herself at the bottom of the nearly-endless hill, near what appeared to be a lake shore. She looked up this loose slope she had just hazarded, heaving for breath. She also finally had the chance to notice the tears in her eyes. Wiping her eyes with a hoof, Luna looked around the horizon for something of interest. Anything.
"Where am I, now?" she questioned aloud. It came to be a common question for her, and one to which she grew accustomed not favoring a reply. She looked in each direction, as far as she could see.
The sky to this place was a dark, depressing blend of grays in constant motion, as if the clouds were fighting amongst themselves. Off in the distance, signs of strong winds were evident, shifting large amounts of dust and water. Not noting anything of particular interest, she decided to walk along the shore for a while, away from the apparent storm.
Her fortune of solitude lasted longer than she had expected. Several hours seemed to pass as she simply walked, musing to herself about her situation, something she hadn't been free to do for quite some time. She considered, once again, the gravity of the situation, and the cause of her current despair. "Pinkie Pie..." Luna spoke as she stopped in place, head hung low. A tear fell to the rocky ground beneath her. "I'm sorry. I wish I could take it back."
It's pointless.
Luna cringed as these words reached her ears. Another of the many strange occurrences of this world was the inexplicable, and unpredictable voice she found often speaking to her. Luna had recognized the voice from early on. It sounded as if Pinkie Pie herself was speaking to her, though in a forced, raspy voice. And it was never a welcomed guest.
The past cannot be changed. It was you who killed her. She died by your hoof!
"No!" Luna closed her eyes tight and shook her head frantically, her tears beginning to run faster down her muzzle. "It wasn't me! I couldn't control it!"
But it was you! YOU bred the darkness inside of you! It was YOUR anger that killed Pinkie Pie!
"NO, NO, NO! It WASN'T me! It was Nightmare Mo--" Luna lifted her head in argument, and opened her eyes to a sight that sent chills down her spine.
The entire landscape had utterly vanished. She was once again in the void, a 'nightmare void' as she had begun referring to it. Everything within sight was now gone, with one exception: In the distance, perhaps a kilometer away, stood a faint figure, with an unmistakably pink coat and mane.
Luna stood frozen in fear. Her heart stopped. Her blood ran cold. The taste of copper sat heavy on her tongue. Every instinct within her told her to run away, but her body was bound. She could not will it to turn and run.
You know you deserve this, right? The figure continued to whisper through the darkness as it quickly approached. You don't deserve their kindness. You don't deserve their respect! YOU DON'T DESERVE THEIR LOVE! This terrible creature was quickly closing the gap between itself and Luna, and she could do nothing to stop it.
Come on, Luna thought to herself, move! Move!! She stared as the figure galloped ever closer, able to do nothing more than watch through her fearful tears. Why can't I do anything?!
The figure was nearly within reach now, still coming full speed.
All you deserve...
It came to a full stop only inches from the terrified mare's face, with a devilish grin... is me.
The figure stared into her eyes, and the sight was nothing short of horrific. This gruesome figure was, indeed, Pinkie Pie. But she looked as if she had been dead for years. Her pristine, pink mane was badly faded and filthy, stained of dirt and mold. Entire chunks of flesh had been removed, conceivably devoured by the worms and maggots that could be seen writhing beneath her skin. Her mane and tail, once a beautiful collection of Magenta curls, now nothing more than a cacophonous collection of straight and tangled strands patched by bald spots.
Her face was no longer the cute little muzzle she was remembered for. Instead, the front of her shout was missing, apparently rotted off, leaving only the bone poking through rotted brown flesh. Even her teeth showed signs of decay. Several were missing, and the ones that remained were chipped and stained different shades of brown, yellow, and even black.
What horrified Luna the most, though, were her eyes. She remembered those big, beautiful, blue eyes; eyes that could halt anypony's lowered mood, and cheer them up almost immediately. Now, instead, her sockets were empty, filled with an almost tangible darkness, as black as the void that surrounded the two ponies. It threatened to overflow from Pinkie's skull, balled and dripping like a thick goo through her eyelids. And in the middle of that darkness, staring into Luna, were two small red irises, burning with an impossibly dark crimson, dark, yet shining through the blackness.
Luna could feel the tension in the mare's stare, the pain, the anger, the sadness and regret, misery, obsession, and vengeance. The wave of emotions was more than the poor mare could bare. She stared into the dark orbs in front of her, her eyes streaming tears unhindered, her mind breaking under the weight of this panic.
Tell me, Luna, the whisper continued, though Pinkie's figure did not speak, how does death feel? Can you stand the sight of me? Pinkie's Cheshire cat-like grin widened further as she leaned in, closing the gap. "Hee-hee-hee..." Pinkie Pie's figure visably laughed, finally making an audible action. She then raised her hooves up to the princess's cheeks, mashing their filth into her fur. "We're gonna have fun," she whispered in a quiet rasp, "aren't we, Luna?" Luna could do nothing but watch in agony, enduring the scene.
Without warning, Pinkie lunged toward Luna, her mouth opening in an instant to an impossible width, threatening to devour the alicorn whole. Luna managed to turn, finally released from the grip of darkness, and ran without hesitation. She galloped furiously, eyes clamped shut, desperate to escape the figure she could feel giving chase. After a moment she dared to open them, and found herself back on the rocky shore.
She looked in all directions to see where Pinkie Pie might be, and continued running until she found an alcove off the shore. As she slowed and tried to calm herself, she looked inside to see if it might be safe. After a little exploration, she settled into the hole, and curled into a corner, listening intently for anything that might threaten her reprieve.
After a moment, Luna recalled what had happened in its entirety. The sickening clarity of it all turned her stomach, and she would have vomited if there were any contents to release.
Pinkie's eyes looked purely demonic, and remembering all the emotions they instilled in her drove the alicorn to tears. She recalled the filth covering Pinkies mane, then her hooves. Luna's own hooves shot up to her face in shock and fear. She rubbed for a moment, seeing if there was any filth caked into her fur. Not feeling any signs of it, she pulled them away to see for herself. Again, there was no sign of the blood or dirt that was rubbed onto her earlier.
Finally, after a moment of staring at her hoof, Luna broke down into tears, burying her muzzle beneath her hooves. "Pinkie Pie, I'm so sorry," she began sobbing. "I never wanted to hurt you..." Luna wished she could take it all back. She wished Pinkie were alive again. She wished she were alive again.
Luna was truly stuck in hell, and could do nothing to stop the damage it inflicted.
