Dreamquake

"Keep moving Twilight, we have to hurry,"

"This doesn't make sense, what was that thing?"

"It is known as the darkness by those who have seen it,"

"Well I gathered that its dark, but what is it?"

"Keep moving don't stray,"

Tossing and turning, lost in a nightmare that was, ultimately, her own faltering memories. Ruffling the maroon sheets of her small bed. Cries of terror and fury, reduced to silent mumbling, escaped her lips. Her muscles shook violently, every few moments brought about more spastic convulsions. Her body was burning from the exertion. Her memories deteriorated rapidly, like sand falling through the hourglass, images and voices from her past surged around her before being lost to an endless void.

"M-my head it hurts... So bad, why... Agh!"

"Twilight focus, we're almost there. Have... To... Keep moving!"

"W-wait, where are we going? Who are you?"

"No, damn it, it's seen us! Twilight you don't remember me, and soon you won't remember yourself. But you have to trust me."

Soon her movements began to slow. Her body settled, and her groans were silenced. Sweat beaded on her forehead, the rise and fall of her purple coated chest slowed. Her breathing returned to normal, her heart rate dropped back to that of somepony enjoying a peaceful sleep, and the nightmares halted. The salty tears streaming down the side of her face, and the drop of scarlet blood leaking down from one of her nostrils were the only signs left of her recent pain.

Twilight's eyes snapped open, the dark ceiling above filled her vision. Her body ached, and her mind throbbed. The room felt as though it were spinning. Where was she? Laying there for a long while, she tried to get a grip on what was happening. She couldn't seem to be able to hold a thought in her head for more than a few moments. Her body felt like it was tearing itself apart; her limbs, head, and stomach all felt like they were trying to escape from her. She tried painfully to raise herself up, but the protesting of her muscles defeated her. The spinning eventually slowed, and she felt some measure of strength returning. Finally she was able to sit up. Blinking a few times she took in her surroundings, which were completely unfamiliar. She was in a small, dark room that was barren, save for the bed and a small table just to her right. A cluster of writing quills, ink wells, note cards, and scrolls scattered across its surface. Across from the bed was a closed wooden door, dim light could be seen from beneath it. Her breath came out as a white mist, disappearing after a few moments and causing her to notice the chill. A musty scent clung to the air, and the silence was deafening.

Her head was pounding, pain reverberated through her skull with every beat of her heart. Where was she? She thought hard, trying to remember where she was or how she had gotten there. Her mind was swimming in an ocean of confusion, she couldn't recall anything. Fear gripped her heart, something was wrong though she couldn't remember what. All her thoughts seemed to slip through her grasp like water, all except one thing: Twilight Sparkle, she knew it to be her name somehow. Though she could not recall anyone ever using it, and wasn't even sure who she was beyond that. A deep curiosity burned in her. She had to find out what was going on, where she was, who she was, and she had to find out now. She swung her hind legs off of the bed, and lowered herself to the floor. She landed on four shaking legs, it felt like she hadn't got out of bed in a year. She made her way to the door, her hooves clicking lightly on the wooden floor.

Upon reaching the door a strange sensation took hold, a tingling in her forehead. It felt... Good, like the purpose of her existence was physically manifesting itself. But what was it? Soon enough the horn on her head began glowing with soft magenta light. The door handle was similarly coated in a aura as Twilight instinctively used her latent magical powers, pulling the door wide open. Soft, flickering candle light from a hall way poured into the room. Twilight scoffed tapping the pointed object jutting out of her head. "I didn't know I had a horn!" She exclaimed excitedly. "Or, that I could use magic." That word: Magic, it meant something to her. She couldn't say why, but it sparked mixed emotions of pride and sorrow within her. The new feelings startled her, but her head only throbbed when she tried to remember what would bring up these emotions. She decided it better to not dwell on what she couldn't remember, so she slowly made her way into the hallway. Unknown to the purple pony, the candle light flooding into the room was just bright enough to illuminate something above the bed she awoke in. The word: Goodbye, scrawled in the dark crimson of dried blood on the wall.

As she entered the hall, the sound of wind howling and the heavy drumming of rain on the roof assaulted Twilight's ears. She looked to the ceiling "That's strange," She said aloud, the sound of her voice was unfamiliar to her. " I would've been able to hear that from my..."  She trailed off as she turned back to face the room, and found the door gone. The frame filled now with weathered bricks, as if it had been sealed off for years. "How?" she breathed, her breaths becoming more heavy as fear set in. She began backing away from the entrance to the room. She turned and set off at a quick pace down the candle lit hall. The passage continued for a long while before ending in a long, winding staircase. The sound of the storm grew louder closer to the stair well. Twilight stood at the top of the stairs. She took a deep breath and placed a shaking hoof on the first step, which creaked loudly.

She slowly made her way down the groaning steps. Her muscles burned, and pain throbbed dully behind her eyes. The air grew colder and more humid as she approached the bottom of the winding stairs. Finally her hooves touched the wooden floor. In front of her was a doorway, and beyond it: darkness, the sound of hammering rain, and a shrieking gale. A large lantern hung from an iron hook on the wall by the door. Twilight clasped her teeth around the lanterns handle, and slowly raised it off its mounting.

Lantern in mouth, Twilight made her way slowly into the next room. The icy breeze assaulted her face as she passed into the darkened place. Her light illuminated a large aura around her, revealing the chaotic mess of what she assumed was a living room. The wooden floorboards groaned with each of her steps. The floor was scattered with shards of broken glass, and wooden splinters. Drips of rain water seeped down from above, in some places it poured openly through holes blasted in the ceiling. Twilight carefully traversed the destroyed room. Soon her lantern cast its light on a door. The slab of wood was opening slightly and slamming back in place rhythmically, and it hung lazily on only one of its twin hinges.

Twilight tugged the door open wide, inviting in the full force of the storm. The wind and rain blasted her face, whipping her mane up around her. She clenched her eyes shut, and covered her face with a hoof. The sound of papers scattering resounded throughout the room. Twilight wearily made her way out into the furious night. The atmosphere of the place she found herself in was the deepest gloom she could possibly imagine (though she could not recall anything to compare it too.) A full moon hung high in the sky, piercing a haze of dark gray storm clouds that wept freezing tears down upon her. The area around her was doused in soft silver light. A strange fog blanketed her surrounding; the mist was light enough to see through, but it seemed to distort the forms that were viewed behind it. Trees and what appeared to be small one or two story buildings in the distance seemed to move, growing and shrinking ever so slightly with every blink of her eyes. Her hooves clacked audibly above the wind on a slick, moist cobblestone pathway.

She made her way onto a dirt road, turned to slick mud from the relentless downpour. Scanning back and forth she took notice of many buildings lined up against one another. All the windows of the buildings were dark, and most of them had been shattered. This was a city, or a village, she couldn't be sure how big it was. Twilight explored the streets of the unfamiliar town, searching for signs of life. The light of her lantern illuminated the path before her. By now she was shivering from the icy assault, and her body was thoroughly soaked. Soon a large tree came into view breaking the fog, it sat in the middle of a large clearing. Suddenly overwhelming joy exploded inside of her heart. Pride and happiness swelled her chest at the sight of the tree. Why? Her pace increased and she headed toward the odd landmark. Whatever it was, she knew it. She couldn't remember why, but it was the most important thing in the world right now. And then something happened she would never have guessed. Several spots on the massive tree lit up, as thought they had caught fire.

Fear attacked Twilight, and she began running frantically toward the tree. Pain surged through her muscles as she sped nearer, and nearer. But as she got closer she saw the lights were not fire, but windows. Glass windows, in the tree, like it was some sort of house. Which meant someone was inside. Twilight continued running, fear replaced by eagerness at finding somepony else. One of her hooves crashed against a rock, causing her to tumble down onto the road. She landed hard in the sticky mud. The lantern in her teeth slipped out and went sailing through the air ahead of her. The bright light smashed against the ground, causing it's mostly glass form to shatter. The rain quickly quenched the flame. Twilight cursed herself for being so clueless. Now, with only moonlight to guide her, Twilight picked herself up wearily. She was frigid to her bones, which ached dreadfully.

With mud clinging to her coat Twilight slowly resumed her walk to the tree-house ahead, taking extra care not to step on any glass from the broken lantern. Twilight finally found herself standing out front of the huge structure. A sign hung on the trunk near a large door, reading: Golden Oaks Library. The door itself had a lit candle carved into its surface. But Twilight's attention was pulled toward a symbol on the door. Marked in what appeared to be red paint, was an hourglass at the center of a large X and at the canter of it all: an eye. Twilight tapped the door three times with her hoof before calling out "Hello, anypony here? I'm sorry, I know it's late, but I need help," for a moment she thought her voice had gone unheard, and she raised her hoof to knock again. Suddenly the door gave a loud creak as it slid open slightly.

"Come in little one." A deep bass voice said from within the house. The voice was soft and soothing, but she felt a strong mistrust brewing. She pulled the door fully open slowly. The warmth, and the light flooding out were so inviting. She wasted no time in entering the library. The door slammed shut behind her, causing Twilight to jump and give a startled shout. Once inside she felt like she would soon regret her decision to enter. Something was wrong with this place.

The fist room was very bright, each wall was home to dozens of books, tomes, and scrolls held on shelves. Everything was organized to perfection, not a book out of place, or a single ruffle in the rug on the floor. Even the roar of the storm was silenced by this place. It was heavenly, welcoming, and warm. It was perfect, too perfect. A tiny voice in the back of Twilight's mind begged her to turn back and run from this place. But her curiosity was piqued, and she was going to get the answers she needed.

"Hello. Please, I don't know where I am," She called out. She was starting to get nervous, who had spoken earlier?

"Down here," the deep voice said. She turned to face the sounds origin. A tunnel was built into the eastern wall, with a flight of stairs running downward through it.

"Oh, thank goodness. I just need somewhere to sleep tonight, until this storm blows over," she said with a shaking voice. As she started taking the flight of stairs downward, the voice in her head was now shrieking at her to leave this place and never return. Twilight was shakily making her way down the winding steps that seemed to never end. When the voice responded

"Of course my dear, yes just a little closer," a humorous tone could be heard in it's voice. Twilight slowed, she didn't want to be here anymore. "There's nothing to fear, Twilight," her blood turned to ice, and she stopped dead in her tracks.

"H-how d-d-do you know my name?" She spoke in a horrified whisper. The air was split by a deafeningly loud roar, a noise that sounded like it came from ten ferocious predators at once! The entire building shook violently as the creature sang out. All the lights in the house were blown out suddenly. Twilight screamed in terror. She turned and began sprinting up the stairs as fast as her weary legs would carry her. She risked a quick look over her shoulder at the top of the stairs. The whole library had become dark, but downstairs; it was blacker than pitch. Hovering in the center of the blackness were two, blood red eyes. The menacing slits bore into her as they made their way up. Twilight's heart was beating faster than she thought possible, her eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks with fear.

Turning away from the horror, she hurried back into the main room of the library. The building continued to quake, an angry red glow that seemed to seep outward from the walls bathed the room. The once overly peaceful library was now a blasted hell scape! Spires of rock ripped upward through the now rotting wooden floor. Books leapt from shelves on their own, catching fire and incinerating themselves before they struck the ground. All across the walls, that strange symbol on the front door was printed. The runes pulsed with light like the rhythm of a heartbeat. Twilight frantically searched back and forth for the exit. A horrific, searing pain burned in her skull.

Twilight located the door on the other side of the chaotic room. She ran as fast as she could, ducking and dodging the earth spikes erupting from beneath her, and the occasional burning book sailing through the air. Tendrils of black smoke appeared along the walls, slithering and snaking their way toward her. Two massive tentacles emerged beside the door, they coiled around each other forming a wall of shadow. Twilight skidded to a halt, her exit now blocked. Another terrible growl assaulted her ears. She turned to face the beast that had emitted the sound. A black cloud now streamed openly from the stair well, at its center were the bloody red eyes, and a gaping maw filled with gleaming silver teeth. The pounding in her head became to much to bear. Her legs grew weak, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Her knees quickly gave out, and she toppled to the ground. All the terrible forces in the room began moving towards her. Her vision blurred, and her hearing began to falter. Her ears were filled with a high pitch ringing as all other sounds were drown out.

Maddening fear and swirling confusion were all she could feel. Why was this happening? Why did she have to come into this nightmare? She couldn't move, or close her eyes, all she could do was watch. Watch as the Shadowed monstrosity glided towards her, blood dripping from its enormous maw. And the more she looked at it, the more she could feel her mind burning. She managed to give one last, pained shriek of terror, as the creature lunged forward. Taking her life in one swift stroke.