Chapter 1 - Nightmare Within a Nightmare
Nightmare Within a Nightmare
Twilight. Twilight! Twilight!? Twilight...
Her name rang through her head like a bean being shaken in a tin can. Sounds and screams of ponies galloping at full speed resonated through the harsh groans and shrieks of creatures unknown. She kept her eyes clenched shut, adamant not to view the horrors that surrounded her. She was afraid, dizzy, confused, unsure of what had happened, how this had come to be.
The world seemed to close in, pressing down, suffocating her with its weight as she huddled on the ice cold floor. The blood curdling screams and shouting that filled the air was flushed out by deafening static. And yet, she could still hear her name, voices calling out to her, louder then before.
Twilight! Twilight!? Twilight. Twilight? Twilight…
Was it her friends? Was it Spike? It was impossible to tell through the static, through the nauseating sensation of vertigo and the agony that enveloped her.
Twilight?Twilight?! TWILIGHT!!!
The purple unicorn let out a groan, pangs of pain searing through her body as she curled up even further on the floor. She wanted to look, to see what was going on, but at the same time, she was afraid of what horrific image she might find waiting for her.
Then she heard it.
THUNK.
Something was there, breathing heavily onto her face, hot and acrid, so thick she could taste it. Every fiber in her body tensed in fear. Struggling, she took a nervous gulp and opened her eyes, slowly. Her vision hazy and blurred with tears. When her sight returned, she stared with a horror struck expression written all over her face. She was met with the visage of a monstrous reptile. As she stared, it gave her a bloody, toothy grin. Dimly glowing red eyes within blackened pit-like sockets stared through her and into her soul. It spoke only two words, two words that she never believed would fill her with so much dread:
“Hello Twilight”.
Before she could scream, it bellowed a primal roar and bit down on her.
Twilight awoke abruptly, eyes wide with terror. She was gasping for air while trying to hold back the stomach-turning sensation of disgust in her gut. She looked around frantically, her violet eyes darting around the room. She was in her home, the library. Though it was in a state of disarray, there was nothing else in the room with her. She was alone and therefore safe. Safe was a relative term.
As if doubting the logic, Twilight checked herself, making sure she was in one piece. Confirming her security, her panicked breathing slowed down and the nausea slowly went away. She rubbed her temples to relieve her headache and frustration.
That dream again, she thought.
That horrible, horrible dream…
Wiping away the stinging tears that stained her cheeks, Twilight got up from her ragged and torn bed and came down from the ledge where it was. She shuddered, both from the memory of the nightmare and from the cold and musty air that filled the room. With her shaky breathing and teeth chattering, she made her way to the stairs; cautiously looking around as she trotted down to ensure the room was also empty. The ground floor of the library was in no better shape than her room. Decay reigned; books and torn pages littered the floor, small bugs and worms feeding on the compost. It broke her heart to see the library in such condition, but she could do little about it, nor did she have the time to worry.
Just as she confirmed she was alone, there was a low growl which made her jump. She looked around again, but nothing else was in the library with her. Upon hearing it again, it dawned on her that the sound was the guttural complaints of her stomach, beckoning for some kind of sustenance.
With a sigh of relief, Twilight trotted up to an open crate by the table in the center of the room. Using her magic, she pulled out a half-eaten chunk of stale baguette, a small bundle of hay, and a glass bottle full of discolored water, a fuschia colored aura surrounding her breakfast. She ate with diligence, listening for any unusual sounds coming from outside as she chewed.
She looked up in bewilderment at a calendar she had made herself, seeing the date on it.
October 7.
One year? Has it already been a whole year?
For it was on that day, one year back, that the once peaceful realm of Equestria, came to a screeching and violent halt. Harmony had come to a startling conclusion. The day that the Gates of Tartarus collapsed and the world Twilight knew fell into a hellish nightmare. Vicious demons and corrupted monsters, foul creatures of all stripes, were unleashed onto Equestria, spreading like wildfire through a field of flowers. Ponies perished by the thousands as the beasts of hell ravaged the land. None were prepared. None could have been prepared.
It was the end. A brutal and bloody end.
Sighing once more, Twilight nodded to herself, knowing that the time had come. She got up from her spot and opened up a mold encrusted chest that was by the staircase. From it, she carefully pulled out and started packing a set of ragged saddlebags with various pieces of important equipment that were lying around. They were barely fit to hold the contents she was forcing into them, ripped and bursting at the seams, her shoddy patchwork barely kept it from falling apart altogether. She had to settle for it, it was all she had.
For her, it had been a particularly hard and grueling year. At the start of it, she woke up to find Equestria destroyed with no recollection of how it happened. Then she found that her friends were gone. Spike, her number one assistant was missing. And to top it off, there was no word from the Princesses. They were separated, scattered like dust in the wind. She didn't even know if it was possible to find them.
But despite these facts, she wouldn’t lose hope. She believed they would be alright; that they would all have headed to
Canterlot for safety, and the Princesses would be there waiting with a plan to make things right once more.
But why didn’t they come looking for me? Why was I left here all alone in the first place…?
She pushed those thoughts back; she would have none of it. To start thinking that would mean they were dead and that was unacceptable. She didn’t want to think like that, she couldn’t afford to think like that. If she was going to find the truth, she had to go to Canterlot herself. She had prepared for this day. All those weeks she spent scouting and mapping, taking note of the monsters in the area and their behaviors, the foraging and studying she'd done to learn what was safe to eat and what wasn’t. All of it was for this moment.
Twilight went through her supplies one more time, checking off a list that was written on a half-eaten piece of yellowed parchment.
Map of the outlying areas around Ponyville?
She held up a torn map, wrapped in the ghostly shroud of her magic. All along the map were markings that Twilight placed to show what creatures nested where. Check.
Map of Equestria?
She unrolled another map, this time it was all of Equestria. She had jotted down waypoints and drew lines, indicating several different routes she could take to Canterlot. Before she rolled it back up, she looked over it carefully before choosing a route that she thought would be safest. Check.
Food and water?
Twilight rummaged through a paper bag; in it were three moderately bruised apples, a few mushrooms that she found were safe to eat, and another small bundle of hay. She then held up a canteen which she shook to make sure she had enough water. The amount of water and the food were enough to last her at least 2 days. Check.
Elements of Harmony?
She held up a book with a hollow cavity. In it were the Elements of Harmony, the once pristine metal that they were made of was now tarnished. For Twilight, it was almost ominous, as if to say that the elements were lost.
She shook her head to get the thought out of her head. Check.
She quickly checked off the remaining pieces of equipment she would need for her perilous journey. These included a compass with faded but still identifiable directional marks, a small compact telescope with a broken lens, an incomplete first aid kit, and her notes on the various monsters she had recorded, also written on slightly eaten parchment.
Now fully packed, Twilight put on a tattered brown coat that covered her up to her waist; she didn’t want to have to sleep in the cold October air uncovered. She also donned a set of enchanted goggles, in the event she came across a cockatrice or a basilisk, any ocular magic would be nullified. A silver rune inscribed charm hanging about her neck was the next piece of her ensemble, one that repelled poltergeist and other malevolent specters. Lastly, she picked up the bags with her magic and set them on her back, strapping them in tightly.
She made one last sigh, it was time to go. Time to face the dark world.
Twilight carefully poked her head out from the doorway of the library, taking care to ensure that it didn’t creak. She scanned the streets of Ponyville thoroughly. The wind that was blowing was cold and dry, licking away at her face harshly. Grey clouds stifled the sky, making the broken town even more melancholic.
Twilight preferred to see this depressing scene over the alternative. It was better than stepping out and finding the streets plagued with the spawn of Tarturus.
She walked out slowly, still observing her surroundings. Once she was certain that she was safe, she looked back at the library one last time. Despite its state of ruin, it saddened her to leave it. She took down the charm she had placed to repel monsters throughout the night and made a solemn bow, whispering, “Thank you...for everything”.
The fully geared unicorn began her trek through the vestiges of Ponyville. The stench of death and decay surrounded her, like a dense fog. Visual reminders of why this stench existed were strewn out in the roads; half eaten corpses, ponies or not, lied bloodied in the mud and defecation, left to rot in the eerie silence. Despite her disturbing surroundings, Twilight remained undaunted and carried along her path, ashamed at how she had become so well accustomed to the sights and sounds of the dead and dying.
As she trotted along, she was cautious to avoid any of the crumbling buildings around town. She had many first hoof experiences with these structures to know they could fall at any given moment with little to no warning. Every few minutes however, she made short stops at various locations. Her heart felt heavy as she replayed the vivid fragments of memories of her life in Ponyville, things that she might never see again.
Sugarcube Corner, the bakery known for some of the finest treats in all the lands; now a death trap for any poor soul seeking food.
Carousel Boutique, a dress shop with some of the most beautiful attire any pony could ask for; stripped of its elegance and robbed of its finery.
The entrance to Sweet Apple Acres, home of the tastiest apples any pony could ever eat; nothing more than a breeding ground for pestilence.
Places that held fond memories for Twilight, all of which were the homes of her friends as well as their hangouts. All the times she shared with them, the celebrations, get-togethers and everything else in between. All of it reeled through her mind, weighing down on her conscience. They were nothing more than holes in her already broken heart.
She missed her friends, all of them, and she would miss all these places.
Fighting back tears, she trotted up a main road that led out to the grasslands. She wanted it all back to normal and would do anything to get her friends back.
At the edge of Ponyville, she stared out into the desolate landscape before her. Everything was dead and monochrome.The grass was grey and wilted, the trees were crooked with leaves of ash clinging to them. Even the small streams looked as though they were touched by evil. She looked back one last time, no longer holding back the tears that streamed down her face. With another bow she closed her eyes and said her fair wells to the quiet little town.
Her goodbyes were cut short with the next sound she heard. It was a cacophonous chorus of otherworldly shrieks and evil cackling, heralded by a gale that carried the foreboding stench of death. Twilight knew what these meant all too well and quickly opened her eyes to see the oncoming threat.
They had become common place in this rotting world. “Agents of Death” were what they were called, and from their appearance it was obvious why.
She saw them wisping through the air towards her at terrifying speeds, phantasmagoric streaks of black cloaks and gleaming red eyes.
Wraiths.
