//-------------------------------------------------------// My Little Cry : Fear is Magic -by Nyc Clarke- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter I : New Beginnings //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter One: New Beginnings It was just another dark and rainy day as Nick Flash sat at his laptop, reading about the local news.  He didn't watch TV much so he read on his laptop. He was a grey Earth pony with black hair and tail. His eyes were a dark brown, almost black that blended in with his pupil. His cutie mark was that of a red lightning bolt, curved down to an edge with three drops of blood coming from it. He didn't quite remember how he got it all those years ago. All Nick could remember was that he just conquered a nightmare and waking up to see it on his flank.  Depression has taken over him ever since his parents died in a train wreck two months ago and hasn't gotten any better. It was his mothers birthday and his dad wanted to take her to Canterlot for the day. On their way back, the train hit an intersection and collided with another train. The ponies on the other train survived, but the train his parents were on flipped and the bottom of the train collapsed on itself, killing everyone. Nicks parents weren't all that loving to him, but they weren't abusive or bad, they just ignored him. He was sent a letter to an orphanage, but didn't leave the apartment.  He hasn't paid any bills or anything of that matter, he was only 15 and didn't know how to do that stuff anyway.  Heck, he still has a stack of mail on the table he never cleans and he is counting down the days until his power goes out.  Nick was just scrolling through the news about some stallion that was recently put into a hospital for shooting two cops during his attempted suicide. As Nick read on, he discovered that "Simon Hendriksson" suffered through the same kind of depression he is experiencing.  He thought if he could find him, he could help out in his current situation.  "Dammit!", Nick cursed as he slammed his hoof on the table, "He is in Ponyville Hospital for the Mental ill?!". 'Ponyville?! That is all the way across the state and the only way to reach it is by...train.' Nick thought to himself. He HATED trains, and not the fact it was the death of his parents, it was his ONLY way of travel."Well, Better get started", he sighed and went to retrieve his grey hoodie and his trusty switchblade, the one his uncle gave him for his 10th birthday.  He took his cellphone and charger along with his tan saddle bags.  He shut down his computer and quickly left for the train station. As he left his apartment he hid the spare key in the artificial plant next to his window seil. He walked down the stairs and, felt as if he was being watched. He quickly turned around only to find a metal hammer on the ground. "Huh, that is strange", Nick whispered to himself. He thought nothing of it and continued on. As Nick walked through the streets, the other ponies looked at him like he was either lost or crazy, but soon lost interest and continued walking. Nick didn't like most of the ponies he lived around, found them to much of a up tight rich pony. Nicks parents were wealthy enough to go by, but didn't leave any to him when they died. Nicks school wasn't that great either. He didn't have many Friends and they ignored him most of the time. He dropped out because he had no one to pay for it. If he wasn't able to make it to Ponyville, he didn't have much to lose. When Nick Arrived at the train station, he looked to find that it was mostly empty except for the ticket manager and someone else talking to him. When he was done talking, Nick approached the nearby ticket booth and asked the manager for a one way ride to Ponyville. "That will be thirty bits", the manager asked. Nick handed over the appropriate amount out of his bag which he didn't have a lot of. The conductor walked up to Nick and said, "The trip to Ponyville will be here in 15 minuets". He but his wallet back in his saddle bag and walked to a vending machine, got a pop and cracked it open.  He found a nearby bench, sat down, and slowly downed the soda.  When his 15 minuets were up, the train stopped with a screeching sound as the breaks sparked up.  "Well, goodbye home, ill miss you...barely" Nick said as he walked onto the train. He looked for a seat but, he got that feeling again except it was, stronger.  He spins around to find that same hammer from before. "Stop following me hammer!" Nick said as he picked it up and dropped it out the door of the train. He pondered why it "followed" him but remembered that he was just standing there and decided to keep looking for his seat.  Once he found one near a window he rested his head against it and fell asleep without a seconds notice. Nick awoken to find him in a strange room with flickering lights.  He looked around to find blood covered the walls and floor.  The smell was like rotten flesh, blended up with feces and urine.  He also smelled something....familiar. He knew it, it was Gasoline smoke?  He started to back up only to find his flank touch against a cold, stone wall. He heard a roar of a chainsaw starting up. Suddenly, one of the back lights turned on and revealed a tall, pale pony on its hind legs....holding a chainsaw. It's body was mangled and torn like it was run over by a train multiple times and then cut up. It's face didn't have any physical eyes just bloodied sockets where they should be. It's mouth was an expressionless mouth, but what really made it stand out was that it's head was COVERED in nails nailed into its face. It started to run forward into Nick, chainsaw held high ready to kill. "OH SHIIIIIIIIIT", screamed Nick as he was paralyzed in fear. But before the chainsaw could connect with Nicks head, He woke up in a cold sweat. "Sir! Are you alright?!" Nick heard a feminine voice say to his right. He couldn't make out who it was through all his panting. "Yes....yes I'm alright....Just a bad dream," Nick exclaimed as he calmed "Well that's good,you looked like you died! We will arrive in Ponyville a couple of minuets from now, you should get ready to depart", the voice replied.  Nick could see her now, she was a young brown unicorn with blue eyes and yellow mane. She wore a train server's outfit and he could tell that she worked on the train.  he sighed and fell back into his seat knowing that he was safe from whatever that was. "Thank you, I'll get ready",Nick said in a sigh as he adjusted his posture. "Your welcome sir, just call me if you need me" The girl said as she walked away.  Nick swore he saw her wink at him, but shrugged it off and did a check on all his items, making sure they were how he left them. He could see a small town up ahead as the train slowly stopped at the station. "Whelp, i guess this is where i get off" he said to himself as he got off the train. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter II : Arrival and Coffee //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter Two: Arrival "Whelp, i guess this is where i get off" Nick said to himself as he got off the train. He walked over to the conductor waiting outside of the train.  "Why hello there sir, may i see your ticket?", the conductor asked him. Nick pulled out his ticket and handed it to the conductor. He said nick was all clear and sent him on his way.  'I've got to find something to eat, i am as hungry as a parasprite!" Nick thought to himself as he picked up his pace to the town. As Nick approached the sign that read: PONYVILLE, he noticed where the nail was and looked below it. That same damn hammer followed him again!  "Ok hammer, I'm sick of your bullshit! You're coming with me", Nick yelled at the hammer and put it in his bag along his other items. But as he reached for the hammer, he looked at his hoof, it had some writing on it. He quickly pulled his sleeve down and upon his hoof was the number 12. "What the hell? Did hammer do this to me?" Nick said quietly and tried to rub it off. Nothing, grunted at his failure and pulled his sleeve back over it. When Nick was just about to reach the entrance of the town he heard growling behind him. He slowly turned around to find himself face to face with a wolf.  But what was strange about this wolf, was that it was made out of wood or timber, whatever you call it.  Nick could tell it was hungry, but so was he, he head butted it. It hurt like hell, but he wasn't going to die because some wolf didn't get his dinner.  The wolf staggered backwards and he ran up to it and kicked its legs out from under the wolf, and it fell on it's back. He brought out the hammer from earlier, and raised it up to smash the animal's skull in.  But what got his attention was that the wolf's legs began to form back together. He got distracted from the enemy for a few seconds and the wolf spun its head around and latched onto his left arm. "AAAAGGGGGGHH" Nick yelped in pain as he brought his hammer down on the wolfs skull. Not only did its head splinter into pieces, its entire body blew apart. "HAMMERTIME!" He said as he stared at the now pile of twigs. He heard more growls behind him. Nick began to run towards the town, forgetting that his hoof was in complete pain, but also remembering that wolves always travel in packs when hunting. He stopped running when he got to a nearby tree along the road, sat down with his back against it, and began plucking teeth from his left arm. "Stupid dog", Nick muttered to himself as he pulled more teeth from the underside.  He could feel the dog's bite coursing through his veins.  Nick pulled out a syringe and injected it into his arm. What was in the needle didn't matter to him, he just cared that it numbed his arm enough to that he could walk. He sat up and thought about where to get to the Hospital to have a chat with Simon. "That...was...AWESOME!" said a voice to his left. Nick jumped and turned his head. There stood....no wait hovered, a blue Pegasus with a blue coat, rainbow mane and tail, with magenta eyes. "Hey...are you alright?" she said and snapped Nick out of his gaze. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just a Wood-wolf bite nothing too painful", Nick said with a reassuring tone. "Wood-wolf? you mean Timberwolf? And a bite from one of those is poisonous you know." the mare said as she studied his left arm where blood stained his sleeve. "I'm sure I'll be fine but thanks for the concern", Nick stated flatly as he noticed her gaze. "Uh, right, sorry." she said as she reddened, "But you should get that bite checked out by my friend Twilight, she's an egghead, but she knows her stuff." "I'm fine, but if you think she will heal it, lead the way." Nick stated as he walked towards town. "I don't think I got your name by the way." "It's Rainbow Dash!, best flier in all of Equrestria and future Wonderbolt!", she said as she made a pose in the sky. 'Well she sure seems proud of herself...can't say the same for me', Nick thought to himself. "What's yours?" Rainbow dash asked him. "Nick, Nick Flash" he stated. "That's cool. Hey our last names rhyme!" Rainbow Dash stated. "Yes, I've noticed" Nick replied blandly. "Well we're here",she said Nick looked in front of him, and there was a big tree that looked like it was inhabited. Rainbow flew up to the door and knocked then entered, and he followed suit. Man there were books EVERYWHERE! 'Must be a library, with all of the books' Nick thought to himself. "It's a Library, you don't have to knock!" yelled a voice from upstairs. 'Books in a tree, how ironic' Nick thought. "Twilight! Come down here! We have someone here that needs help!" Rainbow shouted back at Twilight. "I'll be there in a second!" Twilight shouted back. Literally in one second a puff of purple smoke appeared in front of him. And there stood a purple unicorn with dark purple hair with a pink stripe in it. "Oh I didn't expect you to bring company Rainbow Dash, or to come through the door." said Twilight in a sarcastic tone. "OWWWW!" Nick yelled as the pain surged through his arm again. Then he fell on the floor "What's wrong with him?!" said Twilight rushing to his side. "He got bitten by a Timberwolf! That's why we came here!" Rainbow said with a panicked tone. "Find me a......-bout bites.....-he's fading...." That was all Nick could understand as he passed out on the floor. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter III : Nightmares and Questions //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter Three: More Nightmares NOTE: the chapter on your screen will be in first person form now on as I've mentioned in the last chapter. I wake up in a strange room with stone walls and floor, and smell that, horrible smell again. The one with the crap mixed with feces.  I feel my stomach crawl up my throat and about to exit, but manage to keep it down.  The walls start to crawl up with blood again. "Shit, not again!" I say as I hear the chainsaw start up again and the back light flips on, revealing the monster from before. It raises the saw again and charges at me. I side step it, and the saw gets caught on a pipe. I run behind it and see a giant lump on the back of its.....well back.  This was my chance.  I quickly pull out my switchblade and jump on it's back and continually stab the lump.  With every plunge of my blade I can feel the monster getting weaker. It tries to swing the chainsaw at my head, but i duck and it only ends up cutting its own arm off, the unarmed one of course.   After stab number fifty, it cries out in pain and I fall to the floor.  The monster quickly stands up and....chops its own head off. The monster falls to the floor motionless and the chainsaw finally dies out.  I fall on my stomach, and throw up my non-existent lunch that I forgot to get back in Ponyville. I quickly recover not wanting to stick around, I look up to find that the body of that thing is gone, and in turn replaced with a key.  Did it transform? Where did the body go? Or is this the body? I walk over to the key and read the tag on it.  It says: EXIT. Not thinking ahead, I look around for the exit, still knife in hand in case any more show up.  I see an elevator that looks locked, but not for long.  I ran over to the metal gate and inserted then rotated the key. I enter the elevator and close the cage.  I look at the button panel and....there is only one button. Under it there is masking tape and what looks like blood written on it says: FURTHER.  Footsteps start up in front of the cage and i quickly press the button.  There was a loud squeak as the wheel on the roof started up.  As I descend, I wonder my past events while I wasn't in this hellhole.  As I stare off into space, the elevator stops, and I get out only to be confronted by none other than the princess of the night, Princess Luna. "Hello, young one", she says in a shy but stern voice. "Uhm...Hello? My name is-" was all i could get out before she cut me off. "Nick Flash, I am well aware, for I am in your dreams, or should I say nightmares", Luna said but something changed in her voice. I couldn't make it out but it sounded like fear...  At this point I was out of the elevator and sitting on the floor next to the regal princess.  We sat in silence for a few minuets trying to read each others' facial expressions. "I fear that this nightmare isn't any ordinary nightmare", Luna spoke up breaking the silence, she didn't say it too loudly, not trying to scare me. "It cannot be changed by the thought of your mind, you have to change it by going further through it". She spoke as though she couldn't help, with doubt in her voice."And I made the mistake of coming here, for i cannot leave same as you". Now, this got my confidence riddled up to speak.  "Well what are we doing just sitting here? We should be looking for a way out!", I said as I got up gesturing her to do the same. "Sit please, we must discuss a few more things", Luna said with a pleading voice. I sat back down like a child, being scolded by their mother.  "I would like to know more about you, so we know what we will be dealing with, and I think it will help if you talk it out". This isn't what I want....But if she thinks it will help us get out of here, I will do anything. I let out a sigh and she stayed quiet, allowing me time to talk. "Well, I'm just an average stallion, nothing special about me. Like somepony you don't notice, somepony who no one cares about, somepony left outside.  More often then not, I'm alone while my parents died around two months ago in a train wreck." I paused for a breath,"And Anxiety and Depression control my life, Every day.  Being alone all the time isn't easy, it makes things happen, in your mind.  Stuff your not supposed to be thinking, or experiencing. To be honest, i don't know what to tell you, or anypony at that.  It's just complicated, my life isn't what it used to be.  I've been having these nightmares lately, and i don't know what's causing them. Everything the same thing, me ending up here and then dieing by some fucked up creature. Hell, even during the day, my subconscious is tearing me apart." I stopped and there it is. "I think I know what you are feeling, about being alone" She said looking down at the floor. I lifted my head up to look at her. "My sister banished me to the moon for ten thousand years, without anything for me to do." I felt, resemblance, or reflection at those last words. Luna was like someone I could relate to. "To be honest I'm not good at opening up, and all this mushy, emotional stuff, but i feel like we can relate to each other" I said to Luna. Her head picked up to look at me and we looked into each others' eyes until I broke the silence. "Well this is nice and all, but i don't like this place any more than you do, and would like to get out of it as soon as possible.  Won't you join me?" I said as I got up and moved my hoof over to help the princess get up. She accepted my offer and stood up next to me. Luna pointed to a door and said, "That door is where we need to go to progress through to get out for today, just walk through and we will be set free until you get another nightmare. Until then, I bid you farewell, I enjoyed our talk". I nodded and walked to the door and opened it. Then a blinding white light blurred my vision and I passed out. Man, how many times will I pass out today? //-------------------------------------------------------// Important Notice //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter Four: To the Task at Hoof "AHH" I yelled as I sat up. I looked around to try to find where I am and guessing from all the books I am still in Twilight's library. I look down to find myself in a bed? More like a water bed, considering all of my sweat on it. I also notice that my arm is bandaged up from where the Timberwolf bit me. I rolled out of the bed onto the floor. "Well hello floor, we meet again" I reply to the floor. "Well I'm sure he's glad to see you" I hear a voice say in front of me.  I look up to see the same purple unicorn from yesterday.  Well I'm guessing it was yesterday considering I woke up in a bed with the sun shining in my face. "I'm sure he is too" I respond as I get up. When I stand up, my stomach growls rather loudly, it always does."Hey, you got any food? I'm sorry if I sound rude, but I haven't had any food since two days ago". "Actually, I'm just about to have breakfast with Spike", said Twilight in a apologetic tone, "You can join us if you want". "Sure! As long as it's not anything spicy. If it is you are going to have to kick me out. Spicy food gives me gas" I say as we walk down the stairs into the main part of the library. I couldn't tell if it is a living room, or the main part of the library. "Hehe, no nothing spicy, just some cereal" Twilight responded. I looked over to the couch and my stuff was there. Including my hoodie. Twilight noticed my gaze and spoke up, "When you fell asleep, I put you in the guest bed and you started to sweat. I washed your sweatshirt for you so it is clean" Twilight said from her kitchen. I sat down on her couch and looked through my stuff. I pulled out my knife, and opened it. "What the hell?" I whispered to myself. The blade was covered in blood, it looked dry. As I felt the blade I noticed my right hoof still had writing on it but, something was different. Instead of the 12 from yesterday, there was a 11. I dismissed that and went back to my knife. "So it was real?" I whispered again.  I quickly put my switchblade back in my bag, just as Twilight walked in with two bowls. She sat one down in front of me and her one on the other side of the table. "You know my name, I don't think I got yours though" said Twilight as she sat down in front of me. "Nick, Nick Flash" I said right before putting a bite into my mouth. "Well it is nice to meet you Nick. Speaking of introductions, you should meet my other friends, I'm sure they'll be-" Twilight was cut off by a loud crash through the window and into her bookcase. I pulled my switchblade out and prepared for a fight. in the pile of books, a head popped out, It was Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow!!.... What are you doing?" she said as she started talking to Rainbow, then me. "Uhm.... Sorry, old habits", I said as I lowered my knife,"Anyway, what were you doing Rainbow?" "Well, I WAS trying to try out a new trick to preform at the next Wonderbolts show, but then I saw Nick was up and tried to land, but then...." Rainbow said, trailing off. "You crashed?" I said. "Yeah...well now that you are up.... maybe I can show you around?" Rainbow responded, changing the subject. Twilight shot Rainbow a wink and she blushed a little, but I missed it. "Umm, sure but first I need to do something, maybe, later?" I said, inching my way towards the door. "Sure! see you around!", and then she flew off, leaving a rainbow hue behind that slowly faded. "Well, that was something different anyway, Twilight, can you tell me where the hospital for the mental ill is?" I asked. "Why on Equestria would you need to go there?!" Twilight asked in shock. "It is for personal matters." I respond in a low tone. "Well, It's just down the street, then turn left. Simple, but come back here after you do please. I'd hate it if you contracted something!", Twilight yelled as I grabbed my hoddie, and left. As I walked down the street, the sun was getting in my eyes, so I pulled my hood over my head.  As I walked through the town marketplace, ponies were looking at me with quizzical looks. I just ignored them and pressed on to the hospital. Once I got there, I looked up at the large white building with the red cross at the top.  I walked inside, and was greeted by the receptionist. "Welcome to Ponyville hospital! How can I help you?" said the receptionist. I thought this was a Hospital, not a McDonald's. She looked strangely familiar....like the young mare in the train. "Say? Don't you work at the train station?" I say to her. "Oh! You mean my twin? She works at the train station. Have you met her? How is she doing?" she replied with concern in her voice. "Umm....I didn't really talk to her but she looks fine. Anyway, I need to pay a visit to one of your patients", I said changing the subject. "Oh, sorry I tend to ramble. Ok now whom do you need to visit?" said the receptionist. "Simon Hendriksson", I replied. Then she got a look of fear, question, and concern. "O....oh, ok....umm wow. Nopony has ever visited him before, he's kind of a nutcase.  But, I'm sure he'll be glad to get a visitor. He is in room 229 upstairs, and here is your pass." she said as she handed me a slip of paper. "Thank you I'll return this when I come back" I tell her. "I hope you come back", the mare said quietly under her breath, I almost missed it. "What was that?" I say, turning to her. "Oh nothing, Just be careful he has been known to kill in a psychosis. Just.... Look out we'd hate to lose somepony". "Thanks for the concern" I reply flatly. I walk up the stairs to room 229, and knock.