Waking Nightmares

by Jonathan "KnightMysterio" Spires

Chapter 16: Quiet Sins – Part 2

The disclaimer about copyrights from the last chapter will apply to this and all future chapters. This story starts immediately after the events of Chapter 14 and at the same time as the previous chapter. Also, please note that my Tumblr blog is now accepting questions to the characters as well as to me!

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Ponyville...

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Nightmare Cuddles happily danced around town, playing his ukelele. Everyone payed him no mind, though. He seemed quite friendly, and always stopped to help somepony when they seemed to need it. Everyone seemed to like him, seem to trust him.

Which is how he preferred things to be.

Because the less they looked at him, the less they realized just what, precisely, he was really doing.

All right, he thought, let's review. I've already eliminated Engineer, Pyro, and the Doctor as potential threats. But that still leaves the rest of the Elements of Harmony and my former teammates. I have to play this carefully... Go after the biggest threats first.

He flew up to a cloud and laid down, a thoughtful expression on the fluffy blue plush toy of a Nightmare's face. Zecora was able to hurt Nightmare Doctor with her potions. Plus Spy can show up in exactly the places you DO NOT WANT HIM. Medic... He paused, and thought, Medic can wait. He doesn't want anything to do with me in this form, so he'll stay out of my way until I decide to make my move on him.

He frowned. ...Why does it hurt to think about him not wanting anything to do with me? He shook his head and dismissed the thought.

Another possibility for a first target is Twilight Sparkle. She DOES have that direct line to the princesses... Nightmare Cuddles cringed. Yes. If Celestia or Luna get involved at this point, it will ruin things for me. Definitely take Twilight out first. Then go for Zecora and Spy.

He looked around, frowning. He had the distinct feeling he was being watched. ...I should also keep an eye out for Soldier.

He vanished in a flash of light.

And Soldier poked his head out of the bushes he was hiding in, glaring up at the cloud Nightmare Cuddles had been in. "Where in blazes did he go now?"

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Books & Branches Library...

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"Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight wrote. "There's been a situation that's arisen in town. Heavy's been turned into a passive Nightmare and earlier, we were all possessed by..." The lavender unicorn paused, and then shook her head, growling in frustration and tossing it in the fireplace with the other letters she had given up on writing.

"What's the deal, Twilight?" Spike said, the dragon shaking his head at her. "Just tell the Princess what happened!"

"It's not that simple, Spike," Twilight said, giving her assistant an exasperated look. "I can't just write the Princess and say, 'Dear Princess Celestia. Remember when your sister turned evil? That evil half is back as a separate being and oh! By the way, it's been sending those nightmares we've been having AND it can possess anypony who's had one!'"

"Sounds easy enough to me," Spike said. "Just write that."

Twilight thumped her head on the desk, groaning. "I can't do that, Spike. I talked to Captain Harbinger on the way back. He says that Celestia's been... overstressed, lately. I need to find a way to phrase this so that it doesn't add to that stress."

"Da, is good idea," Nightmare Cuddles said from behind her, startling both her and Spike.

"How... how did you sneak up behind me?" Twilight asked, confused.

"I am Ninja Hoovy," Nightmare Cuddles giggled. He spun, becoming a blur, reappearing in an ill-fitting black suit-coat and ninja mask that clashed horribly with his pastel blue coloring.

Spike snickered and shook his head, going to play with the birds. Twilight just glared at him. "Just... don't do that, okay? I know you're friendly and all, but you're still a Nightmare," she said.

Nightmare Cuddles nodded. "Okay, I will remember," he said amiably, spinning and reverting back to his regular costume.

"Thank you," she said. "Now, please, I have to figure out how to write this letter to Princess Celestia."

"Sounds like a lot of work," Nightmare Cuddles said.

"You have no idea," Twilight muttered, glaring at the blank sheet of paper in front of her.

"Maybe you should take break, yes?" Nightmare Cuddles suggested, smiling. "When was last time you just sat down and read a good book?"

"Last week," she said. She smirked, and added, "Contrary to popular belief, I do know how to relax. I just like to make absolutely sure that everything is done first, and plan in the relaxation several days in advance."

Good lord, Nightmare Cuddles thought. I'm doing her a favor by brainwashing her. "Bah. So much work. That's not relaxing. That is taking relaxing and making it working."

Twilight sighed softly, setting down her quill. "I know, I know..." she said, turning around. "But it's just the way I am. I've learned to accept that and move o..."

Her voice trailed off as the powerful unicorn found herself transfixed by the Nightmare's hypnotic eyes. She tried to resist, but the glow coming from the massive alicorn's eyes was so comforting, so relaxing...

"Really, tiny Sparkle pony is making things FAR too hard on herself. I am obviously harmless," he said, fighting a mighty battle not to snicker, "and the letter will still be there to write once you are in better mood."

"I... I suppose so..." Twilight said, feeling the tension start to ooze out of her body.

Nightmare Cuddles smirked, and levitated over a book. "Here. 'Daring Do and the Wooden Mask,'" he said. "Looks really interesting!"

Twilight smiled softly, still in the thrall of the spell. She took the book from the Nightmare, staring at it absently. "It's one of the best ones in the series..."

Gotcha, he thought. "DA! There you go!" Nightmare Cuddles cheered. "Sit down and read it, maybe read other books as well, relax, eat snacks. Letter can wait."

Nightmare Cuddles turned off his powers, knowing that she was his now. Twilight blinked, shaking her head. "You know... the others are always telling me I need to be more spontaneous... And I do love reading..." She smiled, and flipped through the book. "I think I will take a break. Thanks for the advice, Heavy."

Nightmare Cuddles beamed. "Is no problem!" he said. As Twilight went off to her bedroom with the book, grabbing some snacks along the way, Spike came in, having let Owlowiscious and Peewee out for some exercise. He looked in surprise as Twilight plopped herself down on her bed, taking a position of such utter relaxation that he started to get worried.

"Twilight? You okay?" Spike asked.

Twilight nodded. "Yep! Decided to take a break. The letter will be there tomorrow," she said. "I just needed to take some time off and read a good book." She smiled,

"Uh huh..." Spike said. Something is wrong, he thought. He turned, only to find a massive pastel wall in his path.

"HELLO tiny baby dragon!" Nightmare Cuddles chirped.

Spike glared at him. "I know you call everyone smaller than you that, but can you just not do that with me?" he grumbled.

"Ah yes, little Spike is trying to be big strong man for Rarity, ya?" Nightmare Cuddles teased.

"It'll happen one day!" Spike said, trying not to think about the fact that dragons aged slower than ponies.

Nightmare Cuddles chuckled. "It did happen once though, didn't it?" he said in a quiet voice.

Spike froze, suddenly fearful. "I... I don't know what you mean..."

Nightmare Cuddles grinned. But it wasn't the playful grin he usually sported. This one was dark, full of menace. Spike gulped, looking up at Twilight, who seemed totally engrossed in her book.

"My hold on her is strong," Nightmare Cuddles said. "She is mine now. As you soon will be."

Spike shook his head. "I'll never help you!" he said. Twilight, please, help me!

Nightmare Cuddles chortled. "Not knowingly, no. But I know things. Master whispers things in my mind. He told me of the time when your greed overcame you..."

Spike's blood ran cold. "H-How... N-Nopony outside the girls knows about that!"

Nightmare Cuddles smirked. "Whatever you fear, whatever causes you pain, my Master will give it to me to use against you," he said, his hypnotic eyes glowing, transfixing the dragon in their gaze. "But not yet. Having you become a monster again will be a perfect backup plan. If I make a mistake, or one of the princesses shows up, I can just unleash you on Ponyville and savor the chaos. For now, though, just forget I was here and go about your business. And do not notice Twilight's odd behavior. It is good she is resting."

Nightmare Cuddles turned off his powers, but Spike remained in a trance. He smirked, and turned towards the door, only to see bushes rustling slightly outside a window. "You never were good at stealth, Soldier," the Nightmare chuckled, vanishing in a wave of shadows.

Soldier poked his head out of the bushes he was hiding in and went up to the door. He found it unlocked, and went inside. He found Spike shaking his head, trying to clear it.

"Stand at attention, private," Soldier snapped.

Spike meeped, and reflexively did so, saluting, but relaxed when he saw who it was. "Oh. Hey Soldier," he said.

Soldier frowned, looking around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. "Was anyone here just now?"

"You mean besides us?" Spike said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Not that I can think of, no."

Soldier scowled. "...I could have sworn..." he muttered. "If you see that freak thing that Heavy's become, report to me immediately. I want updates on that thing's location at all times."

Twilight blinked, as if noticing Soldier for the first time. She went out of her bedroom to check and see what the noise was, and spotted him. "Oh hey!" she said, "You want some snacks?"

Soldier shook his head. "Negatory, ma'am. I'm on duty," he said. "You working up there?"

Twilight shook her head. "Nah. Decided to take a rest, read a good book," she said. "You sure you don't want something to eat?"

Spike smiled. "I'd be happy to whip up something real quick," he said.

Soldier shook his head. "Can't," he said. "Too much to do."

Twilight shook her head. "You work too hard," she said, heading back into her room as Spike shrugged and went to get some snacks for himself, liking the idea.

Soldier frowned. This whole conversation felt off for some reason...

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Everfree Forest...

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Nightmare Cuddles appeared in a tree, calmly strumming his ukelele. "Three down," he said, mainly to himself. "Plus a delightful backup plan."

The tree branch he was on cracked and fell under his weight, Nightmare Cuddles landing with a decidedly ungraceful thump. He laughed and dusted himself off. "Okay. Ominous perching is out, then," he said. "No problem. There are other ways to be theatrical."

He got up and looked around.

"Zecora made a powder that hurt Nightmare Doctor," he said, thinking out loud. "Plus Spy is a sneaky little shit and co-leader of the team... Best to take them out before going after the others..." He took to the air and began looking for the clearing that had Zecora's hut, having never been there before himself. He eventually spotted the clearing, Spy flying in with some new herbs.

Nightmare Cuddles grinned, and teleported into the center of the room, startling them both. "HELLO!" he chirped.

Spy shook his head. "I'm starting to see why people get annoyed when I appear out of nowhere," he muttered.

"I am so sorry!" Nightmare Cuddles said, looking abashed. "I will try to remember not to do that in the future!"

Zecora sighed and smiled. "It is all right, my transformed friend. Now please let us work to make your curse end," she said, turning back to the notes she was taking, seemingly creating a new potion.

"What are you making?" Nightmare Cuddles asked, curious.

"A dinner experiment," Spy said without missing a beat. Zecora looked away, and the Nightmare knew he was lying. He leaned in and sniffed it, wincing in pain.

"Smells more like anti-Nightmare potion, like you used against brute Doctor," he said.

Zecora sighed. Spy quirked an eyebrow. "You understand, of course, why we have to lie," Spy said. "Passive you may seem, you are still a Nightmare. We must take precautions."

Best jump right into it, then. I made a good choice going after these two so quickly, Nightmare Cuddles thought. "Da, is good plan. Especially since I plan to brainwash you both," he said.

"Indeed," Spy said. "I... wait, what?" Both he and Zecora looked at him in confusion.

And then they belonged to the Nightmare.

His eyes glowing, he said, "All too easy, sometimes... Now, both of you are working very hard, da?"

Both zebra and half-changeling pegasus nodded, completely entranced by the Nightmare's glowing eyes. Nightmare Cuddles smirked. "Is very hard work. You should take break, maybe have a little 'fun.'"

Spy smirked, while Zecora blushed, the idea taking hold in both their heads.

"The potion..." Zecora said, some part of her still resisting despite the powerful mind control.

"I will take care of potion," Nightmare Cuddles said, focusing on her. "I am teammate, ya? I will do right by you both."

It sounded logical. It sounded reasonable. Zecora believed him.

Of course, as addled as her mind was right now, she would have believed Nightmare Cuddles if he said the moon was made of candy corn.

Nightmare Cuddles released his hold, knowing that his mental suggestions had taken root. Spy and Zecora both blinked and shook their heads.

"We have been doing a lot, I think," Zecora said, smiling and blushing at Spy. "Perhaps we should rest, and enjoy a drink?"

"Indeed," Spy said, grinning at her. "I zink ze others can handle things for now, oui?"

Nightmare Cuddles nodded. "You two relax. Nightmare Cuddles will take care of everything," he said. "I also have better gift to give you." His horn glowed, and from the dirt floor of Zecora's hut grew a large cannabis plant.

Zecora looked at it curiously. Spy snickered. "If I am not mistaken, zis is one of ze plants ze nitwit in ze marketplace uses to stay so relaxed," he said. "Come, my dear. I shall show you ze pleasures of a fine smoke."

Spy and Zecora dug up the plant and took it into another room. Nightmare Cuddles levitated the cauldron full of half-finished potion outside and poured it out, replacing it discreetly and snickering as he trotted away. "Things that bother you never bother me, I feel happy and fine..." he sang. "Living in the sunlight, loving in the moonlight, having a wonderful time!" He chuckled, shaking his head. He liked that song.

"Let's see..." the Nightmare said, thinking out loud. "Who to visit next?"

After a moment's debate, he nodded and teleported again.

He reappeared right behind Scout and Pinkie Pie as they were rigging some absurd-looking device with whipped cream pies. The two of them were giggling mischievously as they worked, obviously preparing for some epic prank.

"HELLO!" Nightmare Cuddles bellowed. Both of them yipped, their trap triggering early and pelting them with the pies. They giggled and turned around, spotting Nightmare Cuddles.

"Oh hey!" Scout said. "Yeah, don't tell anyone about this. We're gonna make an epic level prank!"

"It'll be awesome!" Pinkie Pie said.

Nightmare Cuddles chuckled. "Da, is good. Sounds like a lot of work, though."

"It ain't work if it's fun!" Pinkie Pie said, giggling. She immediately began work on the pie flinger again.

"So what's up, Heavy?" Scout asked, turning back to work on the device with Pinkie again.

Nightmare Cuddles frowned. He needed them to look at him. "Listen, you both have been doing so much work," he started to say. He blinked, and both Pinkie and Scout were gone. He looked around, baffled, and found them clinging to the ceiling, working on another trap, this one a seltzer gatling gun modeled after Sasha. The part of the Nightmare that was still Heavy felt mildly offended.

Plus, while Scout on the ceiling he could understand, he had no idea how Pinkie was up there.

"Could you just hold still for a minute...?" Nightmare Cuddles said, frowning.

They vanished again, this time reappearing right underneath him, knocking him down as they prepared yet another device. Nightmare Cuddles fumed.

"Sorry, big guy," Scout said, "but this is gonna be too cool. We're almost done so we gotta keep working on these last few traps. We're listening, though."

"Yeah! So go ahead and say what you wanted to say!" Pinkie Pie said, giggling as she focused intently on her work.

They zipped around the room, adjusting device after device, not staying still for even a moment. Nightmare Cuddles growled, frustrated, as he tried to get the two zippy ponies to stand still long enough to brainwash them. Finally, he decided he had enough.

"STOP IT!" he bellowed, grabbing them by the scruff of their necks with his magic and forcing them to look at him, both of them freezing as his powers took over their minds. "BRAIN ZAPPY! BE LAZY! GO MAKE OUT! OR SLEEP! OR SNACK! JUST DO NOTHING USEFUL FOREVER!"

He snarled and flung both Pinkie Pie and Scout out a nearby window, breaking all of their traps out of spite. The two party ponies landed in a heap just outside Sweet Apple Acres, in a bale of old hay in one of the farm's storage barns.

"Well, that was weird," Scout said, confused.

"Yeah," Pinkie Pie said. "He didn't have to get so angry."

"True dat," Scout said. "Bein' angry's too much work."

There was a long, awkward pause.

"...Wanna make out?" Scout offered.

Pinkie grinned. "Sure!" she said, pouncing on him.

Nightmare Cuddles rubbed his temples. "SO glad I got those two idiots out of the way," he muttered. "How hard is it to just brainwash the heroes into being useless?" He was angry, annoyed, and feeling very mean. He decided to take it out on someone. And, as the voices whispered something useful in his head, he had the perfect victim in mind.

Soldier, meanwhile, was finding himself at a bit of a loss. He had no idea where Nightmare Cuddles had gone off to, and had no idea where to even begin looking. He made his way into the construction site, not even bothering with sneaking around anymore, turning a corner into a closed-up room... and nearly tripped over Pyro and Engineer.

"Watch where you're... WHOA!" Soldier said, when he realized that Engineer was actually laying on top of Pyro, the firebug wearing Engineer's construction helmet. "I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't..."

"Relax, Solly," Engineer teased. "You actually caught us when we was takin' a rest, so you didn't walk in on anything. Whatcha need?"

Soldier, still blushing. "Have you seen that Commie Nightmare around here? I've been trying to keep an eye on him, but he's been one step ahead of me all day."

Engineer looked thoughtful, and shook his head. "Nope. Haven't seen him since we met him on the way to Doc Hooves's place," he said.

"Come relax with us," Pyro said. "We've got snacks! Mr. and Mrs. Cake are great chefs!"

Soldier shook his head. "Can't," he said. "Too much to do. I have to make sure that freak doesn't hurt anyone."

Engineer chuckled, shaking his head. "You work too hard, pardner," he said. "Y'all need to stop to smell the roses sometimes. Maybe give 'em a nosh, too."

"I don't know, I like daisies better," Pyro said.

Soldier stared at the two of them as they chatted casually, growing more and more alarmed as realization dawned. "I... I have to go," he said, running off.

That was definitely wrong... Nightmare Cuddles, he's doing something to the others! He's already gotten to Twilight, probably Spike as well, and Engie and Pyro! Soldier thought as he ran into Everfree. I have to stop him before he gets to EVERYONE!

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Carousel Boutique...

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Rarity was busily working on her latest dresses, humming quietly, lost in her work. Threads, fabrics, all flowed around her gracefully as she stitched them into place. She was in the zone, moving with a grace and fluidity that few could match.

And then she got completely thrown off her groove by a knock on her door. Grumbling, she quickly organized her materials and then adjusted her mane, heading to the door.

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is chiq, unique, and... oh. Hello, Heavy," she said, smiling as she opened the door. "What can I do for you?"

Nightmare Cuddles grinned. "I am finding old friend of yours, little fashion pony!" he said excitedly.

Rarity blinked. "An old friend?" Rarity said. "Who could you possibly mean?"

Nightmare Cuddles nodded. "An old boyfriend, at that!"

Rarity frowned, trying to discern what he meant. The only pony she had ever really dated in the past was Applejack, and she refused to count the disaster with Blueblood as a 'date.'

And then the Nightmare dragged the boulder into her shop.

Rarity's blood ran cold, the unicorn slowly backing away from it. It had been almost a year, but she would know that boulder anywhere. "What..." she stammered, "what's going on?! I don't understand!"

Nightmare Cuddles grinned and entered the shop. "Why Rarity," he said softly. "Don't your recognize Tom? He's missed you so much."

"NO!" Rarity almost shrieked. "Get that thing away from me!" She turned to give Nightmare Cuddles a pleading look, but his eyes were already glowing. The moment she looked into those evil eyes, her mind became his.

"Master whispers to me, Rarity," Nightmare Cuddles said. "He tells me things. Tells me what to do to best cause pain. He told me of your shame at what Discord did to you. He even showed me where the rock was. Now your boyfriend is back. Love him as you did before. But a part of you must remain aware of the truth, unable to stop yourself. I have returned your hell to you, little fashion pony. Enjoy it."

Rarity tried to resist. She really did. But the Nightmare's hold on her mind was too strong. As he spoke, her vision was slowly overlaid by the colorful pastel of Pyroland. And the boulder became a handsome stallion made of diamond.

"Tom..." Rarity said softly, staring at what she thought was her dream stallion. "Oh at last, you've come back to me..." She cooed happily at the sight of him. All the while, a part of her was screaming, desperately trying to regain control of her body.

As Rarity glomped onto the boulder, nuzzling it happily, Nightmare Cuddles smirked cruelly. "Living in the sunlight," he sang softly, "loving in the moonlight. Having a wonderful time."

He vanished in a swirl of darkness.

Meanwhile, Soldier ran desperately to Everfree to try and get help. He knew he was too late when he caught a wife of the smoke coming from Zecora's hut. Sure enough, when he went inside to check, he found Spy and Zecora practically draped over each other in the zebra's lounge, surrounded by a cloud of marijuana smoke. Spy's balaclava was casually tossed over a desk, and the front of Zecora's mohawk had unstraightened, a lock of hair partially over one eye.

Spy chuckled softly when he saw Soldier in the doorway. "Ah, mon ami... come, join us!"

"Indeed, it was truly not a joke, when Spy spoke of the pleasures in a fine smoke," the zebra said, a joint lightly balanced on one hoof. A sleepy look was in her eyes.

Soldier growled. "Let me guess," he said. "Nightmare Cuddles was just here, and he gave you a present."

Spy laughed. "Indeed he did! A fine fellow, our Heavy..."

"That's not Heavy..." Soldier muttered.

Zecora smiled, nuzzling Spy. "Come, join us. Stay and eat. I'm feeling oddly hungry, so I was about to make some snacks," she said.

Soldier sneered. "Isn't that too much work?" he snarked.

Spy puffed on his joint. "It's only work if you're not having fun," Spy said. "Besides, I know a recipe for something delicious zat requires minimal effort on our part."

"Of course," Soldier said. "Listen, that sounds tempting and all, but I have to go. And yes, I work too hard." He sighed, and added under his breath, "Someone has to..."

Zecora grinned. "You sure? Spy and I were planning to have a bit of fun later," she said, "And you're more than welcome to join."

She's not even rhyming now, Soldier noted. Whatever that spell was put on them, it's making them extremely lazy... "You two kids have fun," he said aloud, "And don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Spy blinked and laughed. "So, you want us to not show any mercy in battle and be mean to Medic?" Both Spy and Zecora laughed, their expressions slightly dazed. Soldier growled and got out of there, heading back into town. He had to warn somebody, had to warn one of the others...

He skidded to a halt. "...Oh who the hell am I kidding?" he muttered, realizing that he'd never be able to get to everyone in time. Nightmare Cuddles was an alicorn, and could probably teleport. He was badly outmatched and he knew it.

He pawed the ground nervously, trying to think of what to do. But he couldn't focus, he couldn't think of anything. Nightmare Cuddles was probably already hypnotizing someone else. He shook his head, and decided to focus on guarding Derpy. If he could protect her, then if nothing else he could count that as a win...

Meanwhile, Nightmare Cuddles was already taking care of Applejack, his hypnotic eyes bending her to his will. He let go of her, confident that she was his now. "Sweet Apple Acres is best apple farm in Equestria, da?" Nightmare Cuddles said. "Then why share apples with pathetic ingrate ponies?"

Applejack shook her head, trying to clear it... and smirked. "You're right," she said softly. "We DO have the best apples in Equestria! Why should we... why should I share any of them?" She licked her lips, looking at the basket of apples in front of her. "Thanks a bunch, Heavy! You spared me a lot of work!"

"Always happy to be helpful," the Nightmare said, grinning as he hopped away, vanishing in a swirl of darkness. Applejack dug into the apples, greedily eating them, not caring about the juice dripping down her mouth.

Nightmare Cuddles giggled. He couldn't help it. Things were just going so well! And that idiot Soldier couldn't do a thing about it! "Let's see, who's next..." he said, looking around. He eventually noticed Demoman advising Trixie on her cart's fireworks setups, setting up what looked to be a spectacular display. He smirked, and stalked over to them...

Soldier arrived at Derpy's house at a full run, just as Derpy was coming home from finishing her mail route for the day. She flew over to him, alarmed as he almost collapsed at her doorstep, trying to catch his breath from running so much. She brought him inside, Dinky and Sparkler running to get him water and something to eat when they saw him.

"Derpy..." he said once he had gotten his breath back, "Things are going badly..."

Derpy frowned. "Nightmare Cuddles again?" she asked. When Soldier nodded, she shook her head and said, "I'm still not convinced that he's dangerous. I mean, he's a giant plush toy."

Soldier frowned. "In my world, there was a strategy used to win an old war between two kingdoms called Greece and Troy. The Trojans were winning, their fortress keeping the Greeks from doing anything. So the Greeks built this giant wooden horse and left it at the Trojans front gate with an apology note, their entire camp abandoned and their ships heading out to sea," he said. He gratefully accepted the water and the muffin, continuing the story after taking a drink. "The thing is, the giant wooden horse was hollow. All of the Greek army was inside of it. The Trojans, not suspecting a thing, brought it inside their palace, and had a huge victory party. Once everyone went to bed, the Greeks came out and destroyed the city, gaining a total victory."

The three mares traded worried looks, not having considered anything like that.

"You think that Nightmare Cuddles is like that?" Sparkler asked.

"I know he is," Soldier said. "He's been brainwashing everypony he finds. He's already gotten most of my teammates, the Doctor, and the Elements, and is probably getting the rest even as we speak."

"Which means he'll be coming for you and me soon," Derpy said softly.

Dinky nuzzled her mother worriedly. "Mama?" she said softly. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Derpy bit her lip, a thoughtful expression on her face, and said, "Sparkler, I want you to take Dinky to your Aunt Berry's, okay?"

Sparkler blinked. "What? Mom, no, I'm not leaving you!" she said.

Derpy shook her head, giving Sparkler a pleading look. "Please, just don't argue with me! It's me they're after, not you, and I'd feel a lot better if I knew that you two were out of the crossfire!"

"But..." Dinky said.

"Just... Remember when the Weeping Angels attacked Trottingham?" Derpy said. "This is just as bad. Now please, just go..."

Dinky shook her head, tearing up and hugging Derpy. "Mama, I don't want to go!" she said.

Derpy smiled and kissed her daughter, trying not to show her growing fear. "It's okay, sweetie. Mama will be fine!"

Dinky hugged her tightly. "You promise?" she said softly.

"I'll make sure of it," Soldier said.

"You better," Sparkler said, frowning at him. "C'mon, Dinky."

Reluctantly, the gray unicorn filly was led out by her older sister, leaving just Soldier and Derpy. Soldier frowned. "What's a Weeping Angel?" he asked.

"Pray you never find out," Derpy said softly. "So what's the plan?"

Soldier shook his head. "We wait," he said. "And when he gets here, we fight."

Derpy's ears drooped. "...Not much of a plan," she said.

"I know..." Soldier admitted. "But it's the best I've got..."

Derpy nuzzled him. "I trust you," she said, Soldier blushing.

"..." Soldier found himself at a loss for words. He hesitated a moment, and said, "...Do you know why it is I fight?"

Derpy gave him a confused look.

"...I fight because of what happened to my family during World War II. I remember it now. I remember almost everything..." Soldier said. "I even remember my real name. Solomon David Nier. And... this may surprise you, but I wasn't always the war monger I am now. I was never in the army. But my younger brother, who was stationed at a military base called Pearl Harbor, was. My wife, daughters, and I were living with him on the base."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The past...

December 6th, 1941

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

A young man with brownish crewcut paced back and forth, looking at his older brother in frustration. "Solly, I understand how you feel, but the Germans aren't going to be content with just Europe. I have to enlist, I have to do something to help!" he said.

The older man, Solomon, shook his head, his shoulder length brown hair bobbing slightly. "Please... Lucas, you're my little brother. I can't stand to see you go fight in a war that will just get you killed! There has to be a way to give peace a chance."

Lucas shook his head, folding his arms. "Sometimes you have to fight to get that peace. Sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe in, to protect those you love."

"Someone has to be willing to take the first step. Someone has to show a willingness NOT to fight!" Solomon insisted.

Lucas scowled. "And sometimes the enemy won't LET you go without fighting. Solly, look, I know how you feel. But I can see where this is going. They aren't going to stop. We have to move to stop the Germans somehow. And damn it, I'm not about to let my big brother and his family get killed by some jackass would-be world ruler with a stupid mustache and his minions!" He shook his head. "I just don't get this pacifist stance, Solly! Our father was a great military man!"

"And look where it got him!" Solomon said, gesturing angrily to the memorial picture on the mantle of the fireplace.

Solomon's wife, a short, chubby woman named Karen, came in, gently pushing the two of them apart, "Boys, stop this. You're better than this. Do you think your father would have wanted you to fight like this?"

The two brothers glared at each other for a long moment, and then looked away.

Karen sighed in relief. She hated to see her men fighting. "Now, Lucas," she said. "You have to respect your brother's stance. You may not like it, but it's his right to have his own opinion on the matter. You're planning on enlisting to fight for those rights, aren't you?"

Lucas sighed. "Yeah..." he conceded.

Karen nodded, and turned to her husband. "Solomon. Your brother has every right to go enlist, doesn't he? And there's no active fighting now, is there?"

Solomon shook his head. "It's not right... but I guess so..."

Karen breathed a sigh of relief again, running a hand through her long black hair quickly. "Now. Shake hands and call a truce. Okay?"

The two brothers glared at each other. Karen shook her head. "C'mon you two. It's almost Christmas," she said. "You don't need to be fighting like this."

Solomon looked at his wife, and smiled. "She's right, Lucas. Let's not do this," he said, offering his hand.

Lucas shook his head, chuckling. "I don't know how you do it, Karen. Putting up with this bozo. But you're right, let's make nice. No need for your girls to hear us arguing."

"Especially since they just got to sleep," Karen muttered. "You boys are NOISY."

Solomon and Lucas both blushed, abashed. "Sorry dear," Solomon said, going over and hugging her. "We'll try to be quieter."

Lucas sighed. "I'm gonna go to bed. I start boot camp tomorrow," he said.

Solomon just grumbled. Karen nudged him. "You promised to behave..."

Solomon mumbled for a moment, and said, "Good luck tomorrow."

Lucas smiled. "Thanks, bro," he said, heading up to bed.

Solomon shook his head. "I wish he'd reconsider. There has to be a better way than going to war..." he said.

Karen sighed. "Believe me, Solly, I know how you feel. But it's his choice, and we have to respect it," she said as the two of them went up to their own room. "Besides, we both know what Hitler is doing over in Europe. Someone has to help make a future for those people."

Solomon shook his head. "If Hitler were attacking America, I'd agree with you. But he's not," he said. "What we need to do is make a future for ourselves here. Guns, rockets, none of that matters."

He paused at their childrens' room, and opened the door. He looked in and smiled warmly at the baby girls sleeping in their crib, curled up together. "This is what matters. Family. It's the only thing that matters."

Karen smiled warmly, and snuggled into her husband's arm. "A fine sentiment, lover," she said.

The next day, Solomon, Lucas, and Karen were all downstairs to have breakfast, Karen nursing one of their daughters while the other watched everything curiously, babbling and batting at the stuffed toy in her crib.

And to Karen's dismay, the brothers started arguing again.

"You're asking me to accept the fact that you're going off to kill people!" Solomon said.

"Damn it, that's not why I'm joining and you know it!" Lucas snarled.

"Isn't it? That's ALL armies are good for! That's all they do! They fight and they kill! You're going to train to become a FUCKING MURDERER!" Solomon roared, regretting the words even as he said them.

Both girls started crying as Lucas stared at him in shock. Karen glared at him disapprovingly.

"I..." Solomon started, looking to Karen for support.

Karen held up a hand, hushing him. "Just... go get some flour," she said, not looking in his direction as she tried to comfort her crying daughters.

Solomon sputtered for a moment, and sighed, storming away from the table. He arrived at the store, still fuming about the argument, slamming the door as he exited the car.

And then the attack began.

Japanese warplanes began strafing the base, attacking civilian and military buildings with reckless abandon. Solomon was thrown off his feet as a bomb landed near him, destroying the store. The blast nearly cracked his ribs, the force of it sending him bouncing off of a nearby car, landing back near his own.

He stared at the wreckage in shock, looking up as the Japanese fighters engaged their vicious assault. And as he did, one thought flashed through his mind.

"Karen..." he said softly. Ignoring the pain in his chest, he scrambled into his car and drove back to his house to try and evacuate his family.

Above him, a fighter was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. The pilot, determined to cause damage, turned his plane as best he could, aiming it at the first target he could see. He said a prayer to his gods and screamed a war cry.

Solomon drove up to his house. He got out and saw, to his relief, that his brother and wife were evacuating, bringing the two girls out to the other car.

And then the downed plane landed on their house.

Solomon was knocked back by the explosion, flying into the house across the street and slamming up against it. His brother, wife, and daughters were killed instantly, incinerated by the flames. They didn't even have time to scream as they were engulfed by the hellish blaze.

Tears streaming down his face, Solomon screamed in despair, sobbing and trying to run over to the flaming ruins, his neighbors struggling to hold him back. He collapsed, falling to his hands and knees, wishing he had been there, wishing that he had told his brother he was sorry, wishing he hadn't scared his girls, wishing his last words to his family hadn't been words of anger.

Wishing for things that could never be.

Barely heeding of his neighbors urging him to escape, he stared at the wreckage, tears streaming down his face. He wanted to die. He wanted to run into the fire and be with his family again.

Something glinted in the corner of his eye, and he looked down at it. It was the nameplate from his house, the one showing his name. But several of the letters were now blurred. Only seven were clear, still.

Sol D ier

SolDier

Soldier.

Something inside Solomon shattered to pieces when he saw the word the letters formed. Clutching the nameplate tightly, he slowly stood up, looking up at the sky, at the planes still flying around. The pain in his eyes was gone, replaced only by anger.

A single word escaped his lips.

"MAGGOTS..."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Now...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Merciful Celestia," Derpy said, nuzzling Soldier gently. "To have lost so much in a single moment..."

"I broke that day. The part of me that was Solomon died that day, and even with my memories back, I don't think I'll ever be that man again..." Soldier said in an uncharacteristically soft voice. "I tried to join up the day after the attack, but I was judged mentally unfit for duty. I tried everything I could to enlist, but they wouldn't accept me. Eventually, what my brother said about Hitler came to me, and I decided to just go fight Nazis on my own, training myself, making and purchasing my own equipment, and buying a ticket over to Poland. I rampaged for months, killing key Nazi figures with the help of an informant who's identity I never discovered... Hell, I even blasted that scumbag Hitler off of the face of the Earth!" He smiled a little, clearly proud of that. His face fell, and he said, "And then the Administrator found me. Heavy was the first one she recruited, and I was the second. It's a little blurry around that point, the only clear detail being when I moved in with Merasmus, but that doesn't matter. I've been fighting RED ever since..."

He shook his head. "I... I don't know what to do, Derpy. I'm not smart, like Engie and Medic. I'm not clever, like Spy and Demoman. I'm not as focused as Sniper, or as tough as Heavy, or as fast as Scout. Hell, I'm not even as crazy as Pyro!" He shivered softly. "I'm just... I honestly don't know what I am anymore... Everything's changed so much ever since we came here..."

Derpy smiled at him. "You're my friend," she said. "You're the one who saved my Dinky when she was in danger from the Nightmare Dogs. You and the others, you're the heroes that saved the town time and time again ever since this mess with the Smooze started. You're a proud soldier, even if it never became official." She hugged him tightly. "But most of all, Soldier, you're a good man. One that I trust with my life."

Soldier closed his eyes tightly, hugging her back. "You remind me so much of Karen... Your sweetness, your strength... the love in your heart, even for an old lunatic like me..." he said. "I swear, on everything I hold holy, that I will keep you safe. No matter what."

Derpy blushed, smiling. And inside her, she felt a warmth building.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Just outside Fluttershy's cottage...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Nightmare Cuddles looked up, startled. "The eighth element is awakening..." he said softly. "I need to hurry..."

He trotted up to Fluttershy's cottage, putting on his facade of being pleasant and cheerful. He knocked on the door, and patiently waited. After a few moments, Fluttershy came out, the yellow pegasus eeping when she saw the massive Nightmare standing there, slamming the door as she retreated.

A moment later, she came back out, blushing. "S-Sorry," she said. "It's just... You were big already."

Nightmare Cuddles chuckled good-naturedly. "Is fine," he said. "I have been getting that all day."

Fluttershy smiled sweetly. "Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked.

"Yes, actually," Nightmare Cuddles said, his eyes beginning to glow. Fluttershy flinched, falling under his spell. The Nightmare smirked, and started to speak, intent on corrupting her as he did the others. But instead, only one word came out.

"Sleep."

Fluttershy yawned, and curled up to nap right there on her front doorstep.

Nightmare Cuddles blinked in confusion. "That wasn't..." he started. He then scowled, looking at his reflection in a pond. "Heavy thinks he is so clever, he can save his friends? You got lucky with her. I won't let you stop me again."

He huffed, and decided to just finish things off. He looked around, and saw Sniper and Rainbow Dash up on a cloud near the edge of town. He vanished in a swirl of darkness, reappearing next to them on another cloud.

"HELLO!" he said, giving his trademark loud greeting.

Both pegasi leaped off of their cloud, startled. "What? What is it? What's going on?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking around frantically.

"It's Heavy," Sniper said, keeping a wary eye on the Nightmare.

"Is that what that toxic smell was?" Rainbow Dash said, frowning.

"Is probably Smooze that made me so CYUTE and CUDDLY as I am now that you are smelling," Nightmare Cuddles said helpfully.

Sniper nodded. "So what's up, mate?" he asked. "You need something?"

Nightmare Cuddles nodded, his eyes glowing as he entranced the two of them. "I need you to stop working so hard. Is beautiful day, yah?"

"I wouldn't know," Rainbow Dash said, a little bitterly.

"So very peaceful. Celestia has given us such a lovely warm day," Nightmare Cuddles said, stretching out on a cloud. "Already been to the others except for Soldier and Derpy, decided to see you two. Found you up here enjoying the day! And clouds are so VERY comfortable, yes?"

Rainbow Dash grinned. "THAT I can agree with," she laughed.

Nightmare Cuddles grinned. Things were going very well. "Da. Take day off, then. No need to worry about trivial things. Somepony else will handle it. Relax, have fun... maybe get to know each other better, ya?"

Rainbow Dash blushed, but she didn't say anything. She just giggled nervously.

Nightmare Cuddles nodded, releasing his spell, his eyes losing their glow. "I have to go. But you two have fun!" he said, flying away.

But even as he did, he felt something was off. Did I make a mistake?

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Well, that was weird. What did you think, Sniper?" When she got no response, she frowned. "Sniper? You okay?"

Sniper rubbed his eyes, blinking... and smiled. "Yeah... Yeah, actually..." He stretched out on a cloud. "Better than okay. I never realized it before, but these clouds are SOOO comfortable!"

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Yeah, they're the best. Perfect for naps," she said. She sniffed the air confusedly. Why was she getting a Smooze smell from Sniper?

Sniper grinned up at her. "Why don't we take a break from all this training I was having you do? It was too much work, anyway. We can relax, and maybe get to know each other a little better, eh?" he said, waggling his eyebrows at her.

Rainbow Dash didn't see the eyebrow waggle, but she knew something was wrong. Even if, for some strange reason, the suggestion did appeal to her. She put that aside, resolving to get help. "Yeah, no," she said. "Something's wrong. This isn't like you."

Sniper frowned, and shrugged. "Whatever you say, love," he said, relaxing on the cloud. "I'm just gonna sit here and enjoy the day." He pulled his hat down over his face and lay back into the fluffy whiteness. Rainbow Dash shook her head, and zipped off. She remembered Nightmare Cuddles saying that he had already been to the others, which meant they were unavailable. That left one option. She just had to find them first.

"Barricade? Harbinger? Where are you guys?!" she called out.

Nightmare Cuddles watched in growing horror and fury as she flew off. I DID make a mistake! How in blazes did I forget that she was blind?!

Cursing his luck, he teleported away, even as Barricade flew up to meet Rainbow Dash, calling out to her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Elsewhere...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Where is your master?" Harbinger demanded, glaring at Masky Pegasus as he hung, battered and bloody, from the ceiling, dripping Smooze onto the concrete floor of the hidden room, the only light a single dim lamp.

Masky Pegasus said nothing, turning his head away from Harbinger. He hung upside down, his hooves tied together, his wings literally nailed down.

"I say this again: Where is your master? You have been abandoned by your compatriots. You are our prisoner. And your Nightmare is a fluffy joke. You have no reason to be loyal to them anymore. Tell me what I want to know, and your death will be painless," Harbinger said, his face devoid of emotion.

My DeAtH? Masky Pegasus laughed. oNe Of CeLeStIa'S pReCiOuS pOnIeS iS wIlLiNg To KiLl?

"If I must," Harbinger said. "Such is my duty that I will eliminate all threats to the kingdom. Your fate is in my hooves, Masky Pegasus. Whether or not your death will be swift or befitting the fate you gave those children depends on your answers."

YoU aRe A kIlLeR. a ToRtUrEr. HoW aRe YoU dIfFeReNt FrOm Me? Masky Pegasus demanded.

Harbinger quirked an eyebrow. Many ponies had tried to turn this around on him over the years. It never worked. "I admit that I am a killer, and that I have tortured to get what I needed out of ponies. However, we have several differences. One, I serve a just cause, one more than worthy of staining my hooves red for. Two, I don't bleed purple. Three, I'm better-dressed than you. And four, I'm not currently doing an impression of a piñata. ARRIBA!" He lashed out with a forehoof, striking Masky Pegasus and getting it swinging around.

I hate it when the hero is a wiseass, Masky Pegasus thought, its latest injury aching.

Harbinger smirked, and left to get some air. The Smooze blood this creature produced made the air foul... When he got outside, however, he got a surprise.

"Ah, Rainbow Dash," he said, smiling pleasantly. "What can I do for you?"

"You have to hear this," Barricade said, her expression serious.

Rainbow Dash shivered. "Nightmare Cuddles, he's actually dangerous! He brainwashed Sniper somehow, made him all lazy, and if what he said is true, then he's gotten to everyone except Soldier and Derpy!"

Harbinger cursed. "Which leaves us and the two of them..." he muttered. "What's the likelihood of Soldier and Derpy producing a fusion?"

Barricade frowned. "Damned if I know," she said.

Harbinger huffed. "Then I need to go back to Canterlot, get backup from the princesses. The problem is that running at top speed will take me almost forty-five minutes," he said.

"Well, maybe he didn't actually get to the others!" Rainbow Dash said hopefully. "Maybe Spike's still okay and you can send a letter through him?"

"I'll stop by Twilight's and check, but I have a terrible feeling that he wasn't lying to you," Harbinger said. "Be ready for battle. Hopefully I'll be back soon with heavy artillery."

He dashed off in a blur, the force of his exit knocking Rainbow Dash back a little. She shook her head and wings, trying to get the dust out of them. She chuckled. "He sure knows how to make an exit, doesn't he?"

When she got no response from Barricade, she frowned. "Captain Barricade? Is something wrong?"

That's when she noticed the Smooze smell.

Nightmare Cuddles finished brainwashing Barricade, his eyes glowing intensely as he pointed at her.

"KILL RAINBOW DASH," he commanded.

Barricade turned to her, fixing her infamous Glare on the blind pegasus. Rainbow Dash cringed and ran for her life, Barricade taking to the air after her.

Nightmare Cuddles smirked, watching them go. "And then there were three..." he said. He turned to the chamber where Masky Pegasus was being held and tore it open with his magic.

Masky Pegasus hissed at him when he saw him enter. GeT oUt, YoU mOcKeRy. I dO nOt NeEd YoU hErE tO rEmInD mE oF mY fAiLuRe.

Nightmare Cuddles looked hurt. "Is that any way to speak to your rescuer?"

Masky Pegasus stared at him in confusion. wHaT?

Nightmare Cuddles frowned. "I made a mistake. I have been brainwashing the others into becoming slothful and lazy, but I forgot that Rainbow Dash was blinded, so she couldn't fall under the control of my hypnotic eyes. I got cocky, and wasn't thinking," he said as he used his magic to release Masky Pegasus from his bonds and heal the damage he had received. "Harbinger is on his way to the princesses. I've brainwashed Barricade into trying to kill Rainbow Dash, but there's no guarantee she'll succeed. I need to finish this, to bring all the Elements under my thrall, and I don't have much time left. If nothing else, I want to be able to say that I helped you get away. If nothing else, I want to claim that, at least, as a victory."

ThAnK yOu, Masky Pegasus said softly.

The Nightmare sneered. "Just go. If you hadn't blinded Rainbow Dash, I would have won by now," he said.

Masky Pegasus fumed at the insult, and flew away, vanishing into the darkness. Nightmare Cuddles shook his head. "Now for the last three," he said, vanishing in a swirl of darkness.

He reappeared just outside the hospital as Medic was leaving. The white-coated unicorn scowled. "Vhat do you vant, abomination?" he snarled.

Nightmare Cuddles gave him a mock hurt look. "Doctor! Is that any way to speak to your best friend?"

Medic growled. All the frustration that had been boiling inside him ever since Heavy's transformation finally came to a head. "You are NOT MEIN FREUND! Heavy Weapons Guy is mein freund! You are a cheap mockery of everything he stands for, of everything he is! I DESPISE YOU, HERR NIGHTMARE! So get ze fuck out of my way and NEVER SPEAK TO ME AGAIN or I swear I vill CUT Heavy out of you vith my BARE HOOVES!" he roared, his expression a mix of fury and sadness.

Nightmare Cuddles stepped backwards, taken aback by the sudden outburst. And to his surprise, he found the part of him that was still Heavy trying to force its way to the surface. The Nightmare fumed, trying to push him back, internally struggling.

Medic frowned, seeing the Nightmare start shaking. "Vhat? Vhat is wrong?" he asked.

"Doctor..." Nightmare Cuddles said, visibly straining. "RUN..."

Medic, startled, started to back away as the fluffy, cuddly form of the Nightmare began to peel away. He turned and started to run, only for Nightmare Cuddles to appear before him, his eyes glowing, in his REAL form...

Medic's screams were cut off and he came under the Nightmare's spell. The Nightmare chuckled, his voice deep and thundering. "It seems that the time for masks is over. Follow me, Doctor. Now is coward killing time."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Canterlot...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harbinger pushed himself to the limit, trying to force himself to go even faster than he was already capable of. His legs were aching, his Earth pony stamina being taxed to the limit. But in the end he managed to shave fifteen minutes off of the time he thought it would take to get there. He burst into the royal court, collapsing before Celestia and Luna, the two princesses ignoring the nobleman there to petition them for some petty thing to run to their loyal guardsman's aid.

Celestia braced him upright as Luna cast a healing spell on him.

"Loyal Harbinger, what is wrong?" Luna asked, surprised to see him, "Why would you strain yourself so mightily?"

Harbinger coughed, slowly catching his breath. "A new Nightmare has arisen. Masky Pegasus briefly escaped custody and was able to transform the BLU mercenary known as the Heavy Weapons Guy... We thought it passive at first, as it showed no sign of aggression, but it has slowly been brainwashing the Elements of Harmony. So far, only Rainbow Dash has escaped, and only because her blindness made her immune to its hypnotic eyes."

Celestia and Luna traded worried looks. Neither of them noticed the nobleman leave in a huff, irritated for being ignored.

After a moment, Luna said, "I shall return us to Ponyville. I shall lead the charge against his beast."

Celestia's eyes widened in fright. "Luna, no! You can't!"

Harbinger and Luna stared at Celestia, concerned at the terror they saw on her face. "My lady, with the Elements reduced in number due to the Nightmare's actions, Luna would be perfect. Her dream powers affect the mind, and might be able to break the spell..."

Celestia shook her head frantically. "No. No no no, she can't go. She'll be put in danger. Slendermane will go after her, and I can't let that happen, I can't lose her again, I ca..." she stammered, her rant breaking off into a severe coughing fit. This time it was Harbinger's turn to brace her as the sun goddess wheezed painfully, hacking up a glob of blood.

For one horrible moment, Celestia thought the blood she coughed up was purple.

"Tia?" Luna asked, worriedly nuzzling her sister.

"Just go..." Celestia softly. "Stop the Nightmare. Save my student and her friends." She looked up at Luna with a pained smile on her face. "Be safe, my sister..."

Luna smiled gently. "Be well, my sister..." she said, nuzzling Celestia again. She turned to Harbinger, her expression becoming stern. "To battle," she proclaimed, both she and Harbinger vanishing in a wave of moonlight.

Celestia just stared down at the blood she had coughed up, fear pounding in her heart. Blessed Mother... What is happening to me?

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ponyville...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rainbow Dash darted helplessly about the town, ignoring the protests of ponies she bumped into as she desperately tried to stay ahead of the massive pegasus following her.

Barricade kept above the town, her powerful wings moving her massive body with surprising speed as she coldly scanned for Rainbow Dash, the only thought in her mind the desire to kill the rainbow-maned mare.

Rainbow Dash zipped around a corner, hiding underneath an abandoned cart, listening as Barricade's powerful wingbeats carried her away. She shivered.

"Okay, let's review," she said. "You're being chased by the brainwashed Captain of the Pegasus Guard, Captain Barricade. The pegasus who has been called the greatest sky warrior since Commander Hurricane herself. The pegasus who's nicknames are the Invincible Steel Wall of Equestria and the Canterlot Juggernaut. Almost all of your friends have been brainwashed, and the only reason you aren't is because you can't see." She laughed madly. "I'm so doomed..."

"You'd be less doomed if you didn't think out loud, kiddo," Barricade said, having hovered down to the roof of a nearby building when she lost track of Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash yelped and zipped away, Barricade smirking and following after her. "Give it up, kiddo. Make this easy on yourself and surrender. I promise I'll kill you quick," she said.

As it happened, she passed right under Sniper as she said this.

Sniper stared after them, watching the scene with mild curiosity.

Dasher's in danger, he thought, I have to help.

His eyes flashed as the Nightmare's magic asserted itself. Too much work. Let someone else handle it.

There is no one else, said the first voice in Sniper's head. Didn't you hear? Cuddles said he'd been to almost everyone already.

So what? It's still not my problem, said the Nightmare-influenced voice.

"GO AWAY!" Rainbow Dash shrieked as she darted above the town. Some of the other pegasi got the idea that something was wrong and tried to help, but Barricade smashed them aside like bowling pins, not even acknowledging their presence.

"Come now, Rainbow Dash!" Barricade teased. "This is highly unprofessional!"

Professional.

Sniper's eyes widened, the word resonating through him.

This is NOT how a professional acts, Sniper thought, forcibly silencing and removing the Nightmare-influenced voice. I am a PROFESSIONAL.

He shaped his cloud into a sniper rifle. "And I'm getting bloody tired of being bloody brainwashed," he muttered, taking aim and firing a lightning bolt at Barricade, striking her in the forehead and sending her crashing to the ground. She landed in a smoldering heap just outside the mayor's office.

Rainbow Dash sighed in relief. "Sniper?" she called out.

"Over here, love," he said, staring down at Barricade. The blinded mare went in the direction of his voice, stopping when she caught his familiar scent, this time untainted by Smooze.

"Thank Celestia you're okay," she said.

Sniper smirked. "I never abandon me mates," he said. Rainbow Dash blushed, grinning widely.

"Is she down?" she asked.

Barricade staggered to her feet, casting her murderous Glare up at the two pegasi, causing them to flinch.

"A for effort," the canary-yellow behemoth said, grinning viciously. "C for execution. It'll take more than a single shock to stop me."

"Bloody bogun," Sniper muttered, taking aim again. As he did, though, an indigo blur surrounded Barricade, lifting her off the ground and slamming her away. Harbinger appeared out of the blur, glaring at his fellow captain.

"What in Tartarus is the matter with you?!" Harbinger snapped.

"Orders," Barricade said, shrugging as she picked herself up, barely hurt by the impact. "It's nothing personal."

"WHO'S orders?" Harbinger demanded.

"The Nightmare's," Barricade said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Damn, then he's gotten to you as well..." he said, bracing himself for battle.

And then Luna stepped forth.

"CAPTAIN BARRICADE," she said, the Royal Canterlot Tone in full effect, "WE RESPECT THAT THOU ART UNDER THE SPELL OF THE FOUL BEAST. HOWEVER, WE MUST ASK THAT YOU STAND DOWN IMMEDIATELY AND ABANDON YOUR ATTEMPTS TO KILL THE LIGHT ELEMENT OF LOYALTY."

Barricade shook her head. "Can't do that, your Highness. Dash has to die. And if I have to go through you..." she trailed off, chuckling. "Well, I always wanted to give scrapping with an alicorn a try."

Luna frowned. "THEN COME. CHALLENGE ME," the Moon Princess said, bracing her hooves on the ground.

Barricade charged. Harbinger tried to stop her, but the mountainous pegasus was too much even for him, moving too fast for Sniper to line up another shot. She crashed into Luna with the force of a comet, a shockwave forming from the impact.

Luna didn't budge an inch.

She glared at the much larger pegasus, who had a startled look on her face even as she continued trying in vain to push the powerful alicorn. "THE 'CANTERLOT JUGGERNAUT,' THEY CALL YOU," Luna intoned. "UNSTOPPABLE FORCE, MEET IMMOVABLE OBJECT."

Luna gave what for any unicorn would be the magical equivalent of a slap. The impact of the magical blow send Barricade flying back as if she were a filly. She crashed through several stone walls, skidding to a stop in front of the library. Luna teleported over to Barricade as she struggled to her feet, wondering what the hell just hit her.

Before Barricade could say anything, Luna's eyes and horn began to glow. Wispy energy flowed from her horn, wrapping itself around Barricade's head and entering through her eyes, painlessly purging the Nightmare's control from her.

Barricade blinked, looking around in confusion. When she noticed Luna standing over her with a benevolent smile on her face, she remembered everything and bowed shamefully.

"Princess, I... forgive me. I couldn't control myself," Barricade said.

"It's all right," the moon goddess said. "You have nothing to be forgiven for."

Harbinger smiled. "Good to have you back with us, Barricade."

Rainbow Dash sighed in relief. "That's over at least," she said.

"Which still leaves Nightmare Cuddles," Sniper said.

Luna gagged. "That is the creature's name? Seriously?"

"NO..." hissed a voice. Everypony whirled, seeing Spike stagger out of the library, his face more reptillian than usual. "Not... his real name..."

"Spike? What's happening to you?!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

Spike gave Princess Luna a perverse look as his body started to enlarge. "Pretty... MINE!" he roared, turning into a full-sized dragon, the townsponies running away in fright as Rainbow Dash, Sniper, Barricade, and Harbinger prepared to do battle.

Luna glared at him, stormclouds forming above Ponyville as she prepared to do battle. "KNOW THAT I WILL SHOW YOU MERCY, CREATURE. BUT I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO HARM ANYPONY! LEARN NOW WHY THE DRAGONS DARE NOT INVADE EQUESTRIA! HAVE AT YOU!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Meanwhile...

Derpy's house...

The edge of town...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Soldier stood outside Derpy's door, his eyes closed. Tremors shook the ground as a massive figure came over the small hill leading to her house. Soldier opened his eyes, glaring at the horror before him.

Any hint of the cuddly form the Nightmare had before was gone. His body was perversely huge and bulging with muscle, so large that the skin had torn in places to reveal the pulsing red muscle underneath. Spikes lined the creature's flanks and shoulders, the creature's coat now a pale, bluish-white, its stubbly mane and short tail now green and bubbling like acid. Its eyes were sunken into its head, glowing softly, his mouth a fanged, bloody, too-wide grin. Its wings were massive blades, its horn more of a jagged drill now.

Soldier sneered. "So this is what you really look like, maggot," he said.

The Nightmare chuckled. "Indeed. The false form of Nightmare Cuddles has served me well," he said. "But I think the time for pretending has passed, don't you?"

Soldier nodded. "I agree. It's time to settle this," he said.

The Nightmare chuckled. "Ah, pride. Such an easy sin to exploit. Greed, Gluttony, Lust, Sloth... All the quiet sins that every sentient being has in their hearts. Subtle, sneaky, you never know that they've gotten a hold of you until far too late." He grinned, that horrible, bloody grin. "That is my power. The power of Nightmare Juggernaut. To take one's sins and give them hold over you."

"I take it you're not going to try that with me," Soldier said, not taking his eyes off of the massive, brutish creature.

Nightmare Juggernaut sneered. "No, I think not. You, you sad, broken little thing, you're not worth the effort of corrupting. You will die. And Light Element of Love will fall to my power as well," he said.

"Love's stronger than you know," Soldier said sternly.

Nightmare Juggernaut guffawed. "LOVE?! Powerful?! HA! Love and friendship are stupid magic. They have no true strength. And you! You pathetic war monger. What do you know of love?"

"More than you could ever know, maggot," Soldier snarled. "I fought in World War Two because I loved my family. I fought even when they wouldn't make me a soldier officially because I love my country. I fight for my team because I love my friends. And I fight for this world because... because I've come to love it here."

Derpy's eyes widened as she listened to Soldier speak. And in her heart, the warmth she felt for him grew even stronger.

Nightmare Juggernaut scowled angrily. Soldier smirked. "It is said that the greatest evil is when a good man does nothing. I don't know if I'm a good man or not, but I'm definitely going to war. I will protect these ponies! I WILL FIGHT!"

"And I'll fight with you," Derpy said, coming out of her house.

Nightmare Juggernaut's eyes widened in shock. Soldier smiled warmly at Derpy, who grinned confidently back and nodded.

And as they did, a light engulfed them both, a cyclone of bubbles forming around them. Nightmare Juggernaut staggered back, wincing in pain as the pure light of the awakening Element of Love blinded him. When the Nightmare's vision cleared, he looked back... and snarled.

Standing before him was a muscular, blonde, human woman wearing Soldier's uniform, her crossed eyes half-hidden by her helmet. A shotgun was holstered on one side in the backpack she wore. An entrenching tool and bloody silver pickaxe sheathed in the other side. Her boots were armored, and a trumpet was sheathed at her belt. Around her neck was a golden necklace with a crystal in the shape of a cluster of bubbles. And in her hands was a rocket launcher.

"SOLDERP reporting for duty!" she said, the voice belonging to Derpy but the gruffness purely Soldier's. She saluted, clicking her heels together. "So prepare for an ass-whupping, you freakish MAGGOT!"

Nightmare Juggernaut glared at her for a moment. And then he chuckled. "Doctor?"

Medic, his expression dull and lifeless, stepped out from behind the Nightmare, revealing a healing beam going from his horn to the Nightmare's body. Nightmare Juggernaut's horn glowed, and seven more Medics appeared, shadowy, grinning clones that also trained their healing beams on the Nightmare.

Solderp cringed. "Octo-Heavy. Of course," she said.

"That is not all," Nightmare Juggernaut said. His chest split open in a bloody gash, and a massive minigun barrel came out. Solderp fired a rocket at her feet, the blast carrying her into the air just as the minigun began to rev up. She fired again while in midair, a glowing critical rocket coming out and slamming into one of the fake Medics, destroying it in an instant, Solderp landing in a nearby tree.

Nightmare Juggernaut growled, and stormed after Solderp, who returned fire with two more rockets, running away from the hail of bullets as she headed towards the Everfree Forest.

"You cannot run, coward!" Nightmare Juggernaut bellowed. "I will find you!"

"Not in these woods, you won't!" Solderp called out, grinning as she fired another rocket, which took out another fake Medic. Nightmare Juggernaut screamed in fury, charging after him, his minigun blazing.

It wasn't until he was fully in the forest and accidentally gotten a hoof wedged between two close together trees that he realized he had been tricked. He looked around, seeing plenty of cover for Solderp to hide, and plenty of trees to block his movements. He was too big, and his Medics were having trouble getting through the thick stands of trees. He couldn't fly or teleport, because that would leave his Medics behind and he wasn't about to give up that advantage.

"Very good," Nightmare Juggernaut conceded. "Limit my movements by forcing me into an enclosed space. Exploit the large size of my true form."

No response, save for the sound of a point blank shotgun shooting the head off of one of the fake Medics, which vanished in a swirl of darkness.

Nightmare Juggernaut sneered. "But there is a simple solution that I'm sure you didn't think of," he said. He snarled, and began to power through the trees, crushing them under his hooves as he fired his minigun, tearing up the foliage. Another rocket shot towards him, but one of his fake Medics triggered an UberCharge, the missile exploding harmlessly off of him.

"Damn it," Solderp cursed, moving out of the way of a barrage of bullets. She wouldn't give up, though. She knew he wouldn't waste UberCharges, so she knew that the Medics would be vulnerable. She just had to keep to the guerrilla tactics.

Nightmare Juggernaut looked around, angrily searching for Solderp. He kept his minigun barrel revved, prepared to fire at any moment. But it seemed that no matter what he did, Solderp was able to stay in cover.

"KYAGIH!" screamed one of the fake Medics as Solderp blasted it into shadows with her rocket launcher.

Nightmare Juggernaut fumed, firing in the direction the rocket came, tearing down a thick tree... and revealing a cavern full of timberwolves. They pounced on Nightmare Juggernaut, who roared angry and roughly plucked them off of him with his magic. He was UberCharged, so their savage bites didn't hurt him, but they were a distraction.

This gave Solderp time to run in and kill another of the fake Medics, this time by slamming her pickaxe into the skull of the shadowy creature, causing it to vanish, its body sparking as the UberCharge it had built up dissolved. Solderp quickly ran back into the shadows as the Nightmare whirled around angrily, firing a barrage from the minigun sticking out of the bloody gash in its chest.

Nightmare Juggernaut snarled in frustration. "COWARD! Fight me like a man!" he bellowed, one of his remaining Medics triggering their UberCharge.

Solderp cackled. "I'll fight you like what I am, maggot!" she called out, her voice echoing in the forest, seemingly coming from all directions. "A SOLDIER!"

Nightmare Juggernaut roared in frustration. But that roar was drowned out by the sound of thunder. The Nightmare looked up and cursed.

"Luna is here... I should have just teleported to Derpy's house instead of walking... Curse my penchant for theatrics..." he muttered. "I have to finish this quickly."

He turned back and took three steps forward... only to find his forelegs falling into a hastily dug pit trap. He stumbled, and tried to recover, but Solderp rocket jumped over him, firing another rocket that destroyed a sixth fake Medic, leaving only one fakesand the original. She whipped out her shovel and smashed it across the face of the last fake, its UberCharge dissolving with a splash of sparks as its neck broke, the fake vanishing into shadows. The remaining Medic, the real one, triggered his UberCharge, Nightmare Juggernaut roaring and firing a barrage of bullets into the shadows Solderp vanished into.

"DAMN YOU!" Nightmare Juggernaut cursed. "EVEN IF YOU ELIMINATE ALL MY MEDICS, I WILL KILL YOU AND KILL YOU AND KILL YOU!"

A rocket splashed harmlessly on his UberCharged face, as if mocking him. Nightmare Juggernaut roared, charging into the shadows, with the brainwashed real Medic behind him. He fired wildly, tearing a swath through the forest, until finally, he cornered Solderp, catching her with a wild swing of his massive forehoof, pinning him up against the wall of the old royal castle they had reached in their rampage.

Solderp stared up at him defiantly, coughing up blood from her broken ribs, preparing to go down fighting.

Nightmare Juggernaut sneered. "You are nothing, Soldier of Love. Nothing before Nightmare Juggernaut," he said, revving his minigun. "Die."

"NIGHTMARE JUGGERNAUT!" thundered a voice from above, "WE WOULD HAVE WORDS WITH THEE!"

Nightmare Juggernaut blinked, and looked up, only to receive a barrage of lightning bolts to the face from a righteously furious Princess Luna. A wisp of the same magic that freed Barricade emerged from her horn and into Medic's head, clearing it of the Nightmare's control as the Nightmare himself staggered from the force of the blows.

Medic shook his head, confused. Once his vision cleared, he yipped at the sight of Nightmare Juggernaut and promptly ran over to Solderp, giggling madly.

"Ah ze final battle against ze demon? Oh, how exciting!" Medic tittered, healing Solderp.

Solderp shook her head, chuckling. "Never change, doc."

Nightmare Juggernaut snarled. "YOU! You were one of us, the most powerful of us all! Why do you not side with us now?"

"BECAUSE I KNOW THERE IS NOTHING BUT DEATH AND SOLITUDE DOWN THE PATH A NIGHTMARE WALKS!" Luna roared. "I WILL NEVER LET EQUESTRIA BE PUT IN THAT KIND OF DANGER AGAIN!"

Nightmare Juggernaut snarled again, firing his minigun at her. The bullets bounced harmlessly off of her, only serving to infuriate the Princess of the Night even further. A blast of pure darkness erupted from her horn, striking Nightmare Juggernaut with enough force to push him into a crater.

Back behind Luna, Barricade grinned to the stunned Sniper and Rainbow Dash. "And THAT, dear friends, is why nobody fucks with Equestria," Barricade said.

Sniper gulped hard, nodding.

Princess Luna landed near the crater, Harbinger running up beside her. "Twilight is tending to Spike," he said. "She's humiliated, but will recover. Spike's injuries were minor as well."

"Good," Luna said. "Spike is a comrade, and I would not see him injured because of what this creature did."

Sniper, Barricade, and Rainbow Dash came over, Sniper looking into the crater, where the dazed Nightmare lay. "Can we get him back to normal?" he asked.

Princess Luna turned to Solderp, who saluted. "Crocket to the face with the Element of Love necklace wrapped around it should do the trick," she said.

Medic frowned, looking down into the pit at Nightmare Juggernaut's unconscious form. As he did, the Nightmare's eyes shot open.

"LOOK OUT!" Medic cried. The ponies standing around the crater scattered as Nightmare Juggernaut literally roared back to life, bellowing in fury as he lunged out of the crater. Any pretense of intelligence was gone, the Nightmare now just wanting to crush, to kill. He roared, spittle flying from his mouth, firing his minigun wildly, the fliers taking to the air and preparing to attack.

They needn't have worried.

"Maggot," Solderp snarled, stuffing her Element of Love necklace in her rocket launcher. She pulled out her trumpet and blew a fanfare, a flag rising up and unfurling on her backpack.

Nightmare Juggernaut whirled at the sound, roaring at Solderp.

"Eat love crocket, MAGGOT!" Solderp snarled, firing. The rocket, glittering with the Element of Love necklace wrapped around it, flew directly into Nightmare Juggernaut's mouth, the creature exploding in a blinding flash of light. Everyone save Rainbow Dash looked away as a wave of pure, adoring warmth washed over them. Trees regrew as the Element of Love's magic repaired the damage Nightmare Juggernaut had done, washing over Ponyville. Families and lovers felt strangely closer to one another in that instant, savoring the feeling.

And all of Nightmare Juggernaut's victims that hadn't already been freed were released from his control.

Applejack stopped eating, groaning as she clutched her swollen stomach. She had no idea why she had decided to stuff herself like that.

Rarity, sobbing, smashed the boulder she had been brainwashed into loving into powder. She couldn't hate Heavy for what he did, she knew that. She'd reserve all her hate for the Maskies and their master for rubbing salt in that old wound...

Trixie stopped preening in her mirror, quickly wiping off the absurd amounts of makeup she had put on, feeling foolish.

Fluttershy woke up, stretching. She wondered why she had fallen asleep on her doorstep, but shrugged. It had been a nice nap.

Demoman's booze high cleared up immediately, the Scotsman looking around in mild embarrassment at the bottles surrounding him.

Engineer and Pyro both stopped in mid-kiss, blushing brightly as they realized what they had been doing. They weren't entirely displeased, though.

Doctor Hooves quickly dismantled the fusion reactor he had been brainwashed into building. He wanted his TARDIS back, but not enough to risk blowing up Ponyville. Bad enough that he remembered the Nightmare telling him before enthralling him that he was being targeted as an afterthought.

Pinkie and Scout both quickly retreated from each other when their spell was broken. Neither was sure what to say to the other. But neither of them could stop smiling.

Spy and Zecora found their marijuana highs cleared up. Zecora blushed, realizing what had happened, but Spy just kissed her, smiling. Still, the infiltrator was worried...

Back at the battle, the light eventually faded. Soldier and Derpy had split again, both of them wearing Element of Love necklaces, Soldier's silver, Derpy's gold. Heavy, looking battered and bruised, lay on his back, groaning.

Soldier, Sniper, and Medic immediately ran up to him, Medic reflexively training his healing beam on him.

"Heavy, you all right?" Soldier asked.

"Speak to us, mate!" Sniper said.

"Come on," Medic said softly. "Do not die on me yet..."

"Suh..." Heavy grunted, looking wearily up at the others.

Medic nodded. "Yes, yes, go on..." he said.

"Suh..." Heavy grunted.

"Speak up, man," Sniper said. "What can we do to help?"

"Sandvich," Heavy said, falling unconscious.

"He's fine," Sniper, Soldier, and Medic declared unanimously.

Rainbow Dash facehoofed. Derpy giggled and came up to Soldier, nuzzling him.

Princess Luna smiled, coming up to Soldier and Derpy, Barricade and Harbinger flanking her. "My compliments to you both," she said. "You have helped avert disaster this day, and even awakened another one of the lost elements. Wounds were inflicted, but they will heal in time. Because of you, they were not made any worse than they were."

"Thank you, Princess Luna," Soldier said, saluting and smacking himself in the face with his hoof. "Ow."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Human world...

2Fort...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

RED Heavy awoke to a rather bizarre conversation. "...and that is why Soldier is now qualified to be a defense attorney, gourmet chef, park ranger, police officer in the state of Michigan, gym teacher, professional wrestler, beauty pageant host, construction worker, game show host, bowling instructor, and salsa dance instructor," Merasmus said. "Ah, good, you're awake. The BLUs must have won."

RED Heavy rubbed his head in confusion, barely acknowledging as his teammates swarmed around him, glad to see him awake. He was still confused as to why there was a magician here.

"Why is stinky wizard here?" he asked.

"He's helpin' us find the BLUs," RED Scout said.

"Ja," RED Medic said. "Ze problem is a little bigger zan ve thought, old friend." He then proceeded to explain what happened while he was out.

RED Heavy frowned, rubbing his head again as he tried to process everything that had been said. "I remember... I remember feeling like something had been done to me... Like I tried to hurt doctor... I tried to fight back, but evil voice in head had taken over..."

Merasmus nodded. "Most likely you were experiencing what the BLU half of your soul was going through. It can't have been pleasant..." the wizard said.

RED Heavy shivered. "It was... it was terrible nightmare..." he said.

RED Soldier came in the room, cradling a softly churring raccoon in his arms. "Hey Merasmus, a van just dropped your stuff off. Decided that you're living here?" he said.

Merasmus nodded. "Yes, just have them move them into the BLU base, please. Oh, and have them bring me the Bombinomicon."

RED Sniper blinked. "Wait, you're moving in?"

Merasmus sighed. "Apparently, Soldier has been hiding packets of sour cream all around my property for quite some time. It has attracted every raccoon in the greater Badlands area. Shortly before I became involved in this, my home was annexed and made into a raccoon preserve. As such, until I find someplace else to live, I'm moving into the empty BLU facilities."

The REDs, save for RED Soldier, who was petting the raccoon in his arms, traded confused looks.

"Soldier..." RED Scout said, "Why did you bury sour cream packets on the wizard's property?"

"Because I needed to bury the fridge," RED Soldier said, smiling reasonably.

"...Vhy did you bury the fridge?" RED Medic asked.

"So the monster I shoved in it wouldn't get out," RED Soldier said. "You should have seen how many of poor Lieutenant Bites's brothers and sisters it ate before I clobbered that evil maggot."

"Makes perfect sense to me," RED Pyro said, nodding.

Everyone else, save Merasmus, who already knew this, just stared at RED Soldier as he calmly petted his new companion. RED Soldier just smiled. "Anyone want muffins? I've got this weird craving for them all of a sudden. I got this great recipe for sour cream muffins."

"Oooh, I do, I do!" RED Pyro chirped.

"Nice. Anyone else?" His teammates stared at him for a very long time. RED Soldier just shrugged. "More for us, then," he said. "C'mon, Lieutenant Bites. Lets make some muffins." He left the room. Merasmus shook his head.

"...You seem to be taking zis quite well," RED Spy said.

"Well, I would have been angrier, but I realized that I'd be working with you all for an extended period. Plus, guilt can trump rage sometimes. I'm currently under the effect of a very potent calming potion, which I will need to take twice a week," Merasmus explained.

"Good thing for you lot," said the Bombinomicon, the book floating in to Merasmus's arms. "Otherwise you'd have to deal with him turning into a cranky rage ghost that's an even bigger ham than he is now."

RED Medic adjusted his glasses, seemingly interested. "Ze book talks!" he said.

"Yeah, don't even think about it," Bombinomicon said. "You keep your scalpels away from me, otherwise POW, ZOOP! I turn your testicles into firecrackers."

RED Medic smirked. "Just professional curiosity, nothing more. Magic FASCINATES ME," he said.

Merasmus frowned, and leaned over to RED Engineer, whispering, "...Should I be terrified of the concept of Medic having actual sorcery at his command?"

"Eeyup," RED Engineer said, sighing.

"Uh huh..." Merasmus said, frowning.

"Since ye have the bloody book," RED Demoman groused, pointing to his eyepatch, "Do ye think ye could put me eye back?"

Bombinomicon seemed to grin. "Tell him why you can't, Merasmus," the book taunted.

Merasmus giggled nervously. "Well... ah... I did in fact turn it into a monster, I just... don't know how to turn it back..."

Merasmus fled as RED Demoman shot grenades at him.

"Bloody wizard..." he muttered.

RED Heavy chuckled. "Maybe Heavy should have just stayed asleep."

"Whatever the case," RED Engineer said, very glad to have his vision cleared of Pyroland, "We have to be ready to fight Gray's damn machines. Ah just hope BLU team can hold off Slenderman on their end until we can get them back..."

TO BE CONTINUED...