CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: Nightmare

“Don't tell me you've forgotten. We both know how this is going to turn out.”

Tythol's voice echoed around the wave of the universe I was pulled into.

“I haven't forgotten my promise...”

“But when your child is born, you do realize it will only make this so much harder...”

“I know!” I huffed out.

“Why do you continue to badger me!”

Tythol's furious voice boomed around the area, causing me to cover my eyes with my hooves.

“DON'T YOU SEE? WHAT CHANCE DO YOU HAVE AGAINST MY BROTHER? HE SENT ME HERE, AND IT'S A PAIN IN THE FLANK TO BRING YOU HERE WITH ME! YOU ARE A FOOL IF YOU THINK YOU STAND A CHANCE AGAINST HIM! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!”

“I FUCKING UNDERSTAND!” I roared.

“I'm going to tell you this right now. When Lace Danneggiato rose, he used YOUR power to fuel him. Once you found redemption, that power vanished and your soul became pure and at peace! Lace had no more power to contain himself in Equestria anymore! You defeated him out of pure luck! Not your power alone!”

“Luck?! What the hell are you talking about?!”

“We're not on the same page here, what I'm talking about is that your soul pured itself of it's hatred! If there was only the smallest speck of any negative feelings towards Princess Luna, Lace wouldn't have been defeated and you would have died for nothing!”

“Then it wasn't luck. It was willpower!” I retorted.

“That moment had half of those things...” Tythol grumbled those words, I felt the air around me vibrate at the tone of his deep voice.

“It seems everyone keeps mentioning to me about how I will have to travel back in time and stop Love, or whatever else saved me that day. I think I'll remember!”

“It's not that we don't trust you to remember and go back to stop him. It's if you will do so.”

“What?”

I woke up. I was back in my bed. Two days after my first encounter with Tythol.

I hate it when he does that.

Me too.

Let's just go on with our day, okay?

I went to check my mailbox. Yes, a letter... yet it didn't have any return address. I opened the letter. A simple sentence was scratched onto the paper.

“Meet Me In The Ever Free Forest.”

What should we do?

I think we should go...

Why? I don't even know who wrote this letter. I'm not going.

It could be important! Something to do with Tythol or Lace Danneggiato. I don't know, but I just have a feeling that this will refer to at least one of them.

Fine.

I began to the entrance of the Ever Free Forest. When I showed up, I looked around. Nothing. I heard a rustle and looked at a bush. Sharp red eyes glaring at me.

“Come...” the voice hissed. It was low and scratchy.

“Follow me.” It said, the eyes vanished, and a large black figure rose, shadowed by the darkness of the trees before him. It turned around and began down the path. It passed through a beam of sunlight... yet it was still shrouded in darkness.

“I said follow me.” It snapped. I jumped and followed the creature. When we reached an open plain, the shadow vanished to reveal tall wolf like creature standing on it's hind legs.

“You have heard of The Darkness, have you?” It asked.

“Yes...”

“My leader... Lace Danneggiato... after his rule ended, I became the new leader of The Darkness. For a long time they attempted to summon me, but to no avail. I was needed first, but The Darkness grew restless and attempted to summon me early. Fools.” It snarled.

“Who are you?” I asked. I felt strangely calm.

“I am known by many names... I am The Nightmare. Fused with the power of Lace Danneggiato and The Darkness to become your friends' worst nightmares. I have heard that you have been in contact with Tythol.”

“Yes, yes I have.” Why was I telling him all these things? Why was he telling me all these things?

“Our pasts are linked... that is why. We both share a common fate, corrupted by greed.” The Nightmare stretched out his palm, and a portal arrived with showings of The Lunar Events.

“Look closely.”

I continued to watch.

“Do you not see?”

I saw it. The Nightmare's gleaming red eyes... watching me.

“You've been watching me... this entire time?” I asked.

“To some degree.” The Nightmare responded, waving his large palm and dismissing the portal.

“You want to return to the past, and stop what you suspect to be love from saving you?”

“Yes.” I responded. I couldn't control myself! I was telling him things he shouldn't know!

“I will not use any of this information against you Dorchester.”

How did he know my name?

“You've grown stronger then any of us could have imagined. You continue to hold a piece of Lace inside of you. Why do you continue to deny that you will betray your friends and not go to the past?”

The Nightmare paused.

“We both know who you are, and what you did, and what you will do in the future. You will abandon your friends, just like they abandoned you.”

The Nightmare began to walk in circles around me.

“They have no abandoned me.” I huffed.

“Think about it. They could have done... so much more... so much more then just giving you food and water while you continue to stay here. You cheated death, and death does not like to be cheated. You can put everything behind you, if you can muster one final push. Into oblivion.”

I put my hoof on my chin.

“No.”

“Very well then. Begone.” The Nightmare snapped his fingers, and I was returned to the front of my home.

What just happened?

I don't know, but I think we should head back over to The Ever Free Forest.

Agreed.

I began to make my way back to The Ever Free Forest. Little did I know that a darker fate awaited. Next Chapter: Goodnight Sweet Prince Estimated time remaining: 32 Minutes