This chapter will be very dark, but also necessary for the plot I am planning to bring out. I hope you enjoy it!

I look around and see nothing but black; a dark, hazy black. Eventually, my hearing kicks in and I can hear a voice; a reverberating, dark voice that seems to pull me into a fearful trance. I see a hazy form begin to fade in, and immediately recognize it as the form of my number one worst enemy from high school: Adam Ross. His jet black hair and bowl-style haircut gives him away quickly.

“Hello Danny, do you know who I am?” Adam asks me, looking quite motherfucker-ish in his Puma t-shirt. I also notice he is wearing green cargo shorts. He stares me in the eyes, being right around the same height as me.

“Yeah, I do. Who invited douchebags to my perfect world?” I man up and confront Adam in a rage. I never did this in school, but this is different; this is MY world. He will not ruin my perfect world!

“You fucking loser! You’re still just a lame as ever.” He explains simply, “And really? Ponies? What kind of man are you?”

“Dude, just shut your motherfucking mouth before I shove your dick so far up your ass, you’ll lose your own virginity.” I clench my fist, ready to fight.

“I wouldn’t talk that way, not to someone of my status…” He grins an evil smile, “There may be certain…penalties.”

“Like what? Whatcha gonna do to me?” I grin, thinking I have the upper hand, what with my magic and all, “I’ve got one thing to say: Fuck you! Yeah, fuck you and suck my dick!”

“Well, we’ve all talked the talk, but I’m afraid terror is reality for you, my friend.” He grins more, this time, almost an unnaturally wide grin, “I’m afraid I’ll have to teach you a little lesson. Please observe the room around us.”

“What ro-“I begin to ask, but the room around me begins to become more clear, almost as if someone has lifted a veil. What I see, however, makes me wish I never even opened my eyes. What the…

I am in what looks to be a large warehouse; dingy, dirty, the sound of machines ringing in the background. Further in front of me, I see a cage containing two very important ponies; Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. They’re…They’re crying; crying in pain, in agony. I can hear their screams echo throughout the facility, their bodies twisting as they moan. I have never seen this much pain in my life; even if they look fine on the outside, I can tell they are suffering on the inside.

“D-Dashie? S-Scoots?” I stare in disbelief at the suffering that is taking place before my eyes, then quickly begin to turn my attention back to Adam, “You…What the fuck did you DO TO THEM!?!” I scream at my peer, who simply snickers at my inquiry.

“I put them under an interesting spell to test you.” He smiles, “Let’s play a game, shall we?”

“What kind of game, you ugly motherfucker?” I sneer at Adam, “And why shouldn’t I just kill you right now with my bare hands? It’ll be better than any game.”

“Because, if you hurt me, they die.” He smiles as I take a step away from him, absorbing the reality of the situation, “There is only one way to break this spell, a true display of devotion.”

“What do you mean?” I snarl at my apparent ‘master’.

“Simple, as you see they are in immense pain.” I nod, “You and those two ponies share an interesting bond, so I decided to strengthen that bond.” I tilt my head, listening carefully, “The only way to break the spell is to hurt yourself. The more you hurt yourself, the less pain they are under. If you manage to match the pain they are in voluntarily, then you win and they are free. If you lose…well, you can probably guess what happens then.”

“So…So I have to hurt myself?” I cringe at the thought, “B-But it’ll them right?”

“Yes, that was the agreement.” He begins to walk closer to the cage containing the two ponies, gesturing for me to follow him.

I comply and walk closely behind him. Once we are a few feet from the cage, I notice a large wooden table that we stop at. How did I not notice that before? On the table are a few dangerous –looking tools. The first thing I notice is the pistol, which I recognize as a .22 Ruger. I looks to be loaded, it’s purpose becoming clear to me. The second tool I notice is a rusty, dull hacksaw that looks too dangerous to touch. I almost cringe just looking at the thing, knowing what I’ll have to use it for. I notice a few knives scattered about the table, but my attention is taken away as I hear Adam begin to speak again.

“Here are a few ‘tools’ you can use to complete your task.” He grins wickedly at the bloody workbench, “Now get to it, friend, you wouldn’t want to keep them waiting, would you? I leave you be, goodbye.” With that, he disappears in a flash of light.

I am about to snap a retort, but decide against it. What’s the use, anyways? I pick up the pistol and look it over for a second, thoughts racing through my head. Is this really worth it? I mean, it’s not like he’s gonna kill Dash or Scoots. I look back over at the two ponies, who are on the floor shaking uncontrollably in pain. My god, why did I even ask? Of course I have to do this, I can’t leave them.

I point the gun at my right foot, my hand shaking at the thought of self-inflicted injury. When I attempt to pull the trigger, my finger seems to have lost all strength, unable to execute the action. Just fucking do it, Danny! Those two ponies depend on you, you promised Dash that you’d do anything for her, now’s your time to prove it!

You’re right, here we go… I pull the trigger of the Ruger. *BANG* The impact brings me to my knees, pain coursing through my leg. Son of a bitch! I look down at my foot and examine the wound. The bullet seems to be lodged in my flesh, blood visible on my white sneakers. I attempt to stand, but the pain is too much for me to bear. I wonder if that made a difference…

I look over to see that Dash is no longer having a pain spasm, though she is still rolling and crying out in pain. Looking at Scoots, I see that she is crying, a puddle forming around the place where she is lying. That wasn’t even close…

Well, don’t give up now! You’ve already got a bullet in the foot, might as well go all the way with this. My subconscious begins to lecture me, Besides, what kind of ‘hero’ are you if you just give up on them? They trust you with their lives, Dash even said she does! You’re gonna betray that!?!

No…You’re right. I’ve gotta do this, for both of them.

I grimly set down the pistol and, using the table for leverage, I manage to stand so as to see my other options for torture. My hands rest on the largest of the knives, sick thoughts appearing in my head. Stab! I grab the knife in my right hand and point the tip of the blade towards my chest, chuckling to myself.

*THUNK* I gasp for air as I sink the blade deep into my stomach, just below my ribs. I take my hands away from the blade, letting it sit there. Glancing over at the two ponies, I see that the volume of their cries has decreased. Good…I’m actually doing something…

I continue to roll in pain for a few more minutes, having just shot and stabbed myself. MY tears flow freely as I see blood stain my shirt. The cries of Dash and Scoots are like knives to my soul, and now that I have taken a physical knife, I nearly lack the strength to move. My subconscious seems to think otherwise, however…

MOAR!!! YOU NEED MORE!!!

I grin crazily as I get up and select my next tool; a random cinder block. I can hurt good with this, maybe save my Dashie. The pain fades to the back of mind as I lie on the ground, clutching the cinder block tightly with both of my hands. Holding it over my right leg, I nearly begin to second-guess my strategy, but ignore that thought. Must…Hurt…More!

*SPLAT* I bring the block down on my leg, completely pulverizing my lower leg and any muscle that may have been there. The pain hits me like nothing I’ve ever known.

“AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” I scream loudly at the incredible stroke of pain blinds every sense in my body. I can feel, see, taste, smell, and hear pain. Pain and blood are all that surround me as I lie on the cold factory floor. Darkness clouds my vision as I cry for help, for somepony. Nopony comes, no one. After an agonizing length of time, I finally begin to think straight again and tilt my head in order to see how the two pegasi are doing.

Dash is no longer crying loudly and is finally beginning to open her eyes. She is still cringing in obvious pain, but at least she can see. Once her eyes set on me, she gasps, noticing my state.

“Danny!?!” She stares in disbelief, “Wh-What happened? What happened to your leg?”

“I had to hurt myself in order to…help you.” I manage to say through my pain, “Only…a little…left.”

“Wait.” She tries to stop me, but her voice fades away into more pained moans. I silently curse Adam for doing this to her, to me. This anger manages to block out the pain, allowing me to grab a railroad spike, a hacksaw, and a claw hammer. I fall back to the ground, ready to feel more pain for my Dashie. For Dashie…For Scoots!

I grab the railroad spike in my left hand and hold it on my upper right leg, which was not completely destroyed by the cinder block. In my right hand I am clutching the claw hammer, resolve filling my body. I will kill you for this, Adam.

I then bring down the hammer on the spike, driving it into my leg with a sickening thunk. I can feel my bone split, blood pouring out like a river. At this point, however, the pain doesn’t really hurt as much as it used to. Despite this, getting a huge nail driven into your leg hurts like a bitch; prompting me to scream once again.

“AHHHHHH!!!” Yelling at the top of my lungs, I can hear my scream reverberate off of the factory’s walls. The pain doesn’t last as long, my vision coming back shortly after the initial scream.

Looking over at the cages, I see a horrified Rainbow Dash weakly staring at me. Her breathing is ragged, showing the pain that she had been through. Her eyes, however, are locked in horror at the sight of me. More tears begin to well up in her eyes.

“Why?” She weakly asks through her breathing, “Am I really worth all of this? Look at what you did; you destroyed one of your legs. You crippled yourself for me and Scoots.” Tears begin to roll down her cheeks. I glance over at Scootaloo, not knowing what to expect.

“D-Danny?” I see a scared Scootaloo staring at me in disbelief through the iron bars of her cell, “Why…?”

She continues to mumble and cry softly into her hooves, killing any hope I have that they support my decision. M-Maybe I did the wrong thing…FUCK YOU ADAM!!!

“FUCK YOU ADAM!!! SHOW YOURSELF YOU CUNT SUCKING BASTARD!!!” I scream despite the pain. My rage is all that matters now. The curse is broken, he has no control. I grab the pistol from its place on the ground, ready to kill Adam as soon as he appears. I’m gonna kill him, then I’m gonna gut him like a fucking fish! Suddenly, bright flash appears, blinding me briefly.

“You called?” I scowl as my sight comes back and I see Adam looking at me with a sadistic grin, “I guess you would be mad, being tricked by me and all. I enjoyed your pain so much I recorded each and every second of it, but why did you stop? I gave you that hacksaw for a reason, you know?”

“You son of a bitch!” I take aim with my firearm and pull the trigger several times, “FUCKING DIE!!!” Blood sprays from each impact to the skull. Adam falls to the ground, the smug look still present on his face, “Heh, not so tough now, are ya?”

“You’d be surprised at how tough I really am.” A new voice begins to reverberate off the walls, “That body was merely a puppet to help expose your true rage. I can’t say it didn’t work, however now I’ll have to push it past its limits why’d you have to go do that? I was having so much fun.”

“You son of a bitch. Who are you really!?!” I scream at the void, “Show yourself!”

“If you insist…” He starts to chuckle manically, a black area beginning to form in front of me as I lie on the ground, still clutching the pistol with my hands. What the fuck is that? I stare at the dark mass when suddenly, a humanoid creature steps out of the mass.

The creature seems to be part human, at the very least, but the differences are extremely obvious. Where there should be hands, there are bladelike appendages, similar to the creatures on that Dead Space game. The face is hooded, a black robe covering the whole body except the hands and lower legs, which are covered with black pants. I suddenly feel something…anger; pure, unbridled fury. I’m talking Kratos-level shit here. I don’t even bother taking aim; I just spray round after round into the monster until I hear a click telling me that the clip is empty. Looking at what I have done, I gasp in shock at the state of the creature. Not a single rip or tear in the clothing is visible; no blood, no holes, no apparent pain, nothing. I know I hit him, but how did he survive?

“You fool; you thought that you could kill me with one of your toys?” He begins to chuckle, moving closer to me until he is upon me, “Now I finish what you started.”

Suddenly, I feel my mobility drop to nothing. It’s like that one nightmare all those weeks ago in the field. Oh god, no. The creature’s arms begin to morph into more human-like appaendages. Using his new fingers, he clutches the hacksaw with one hand and my left leg with the other.

“NO! NO!!!” I yell in fear and shock at the creature holding me, “NOT MY OTHER LEG!!!”

Instead it just looks at me with a sadistic grin. Suddenly, I hear nothing, nothing but pain. The pain from the cinder block, the railroad spike, the knife, nothing could compare to this. I am sent erect as my leg is slowly sawed off; the rush of adrenaline coming and going to a nonexistent beat. Seeing my life flash before my eyes for the second time, the pain begins to fade into a much more manageable discomfort.

Everything begins to blur as the sense of hearing returns to me.

“The deed is done.” He chuckles and disappears into the dark mass. I hear foot…no…hoofsteps coming close to me and my vision is soon clouded by a cyan blur. I feel hooves wrap around my body, lifting it up a bit. My vision is then cleared a bit, revealing what is around me. I see Rainbow Dash, crying hysterically whilst hugging my body, mumbling something incomprehensible. To my right is Scootaloo, who keeps asking the same thing.

“Why? Why!?!” She cries to me, head buried in her hooves. I feel regret start to surge over me. What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to let them suffer? The world begins to fade, my emotional pain now outweighing my physical pain tenfold. The last thing I see before I die is Dash’s eyes. At least the last thing I saw…was beautiful…

I bolt upright in my bed, sweating like crazy. Oh my god! W-What happened!?! I look down to see that I still have both legs, despite the casts. It…It was a dream? No…That was too real for just a dream. I begin to fall back into my bed, but notice the mare lying next to me; Rainbow Dash. She isn’t crying, she isn’t in pain, she’s just…alive. She’s smiling, snuggling against me. I tear up a bit, sniffling before pulling her in for a tight hug. At this, she seems to wake up.

“Danny?” She yawns a bit, stumbling on her words, “What’s…What’s up?”

“I’m just happy because you’re alive, Dash.” I grin, hugging her tighter and letting a few tears drop onto her mane, “That…That was the worst nightmare ever.”

“What happened?” She looks up at me as I pull away from the hug to look her in the eyes, “D-Did I die again?”

“No, I did.” I frown, explaining this to her is gonna be hard.

---Ten minutes later---

“Then I just faded into darkness, feeling nothing but regret.” I hold back a tear, “It was so real though, maybe…maybe it was real, I don’t even know. I’ve never felt pain like that in a dream.”

“Danny, if that was real…are you saying that this isn’t?” She brushes away a tear, “I can understand that you thought the dream was creepy because it sounds like it really was, but…but I am real.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t; if you weren’t real, I wouldn’t have sacrificed my life for you.” I look into her eyes, “I love you, from the bottom of my heart. You are the color of my world; without you, everything is so…dull. You mean everything to me Dash.”

“R-Really?” She hugs me tighter as I assure her of her worth to me, “I mean, of course I’m awesome.”

“Yeah, and I’m gonna tell you every day.” I smile and hug her tight, beginning to feel drowsy. Falling into a trance of tiredness, I lie on the pillow and close my eyes. No more nightmares. Please.

I think that was a tad worse than my last ‘scary’ chapter. Yes, there will be more ‘dark’ scenes like this to come. Oh and BTW, it was my birthday on the 22nd! 15 years old FTW! Please leave your thoughts in the comment section. Also, I will not be taking human OC’s. Kinda should’ve pointed that out earlier.