BY: TheSnow_WhiteWolf
DING-DONG
DING-DONG
DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG
The morning air was frigid and cool as the velvet alicorn began to blink the sleep from her still weary eyes. Twilight looked over at the grandfather clock that was still ringing its early morning symphony. As she watched it the final early morning bell rang. DONG. "Great," Twilight thought to herself as she watched the little hand of the grand clock's face land on 8 A.M., "Overstepped yet again." It wasn't her fault, she had that same nightmare every night ever since she moved back to Ponyville. This one though scared her the most it wasn't the same ones she had when she was a filly with her either falling down a Fox hole only to be met with gnashing curled teeth, or that silly clown that would follow her for hours laughing morbidly. This one almost seemed surreal as if it was actually happening, it felt real, smelt real, for all Twilight knew it was real.
They would always start out the same, but still notably unlike the others as a different friends of hers never the same one for example Bon Bon, or Carrot Top, or Derpy always the last pony she talked to that day. Anyway they would be tied to a table with cuts running down the length of their bodies. They were either gagged with a price of cloth or magic brace as they've muffled screams were barely audible. The pegisi always had their wings filleted open revealing the bone and cartilage that gave them the shape, the unicorns had the card cover of their horns busted open revealing the raw nerve that gave them their magical ability, the earth ponies just had their hooves chopped of leaving a stump of flesh and pear white bone. The butcher is unknown as he/she is always seen by Twilight as in first-person. The coat color of the butcher is unrecognizable as it is stained a rich berry red from the blood.
As Twilight proceeds to haul herself out of bed, she noticed that Spike was no ware to be seen. At that moment the sweet sent of haycakes and apple juice wandered to her nose. She proceeded to make her way down stairs just stopping in front of the ignoramus clock. Twilight liked the clock it seemed to be the only thing to pull her from the revolting dream with its rhythmic DONG almost like a guardian angle.
When Twilight finally reached the bottom step and entered the kitchen she saw a small green and purple dragon standing on a stool cooking breakfast over a cast iron stove with plooms of steam rising off of it. Spike turns around and sees Twilight entering the kitchen, "Good morning Twilight, did you sleep good?" The velvet coated mare just stood there for a minute pondering the question wondering what she should and shouldn't tell her number one assistant. "Ok, I guess," she finally choked out feeling the the questioning glance of the baby dragon, she quickly covered it up with, "I really just tossed and turned all night, I just couldn't find the right spot." Spike turned back to the food quickly trying to scoop it onto a plate to keep it from burning.
After the mad scramble Twilight settled down at the table to eat her meal. As Spike went to clean the dishes it allowed Twilight a few minutes to her thoughts. After a few minutes she got up to peruse the books of her library looking for a book that may bare light on her predicament.
After an hour of countless searching and constant let downs she decided to go into town and see what would be available at any of the book stores.
"Dang, nothing here either!" Came the angry outburst from the velvet mare. The yell caused a few wondering glances from other customers, and a flush of embarrassment to the princess of its origins. After leaving the store Twilight began to trudge home feeling defeated. Out of no ware came a quite consented question, "You alright, Two?" The owner was a orange cowpony. It took Twilight by surprise as she looked up only to jump back in horror with fear streaking across her eyes. What she saw was AJ, but she was covered in cuts dripping red syrup like liquids and walking on white crutches where her hooves should be, from her eyes streamed a creek of tears. Then she was back to normal, "Sugercube what wrong?" Without skipping a beat Twilight began to gallop back to the library leaving a very puzzled AJ, " Twilight! What n' tarnation got'n into that girl?"
Twilight didn't look back she just ran, wanting to get as much space between her and Apple Jack as naturally possible. This was new never before have her dreams affected her this badly. The image of the maimed pony still etched in her shut eyes as she began crying, ignoring the alarmed cries from the ponies she bolted past.
Hours past, Twilight just sat in her room sobbing softly into a feathery pillow.
DING-DONG
DING-DONG
DONG-DONG
The clock informed Twilight that it was 2 A.M., shehadrefusedtosleeptoafraidaboutwhothemysteriousponywouldbetorturingthisnight. Tirednesswas slowly battling away at her and she was a losing the war as she felt herself begin to sink into a worry filled sleep. Try as she must she could no longer fend off the beast that was feeding at her consciousness as she fell into a troubling sleep.
It was Apple Jack on the table this time a wad of cotton lodged into her throat as she begins to whimper, a few tears rolling down her cheek as the crimson stained hooves begin to make shallow incisions in the orange mares coat causing muffled screams to resonate from the victim. Blood and orange begun to mix as the wounds begun to seep. The red hooves quit just long enough to reach for a saw. The screaming, even though she was gagged, seemed to intensify as the unspeakable act was dealt without hesitation or mercy. Twilight saw threw the strange ponies eyes the event that was portrayed in front of them, she felt sick having to watch the mutilation of her friend. AJ lay on the table passes out. The mystery pony stretched its muzzle to the table holding the instruments of torture and picked up a long knife. As the pony raised it head over AJ's barely breathing body and brought the knife down, the knife was about to make contact with flesh when...
DING-DONG
DING-DONG
DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG
Twilight 's eyes flew open like a flash with a scream catching in her throat as she bent over the side of her bed and was sick. A few seconds later Spike walked up the stairs carrying breakfast on a tray. "Twilight I hope you like breakfast in bed seeing as you refuse to come...," the tray fell crashing to the floor as Spike tried to take in what was in front of him. Twilight was slowly rocking back and forth on a bed that seemed to have been ripped apart by timber wolves, the pungent smell of vomit was unmistakable. "Tw-Twilight what happend, are you alright? Say something!" Pleaded Spike a hint or worry in his tone. The female pony just sat, seeming not to register the questions asked by the baby dragon as she slowly continued to rock back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
She seemed to have sat in bed for what felt like hours, literally scared out of her wits. The reality of this dream seemed to real to be fake was what terrified her the most.
As her thoughts ran dry there came a faint knocking at her bedroom door. "Come," was the only world she managed to choke out as the four multi-colored ponies began to pile into the spacious room. Rarity was the first to chime up, "Twilight darling, are you feeling alright? Spike came and got us, he was worried about you." As Twilight looked up she caught the worry in their eyes. "I'm better now that you are all here," Twilight remarked giving Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkey Pie a hug, "Wait...where is Apple Jack?" Rainbow was the one to answer this time, "oh I think she's working, it's applebucking season after all. BORING!" "Uh, Twilight if your not feeling good, we uh could you know. Stay the night," piped up the timid voice of Fluttershy. As Twilight looked into the eyes of her friends surrounding her she couldn't help but let a smile creep onto her face as she happily obliged. Then Pinkey started jumping around the room yelling "PARTY!" as loud as her lungs would permit.
As the final bed roll was unraveled and lain on the wood floor of the tree house the grandfather clock chimed it's hourly tune.
DING-DONG
DING-DONG
DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG
Rarity looked at each of her friends and stated, "I don't know about you ponies, but as a lady I need my beauty sleep." "Ya and I got stunts to practice tomorrow, yawn." Said the cyan pegasus. Twilight looked say her friends and said, "Girls thank you for staying over I feel safer already, good night." The four other ponies replied in unison, "Good night," as they all fell asleep, Twilight feeling safer knowing she had her friend here to protect her incase that awful dream shows its ugly head.
The dream came like a wave as soon as her eyelids shut. Twilight was seeing threw the eyes of the butcher again. It was different this time way different, for on the table lay not one but four ponies. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkey Pie all bound and tied to the table with magical restraints covering their muzzles. They're eyes where wide with fear, the smell of fear filled the air. As the surgical tools where laid out on the table each each pony received their own hell. The faint scream of Rainbow Dash as her wings where turned inside out, the same punishment was dealt to Fluttershy even going as far as one of her wings hanging off by a tendon. The protective shell of Rarity's horn was brutally smashed open leaving the sensitive glowing nerve hanging to the side of her head. Pinkey was left with white quad-pods for hooves as the screams of agony resonate in the clamped ponies mouths. As the butcher went to grab the scalpel with bloody hooves as it left the signature long shallow cuts in each ponies coat. The butcher gazed at the at the ponies, two unconscious, one still trying to fight for freedom as a low almost mute hum begun to coming from the fourth. White teeth reached down to pick up the long slender blade as the mystery pony proceeds to walk towards the one pony who refused to end her wild thrashing. As the pony positioned itself above Rainbow Dash who proceeded to give glaring eyes mixed with hatred and pain as puffs of steam shot out of her nostrils in fiery. The butcher only answered this act of defiance with a supernatural like chuckle that gains volume over time, the anger in Dash's eyes are replaced with fear as the blade begins its decent...
Twilight snaps awake to petrified to make a peep as she looks at the hands of the grandfather which read 7:55 A.M. Twilight looks around the room and notices she's laying in her own bed. She checks again, 7:59 A.M., then she felt it, the wet sensation on her hooves as she looks down to see them covered in a crimson plaster.
DING-DONG
DING-DONG
DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG-DONG
As the last note ends the red coagulated blood evaporates into nothingness. At the same time Spike pokes his head into the door, "Twilight, have you seen Rarity and the others? I was going to make her, I mean them breakfast heh heh." The only answer to come from Twilight was a barely audible chuckle...